Please help me change the thermal pad and some rubber sheets

[senio]

Hello everybody. I am trying to make an old Acer Extensa 5201 cooling better.
So I disassembled it. I took down the cooling system. There I found some rubber sheets. I don't know for sure what are they doing and where I can find new ones. Below the radiator, over a chipset is a thermal pad (I think) which is very hardened and crumbly. Also there are some very thin rubber sheets in some areas. This sheets are pressing on some electronic components. I don't know if their purpose is just for protection or for thermal exchange as well for electrical protection.
Only the radiator areas over the cpu and video card are heaving some copper foils. The radiator part which is coming over that chipset is not having copper foils.

I measured the thermal pad and it seems that it thickness is around 1-1.2 mm. I am not very sure if it is 1.2

Could you please tell me what is the thickness of the thermal pad used for this kind of laptop? Are there better thermal pads like others? It is like the case of thermal paste where there are a lot of producers but only arctic silver is the best? Can I find to buy those very thin rubber sheets since their condition is very poor?

I also took some pics:

1. The cooling system without the fan
2. The radiator from below
3. The radiator's areas with those rubber sheets.
4. The corresponding areas for every rubber sheet.
5. The mainboard areas where those rubber sheets are pressing on.
6. The chipset with the thermal pad
7. A visible area from the chipset.


Please excuse my english and the quality of the pictures.

 

[outlw6669]

Welcome to the forums!

Those 'rubber sheets' are actually thermally conductive pads, and they are reusable.
Simply leave them be and when you reassemble they should keep working fine.

For the thermal paste, make sure to thoroughly clean the old stuff off.
I find a high percentage Isopropyl alcohol and coffee filters work quite good.
If you are having difficulties removing the thermal paste, Goo Gone works good, but be sure to perform a second cleaning with Isopropyl alcohol.

For the replacement thermal paste, Arctic Silver is a readily available option that work quite well.
Just apply a small amount (about the size of a grain of rice) to the center of each chip and reassemble.

 

[senio]

Like I said that main thermal pad is broken in pieces. The other sheets are deteriorated as well.

If I decide to change them what options I am having?

Thanks

 

[outlw6669]

If you feel the thermal pads need to be replaced, you can get a replacment sheet and cut proper sized sections as needed.
As you measure 1-1.2mm thickness for the current pads, I would recommend to err to the large size and purchase 1.5mm.
Upon reassembly they should compress to the proper thickness.

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g8/c487/s1289/list/p1/Thermal-Thermal_Pads_Tape-Thermal_Pad_-_15mm_-Page1.html?id=yGoDpAgT

As for the other deteriorating sheets, the only thing I can see is some sheets of black tape.
Is this what you are trying to describe?
If so, I would not worry about them, they are not part of the cooling system.