Thermap pad replacement

[Astora]

I have pavilion gaming 15-dk2076nt

I was planning to do regular maintenance on my laptop things like replacing the thermal paste, thermal pads, and cleaning the fans. However, I came across a video online where someone warned never to replace the thermal pads on VRAMs, or even thermal pads in general. But I’ve heard something different that the thermal pads used in the factory are often not of very high quality. On my laptop, there are two types of thermal pads: white and pink ones. The pink ones are very soft and keep falling off. The white ones, on the other hand, seem a bit dried out. I even took a picture of them on my laptop. On both the heatsink and the card part of the laptop, there’s a spot where one of the white pads is missing probably due to a previous maintenance done by a service technician. Or maybe it just fell off, I’m not sure. Because I can still see marks and residue from the white pads in that area. What I want to ask is: should I still avoid replacing the pads, or should I actually go ahead and replace them? And do you know the thickness of the white and pink thermal pads that I should use?

[Astora]

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[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Astora,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for reaching out and for being so careful with the maintenance of your HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-dk2076nt. We understand how important it is to keep your system running at peak performance, and it’s clear you're putting a lot of care into your laptop, which we truly appreciate.

From HP’s official guidance:

• We do not recommend replacing thermal pads unless absolutely necessary.
• Factory-installed thermal pads are specifically chosen for the exact thickness, compression rating, and thermal conductivity required for your system.
• Incorrect replacement (wrong thickness, hardness, or compression) could cause improper contact, overheating, or even damage to delicate components like VRAM or VRMs.

If a pad is missing or severely damaged (as you described, seeing residue and dried-out areas), replacement may be necessary, but extreme caution must be used to match the original specifications.
 

• If pads are missing, falling apart, or severely degraded, replacement is acceptable — but try to match the original thickness and softness as closely as possible.\
   
• If the pads are still intact and functional, even if a bit aged, it is safer not to replace them unless you are fully confident you can match the factory conditions.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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VikramTheGreat

HP Support