Dell XPS 17 9700 P92F Thermal Paste Replacement and Dust Clean, by Ricks Tech Repairs on YouTube. 11 min 25 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 25 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Shut the laptop down and unplug the charger. Hold the power button for about 10 seconds to drain the remaining charge, then work on a clean, flat surface.
Remove the Torx T5 screws from the bottom cover. Slide a plastic pry tool into the seam near the hinge and work around the edge until the cover lifts off.
Unplug the battery connector from the motherboard first. This protects the board from shorts while you work on the fans and heatsink.
Unplug both fan cables from the motherboard and lift the fans out. Blow dust out of the blades and the heatsink fins with short bursts of compressed air.
Loosen the heatsink screws in the numbered order stamped on the metal plate, a little at a time. Lift the heatsink straight up once all screws are free.
Wipe the old grey paste off the CPU and GPU dies and off the copper cold plate with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth until both look clean and shiny.
Apply a thin line or a pea-sized dot of new paste to the centre of each die. Do not spread it, since the heatsink pressure does that for you.
Set the heatsink back in place and tighten the screws in the numbered order, turning each a few turns at a time so the pressure stays even.
Reconnect the fan cables and the battery connector, then press the bottom cover back on and refit the Torx screws.
Boot the laptop and check the temperatures with a monitoring tool. Idle should sit noticeably cooler than before if the old paste was dried out.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the screws in a tray or taped to a sheet of paper in the order you removed them.
Never let a fan spin freely while you spray it with air, since over-spinning can damage the bearing.
Use only a small amount of paste, as too much can spill onto the board and make a mess.
Do not overtighten the heatsink screws, because uneven pressure gives worse temperatures than before.
Questions
How often should I replace laptop thermal paste?
Every two to three years is a sensible interval, or sooner if the laptop runs hot and the fan stays loud under light loads.
Can I clean the dust without removing the heatsink?
Yes. If temperatures are fine, just remove the bottom cover, hold the fan blades still and blow air through the fins. Skip the paste step until you notice heat problems.
Do I need to replace the thermal pads too?
Only if they are torn or crumbling. Good pads can be reused, but keep them in place when you lift the heatsink so they do not shift.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
