Difficulty
Moderate
Steps
3
Time Required
40 minutes - 1 hour
Sections
1
- Thermal Paste
- 3 steps
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BackLenovo ThinkPad X201
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What you need
Step 1
Opening the laptop
- Unscrew all screws holding the back panel in place and disconnect the battery.
- Use a prying tool to disconnect the keyboard.
- Disconnect and remove the palmrest.
Unscrew all screws holding the back panel in place and disconnect the battery.
Use a prying tool to disconnect the keyboard.
Disconnect and remove the palmrest.
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Step 2
The insides
- Remove the metal bracket.
- Unscrew and remove the motherboard.
Remove the metal bracket.
Unscrew and remove the motherboard.
Step 3
Changing the thermal paste
- Unscrew the screws holding the CPU heatsink and disconnect the fan.
- Clean the old thermal paste both from the cooler and the CPU. It is best to use isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs or paper towel, but be careful not to go too hard on the CPU.
- It is also recommended to use compressed air to remove any dust in the laptop and the fan.
- Dont use too much thermal paste, just enough to cover some portion of the pad. If you have a spreader, use it. The thermal paste will apply evenly after you tighten the heatsink.
- Last, put the heatsink back carefully and tighten the screws in order to ensure even pressure. Dont forget to plug in the fan cable.
Unscrew the screws holding the CPU heatsink and disconnect the fan.
Clean the old thermal paste both from the cooler and the CPU. It is best to use isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs or paper towel, but be careful not to go too hard on the CPU.
It is also recommended to use compressed air to remove any dust in the laptop and the fan.
Dont use too much thermal paste, just enough to cover some portion of the pad. If you have a spreader, use it. The thermal paste will apply evenly after you tighten the heatsink.
Last, put the heatsink back carefully and tighten the screws in order to ensure even pressure. Dont forget to plug in the fan cable.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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Simeon Brankov
Member since: 11/08/2020
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