I'm replacing the thermal paste in my laptop with thermal pads and realized that the pad I ordered for the GPU is 0.5mm thick, while the one for the CPU is 1mm thick. I didn't check the thickness before ordering, which was a mistake. Is this a problem? Also, would it be okay to use thermal paste instead of a thermal pad for the thicker 1mm one?
1 Answer
It’s usually fine to use different thickness thermal pads for the GPU and CPU. If you're using Honeywell phase change thermal pads, don't worry too much; they will melt and expand to fill in the gaps as needed. Just make sure the application is secure and that there’s full contact.
Thanks for the reassurance! I have the Honeywell pad for the GPU. I bought the thicker one as a backup since this is my first time opening a laptop, and I’m a bit anxious about messing it up. Fingers crossed!