Good New for People That Have Problems With Xbox After Replacing Thermal Paste

[RyArmadillo]

On 6/19/2020 at 3:30 PM, bulkchart32 said:

i, like many others, started having problems with my xbox after replacing the thermal paste. graphics glitching, freezing, frag'ing, and sometimes it would just go into a coma on me. it appears that the problem is that some of the solvent for cleaning the thermal paste gets underneath the gpu chip and causes a short. 1st off, i do not recommend replacing the thermal paste on these consoles but if u already have and are now having problems then here is how to fix it. get a bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol with a squirt top on it(i suggest a quart bottle), hold the motherboard on it's side, and squirt the alcohol all over it. be certain that plenty is going under the gpu. next, take a hair dryer and dry the board very well. be careful not to get it too hot. a good rule of thumb is that if any part of the board is uncomfortable to lay your hand on and keep it there, then it is too hot and should be allowed to cool. next, sit the board in the xbox, hook up the psu, connect a tv and power on the system a few times to be certain that it appears to be working before full reassembly. BE CERTAIN TO REAPPLY THERMAL PASTE AND HEATSINKS BEFORE POWERING ON! i'm not certain that it will overheat the chips without the heatsinks for a quick test but it isn't worth the risk. this fixed my xbox that i was concerned i had forever killed.

my xbox one x is turning on then off after 5 seconds. I tried everything I could to fix it. Would this fix it?

[nbaj805]

I never had an issue after replacing thermal paste 

[Puritan001]

4 hours ago, RyArmadillo said:

my xbox one x is turning on then off after 5 seconds. I tried everything I could to fix it. Would this fix it?

This is an original xbox thread/forum, nothing here should be applied to a xbox one x. 

 

I once had a similar  issue as op. Put 2 much arctic silver 5, it connected 2 pins and red green. A good cleaning and less paste (I changed to using mx4 as it isn't conducive anyway) restored it.

I've never had issue with ipa91. I got into a habit of washing the entire system in the dishware (well ,all but the hard drive and dvd) and then washing with ipa91% bath. The full recap, new paste on lapped heatsinks, typically a mod chip of some kind,  no issues for 99%. I have quit doing xboxes but I softness miss those days. Funny how people think water is an issue,  it really is the contaminate in the water that could conduct. Pure water from r/o or distillery is not Conductive unless it isn't actually pure anymore.  

 

Either way I religiously used orange citric goo off and 91%ipa from Walmart,  white vinegar in my dishwasher, mx4. Only had the issue once early on before I changed to these techniques.

 

Best theory ever However if it ain't broke don't fix it...   

[bulkchart32]

On 12/6/2022 at 9:19 PM, RyArmadillo said:

my xbox one x is turning on then off after 5 seconds. I tried everything I could to fix it. Would this fix it?

not if u haven't disassembled it already. i have no idea what's wrong dude. hope u get it fixed though. is it still under warranty?

[bulkchart32]

On 12/7/2022 at 1:08 AM, nbaj805 said:

I never had an issue after replacing thermal paste 

i've read stories on here and reddit aboiut it happening.

[bulkchart32]

On 12/7/2022 at 1:56 AM, Puritan001 said:

This is an original xbox thread/forum, nothing here should be applied to a xbox one x. 

 

I once had a similar  issue as op. Put 2 much arctic silver 5, it connected 2 pins and red green. A good cleaning and less paste (I changed to using mx4 as it isn't conducive anyway) restored it.

I've never had issue with ipa91. I got into a habit of washing the entire system in the dishware (well ,all but the hard drive and dvd) and then washing with ipa91% bath. The full recap, new paste on lapped heatsinks, typically a mod chip of some kind,  no issues for 99%. I have quit doing xboxes but I softness miss those days. Funny how people think water is an issue,  it really is the contaminate in the water that could conduct. Pure water from r/o or distillery is not Conductive unless it isn't actually pure anymore.  

 

Either way I religiously used orange citric goo off and 91%ipa from Walmart,  white vinegar in my dishwasher, mx4. Only had the issue once early on before I changed to these techniques.

 

Best theory ever However if it ain't broke don't fix it...   

i don't recommend the dishwasher. can't think of any reason the board needs to be disinfected like that.

[Puritan001]

5 hours ago, bulkchart32 said:

i don't recommend the dishwasher. can't think of any reason the board needs to be disinfected like that.

Right,  just dump the bedbugs, roaches and human skin dust onto your living room floor. Lol I'm mostly kidding my God I saw some nasty ass xboxes, people been hoovering crystal off 'em for 20 years and spilling the bong water in them,  no big deal tho.

 

If it's clean and working don't fix it.  That's true 

[Donnie-Burger]

Ive done many of these

 

1. cpu sink comes off with no heat.

2. gpu sink most of the times needs heat then comes off easily.

3. Use acetone to remove gunk on both cpu/gpu and both heat sinks (If your a baller use arctic 1+2 kit) (I do hundreds so I use acetone).

I also remove clock cap if there and clean with acetone around area and behind board if I see acid residue.

I can say I have done over 1,000+ xbox ogs like this with 100% success rate.

Xboxe's run much cooler with new paste - I use arctic MX-2 and Arctic MX-4.

Good luck and happy holidays

[arfows]

What is considered normal operating temp, and what is the most reliable source?

