Glossary → Laptop Repair Terms
What Is Thermal Paste?
The thin layer that moves heat away from your processor.
Definition: Thermal paste is a heat-conducting compound spread between the processor (and graphics chip) and the metal heatsink above it. It fills microscopic gaps so heat can flow into the cooler instead of building up in the chip.
Why it wears out
Over the years the paste dries out and cracks, and dust clogs the fans and vents at the same time. Heat transfer gets worse, the fans spin harder, and the processor starts throttling to protect itself. Singapore’s warm, humid climate doesn’t help.
Signs your laptop needs repasting
Loud fans even on light tasks, a hot keyboard or underside, sudden slowdowns during video calls or games, or the laptop shutting itself off when it gets hot.
What a cooling service involves
We open the laptop or PC, clean the dust out of the fans and heatsink, remove the old paste, apply fresh paste, and test temperatures under load before handing it back.
Related terms
→ Thermal Throttling — what happens when cooling falls behind
→ GPU — graphics chips need fresh paste too
Laptop running hot and loud?
Free diagnosis and a quote for a full clean and repaste.