What Is Thermal Paste and Why It Matters for Laptop Longevity
If your laptop is running hot, slowing down, or randomly shutting off, the culprit might not be what you think. Often, it's not the fan, dust, or age. It's thermal paste.
What Is Thermal Paste?
Thermal paste is a heat-conductive compound applied between your laptop’s processor (CPU) and the heatsink. Its job is simple but vital — transfer heat away from the CPU so your system can cool itself properly. Without it, your laptop can overheat fast.
Why It Matters
Most laptops leave the factory with decent thermal paste, but it degrades over time. By year three, many devices are already seeing a drop in performance because of it. The paste dries out, cracks, or loses conductivity. Once that happens, heat builds up, throttling the CPU and slowing everything down.
Signs You Might Need a Thermal Paste Refresh
Your laptop gets hot even when idle
Fan sounds like a jet engine under light load
System lags, freezes, or crashes under pressure
You’ve never had it cleaned or serviced
What Happens When You Replace It?
Reapplying thermal paste and cleaning out the heatsink and fan can drop temperatures by 10–20°C in some cases. That means less strain on the hardware, better battery efficiency, and improved performance without upgrading anything.
How Often Should It Be Done?
Every 2 to 3 years is a good benchmark for most laptops. Gamers, designers, and anyone running heavy software might need it sooner.
We Do This Properly
At LaunchLayer, we offer full internal cleans that include replacing dried-out thermal paste using quality compounds like Arctic MX-4 or NT-H2. No rushed jobs, no half measures. Just cooler, quieter, longer-lasting laptops.
Based in Wickford? We’ve Got You Covered
We provide laptop servicing and thermal repasting across Wickford, Basildon, Billericay, and surrounding Essex areas. Book a check-up or drop us a message if you’re not sure whether it’s needed — we’ll give you an honest answer.