As read in my unleashX dashboard, my mobo and CPU temps are always identical and in the 55-60 range after about 5 minutes, but if I switch over to the XBMC emustation dash it shows the CPU about 52-54 degrees less and the mobo between 42-44 

Edited December 8, 2022 by arfows
clarity

[bulkchart32]

6 hours ago, Donnie-Burger said:

Ive done many of these

 

1. cpu sink comes off with no heat.

2. gpu sink most of the times needs heat then comes off easily.

3. Use acetone to remove gunk on both cpu/gpu and both heat sinks (If your a baller use arctic 1+2 kit) (I do hundreds so I use acetone).

I also remove clock cap if there and clean with acetone around area and behind board if I see acid residue.

I can say I have done over 1,000+ xbox ogs like this with 100% success rate.

Xboxe's run much cooler with new paste - I use arctic MX-2 and Arctic MX-4.

Good luck and happy holidays

a 1,000+? are u for real?

[bulkchart32]

5 hours ago, arfows said:

What is considered normal operating temp, and what is the most reliable source?

As read in my unleashX dashboard, my mobo and CPU temps are always identical and in the 55-60 range after about 5 minutes, but if I switch over to the XBMC emustation dash it shows the CPU about 52-54 degrees less and the mobo between 42-44 

i'm not 100% certain on these systems. anything below 90c is usually considered ok on pc parts. those temps 50's and 40's should be safe for your xbox. might want to get concerned if u see 70c plus.

[bulkchart32]

7 hours ago, Puritan001 said:

Right,  just dump the bedbugs, roaches and human skin dust onto your living room floor. Lol I'm mostly kidding my God I saw some nasty ass xboxes, people been hoovering crystal off 'em for 20 years and spilling the bong water in them,  no big deal tho.

 

If it's clean and working don't fix it.  That's true 

if it's full of dead bugs then that might be different. if it's just regular dust than take it outside and blow it off with an air compressor nozzle.

[Donnie-Burger]

18 hours ago, bulkchart32 said:

a 1,000+? are u for real?

Yeah I repair and mod for a living.  Only reason why so many.  Switch #'s are even higher.

[CannAlchemist420]

On 6/20/2020 at 3:00 PM, bulkchart32 said:

i don't know where to get lab grade rubbing alcohol. anyone can get 91% alcohol from walmart and it does the trick. and it takes more than a drop to clean these gpu's. regardless, this isn't meant to be a tutorial on how to change thermal paste since i actually recommend against it. this is for people who have already changed the paste, are now having problem, and freaking out looking for solutions like i was a month ago.

Ever clear works good or you can order 99%lab grade on Amazon or cannabis processing shops and stores. 

[fox]

in my experience 99% alcohol is not actually more effective than 91% as a solvent, on anything, removing gpu paste takes just as much as 91%

[FrostyMaGee]

1 minute ago, fox said:

in my experience 99% alcohol is not actually more effective than 91% as a solvent, on anything, removing gpu paste takes just as much as 91%

Same here. Acetone or the ArtiClean 1 + 2 bottles work great though. 

[Bowlsnapper]

Also, Thermal glue is what is used, not just paste. The heatsinks are not secured enough for me to feel comfortable with the transfer of heat staying consistent and reliable once the heatsink moves around a bit. The GPU one is usually pretty solid, but the CPU Sink likes to slide around a lot... even WITH glue.

[FrostyMaGee]

11 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

Also, Thermal glue is what is used, not just paste. The heatsinks are not secured enough for me to feel comfortable with the transfer of heat staying consistent and reliable once the heatsink moves around a bit. The GPU one is usually pretty solid, but the CPU Sink likes to slide around a lot... even WITH glue.

You can just wedge some tin foil in there, Bowl. LOL jk

[fox]

3 minutes ago, FrostyMaGee said:

You can just wedge some tin foil in there, Bowl. LOL jk

 no joke I shimmed my heatsink with an empty pack of rolling papers folded over, I hate the sliding too

[Bowlsnapper]

22 minutes ago, FrostyMaGee said:

You can just wedge some tin foil in there, Bowl. LOL jk

14 minutes ago, fox said:

 no joke I shimmed my heatsink with an empty pack of rolling papers folded over, I hate the sliding too

...Are you shitting me? You're not saying in between the Sink and the die, are you?

[fox]

44 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

...Are you shitting me? You're not saying in between the Sink and the die, are you?

pfft, no between the sink and its plastic enclosure

It makes no sense that MS didn't design it to fit in there tight. I planned to make a solid copper sink years ago to fit flush with the plastic..besides other reasons, but I never found enough scrap copper. Melting metals is too risky anyway without a proper setup and training, if one raindrop or a bug lands onto the melt it's blammo, you're gonna look like sandra bernhard at the end of hudson hawk. There has to be better solution to the heatsink sliding than shimming it with crap from my floor.

[FrostyMaGee]

6 minutes ago, fox said:

pfft, no between the sink and its plastic enclosure

It makes no sense that MS didn't design it to fit in there tight. I planned to make a solid copper sink years ago to fit flush with the plastic..besides other reasons, but I never found enough scrap copper. Melting metals is too risky anyway without a proper setup and training, if one raindrop or a bug lands onto the melt it's blammo, you're gonna look like sandra bernhard at the end of hudson hawk. There has to be better solution to the heatsink sliding than shimming it with crap from my floor.

It’s not often one can work a Hudson Hawk reference in to a conversation. Well done sir!