I sent my ASUS TUF F15 in for a deep cleaning and thermal paste replacement, but there was a misunderstanding and liquid metal was applied instead. I don't blame the technician or the person who arranged it—I couldn't go myself because of exams. It has been about six months, and the laptop is working normally, but I'm still worried that the liquid metal might eventually shift, leak, or cause a short. Am I worrying unnecessarily, and should I have it replaced with regular thermal paste for peace of mind?
2 Answers
You’re probably overthinking it a bit, but the concern isn’t completely unreasonable. If the liquid metal was applied correctly and properly contained, it should remain stable for the expected life of the laptop. The main risk is poor application or leakage, which could cause a short, so six months of trouble-free use is a reassuring sign.
If the laptop is performing normally and temperatures are reasonable, there’s no urgent reason to change anything. You can run a CPU stress test such as Prime95 while monitoring temperatures to check that it remains stable under load. If you’re still uncomfortable after that, having a qualified technician replace the liquid metal with standard thermal paste is a reasonable peace-of-mind choice, though it may not be necessary.
Would switching back to regular thermal paste be safer, or would it be better to leave it alone if everything is working properly?
That makes sense. I’m hoping the fact that it has been running normally means the technician did a good job.