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Hello everyone! I have acquired a 2010 MacBook Pro and it has a really bad overheating problem. Is it supposed to get really hot? Is it because of the old CPU and GPU and they just run hot? I replaced the thermal paste and it still gets hot with slightly better thermals. I wanted to try and see if liquid metal would be an option although I’m not sure if the heat sink is copper or aluminum since I know it will happily eat away at it in a matter of hours. Any suggestions? Thanks! Edit: Here are the screenshots. I hope they help
Liquid metal is dangerous for your system and not at all necessary on such Macbook to run it within temperature range. The Mac with i7 processor is of course running a bit warmer than i5 of the same model but you don’t say the one you have nor what you mean with “hot”, a bit of numbers would help in evaluation. If you can enclose a screenshot taken from an app like TG Pro or MacsFanControl would help. Some questionable “techs” are easy on reflowing any board with graphic issues they get hold of and that model is known to have such issue. Check with a good light your board still has intact transparent whitish filling around GPU corners, if that’s turned to beige, brown or absent it might have been reflowed and some shorting created in the process.
Look on the logic board at the crimped end of the heat sink. You are looking for a stain where the liquid contents of the heat sink may have leaked. If you find it, replace the heat sink. [linked product missing or disabled: IF161-055-1] MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2010 Heat Sink Replacement
