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Warranty notice for DIY application of thermal paste

Can I unscrew the heatsinks to replace the thermal paste?

We strongly advise against disassembling the cooling system as this can have many unforeseen consequences and there is a high risk of voiding your warranty.

If done improperly, the following parts, among others, can be damaged:

  • Heatpads (lost, crushed, displaced or replaced with wrong thickness heatpads).
  • Heat pipes (bent due to gravity, improper hold or accident)
  • Cold Plates (scratched, contaminated with fingerprints, not properly cleaned before use)
  • Heads of screws (ground off by wrong screwdrivers, wrong torque, force)
  • Mounting screw threads/bases (damaged due to excessive pressure)
  • CPU and GPU die (damaged due to excessive pressure)
  • Surrounding components on the mainboard (dropped parts, slipping with tools, short circuits due to electrically conductive materials)
  • Fan cables (torn out, pins bent)

This list doesn't claim to be complete - there can be other factors that lead to a reduction of the cooling performance and thus carry the risk of a warranty loss.

Which thermal compound do you usually use?

Since 2025, all newly introduced XMG and SCHENKER laptops have been using PTM7950 and PTM7958 as phase-change thermal interface materials on the CPU and GPU; many 2024 models have already been transitioned to this.

Thermal putty is used on VRAM and MOSFETs in most current models, replacing classic pads and reliably compensating for different heights. Older models used high-quality silicone or graphite pastes from established industry brands.

All thermal interface materials are machine-applied by the supplier who manufactures the heatpipe modules for us, and are subject to comprehensive quality control. After final assembly in Germany, we additionally check the thermal performance using automated stress tests and temperature measurements.

The following table provides a complete overview of which thermal interface material is used in which model:

Further information is compilined in this separate article:

Laptops with liquid metal

XMG laptops that use the liquid metal contact medium for cooling contain a "Warranty Seal" sticker on one of the screws of the heat sink. Disassembling the heat sink is particularly risky with such laptops because the liquid metal can spread over the mainboard and trigger short circuits there if not done correctly. We therefore strongly advise against removing the heatsink from laptops with liquid metal.

If you should hand over your laptop to an independent service technician for maintenance, repair or upgrades (possibly after the warranty has expired), please explicitly inform them that the laptop uses liquid metal.

Why is changing the thermal paste such a risk?

In a system with combined CPU and GPU heatpipes, even the slightest bending of the heatpipes (due to improper holding) can negatively affect the mounting pressure of CPU and GPU cold plates - even before you start accounting for manufacturing tolerances. The larger the chips and cooling system, the greater the potential risks and problems. Large chips (graphics chips and desktop CPUs) are particularly susceptible to uneven mounting pressure.

The manufacturing tolerances of the thermal system are designed to be used with relatively flexible, silicone-based thermal compounds. High-performance thermal conductive pastes such as liquid metal, carbon pads and certain extremely high-grade pastes (e.g. those with added silver or diamond particles) are particularly poor at compensating for such manufacturing tolerances.

Recommended action

Please make sure to keep your laptop's heat sinks clean as described above under the heading "How to clean the cooling system".

If you are still unsure whether your laptop's cooling system is (still) working properly, please first refer to the article "How can I tell if my system's performance and temperature are within expectations?" in the Tips category.

RMA sending in for renewal of the thermal paste

We offer you the possibility to have your cooling system checked and repaired by means of a voluntary device check-up. This service is also available after the warranty period has expired. Please read this article: