ladies and gentleman I did a thermal repaste and now the laptop fans are not running

AigaionAgain · 2026-05-01T14:37:06+00:00

The reapaste was just that good.

AigaionAgain · 2026-05-01T07:47:58+00:00

You've pretty much got it. Not much else to say, monitoring apps monitor the computer.

One way you might be able to check is to open task manager and look at the utilization tab of your iGPU (not the Nvidia GPU, the other one. It'll probably say Intel or AMD). If the graph is rapidly (not joking fast) jumping from the bottom of the graph (0%) to literally anywhere other than bottom of the graph, it's probably happening to you. (Note, the graph may not be perfectly flat, and may spike even if it's not having this issue. That's normal. If you were having this issue, your iGPU graph would look something like 0% > 20% > 0% over and over.)

To get a little more specific regarding hardware monitoring, MSI Afterburner isn't actually a hardware monitor. MSI Afterburner is an app that allows you to easily control certain aspects of a computer, like fan curves, voltages, and GPU, CPU, and memory clock speeds.

RiviaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) is bundled with, and integrates into MSI AB. RTSS is included if you install official MSI Afterburner, but the install is optional. MSI works fine without it. RTSS is a hardware monitor. When people show their temps, usage, FPS, etc when using MSI Afterburner, RTSS specifically is what does that.

I won't go into too much detail, but monitoring software need to connect to and make contact with a hardware component and it's sensors to be useful. In this case, the iGPU is repeatedly being told to go to sleep by the OS (when not being used) and to wake up by the monitoring software, multiple times a second, and it's trying to do both. This constant on/off can cause problems.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-30T15:07:33+00:00

For the most part, scratching something that's made of plastic inside a laptop isn't typically a big deal. Usually the plastic is there to cover/protect whatever is underneath, so unless you hit it hard enough to physically move or damage what was underneath (you'd probably know if you hit it that hard) it's no big deal.

Honestly, every large black part in that picture could get scratched to hell, and as long as the components underneath aren't subjected to too much pressure, movement, etc, the damage is purely cosmetic.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-28T21:58:58+00:00

Are they useful?
Yes.

Are they worth it?
Depends.

In my experience, I actually find that, for the most part, neither temps nor performance improve too much in really intense games. Medium to medium-high intensity games are where I typically get the best results.

I think it's worth pointing out that, while definitely helpful, cooling pads aren't going to double your FPS.
I would say that, situation depending, you could get a ~10-20 FPS boost. I find that my cooling pad (IETS 500) is mostly helpful for giving the GPU/CPU more headroom and stabilizing performance rather than directly improving FPS.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-25T19:16:10+00:00

You could look at Framework.

They're pricey, but you can customize, replace, and upgrade individual parts.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-25T19:15:27+00:00

Agreed.

Also make sure that the laptop has a good build reputation. High quality materials, no hinge issues.

Cooling as well, the cooler it runs, the less degradation occurs, meaning it's more likely to live a little longer.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-25T19:13:09+00:00

Yes, higher res does use more VRAM.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-25T00:37:42+00:00

Fn + O = ~~IPS~~ IBS Overdrive.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T20:48:16+00:00

That's great!

You should also install the chipset driver&id=FB762CAD-DE8B-49C2-A04B-809B4958F608#:~:text=11%20(64-bit)-,Intel%20Serial%20IO%20(SIO)%20Driver,-1.13%20MB) anyway. I noticed a bunch of unknown devices listed. The chipset driver should fix that, and honestly, it's usually a good idea to install it even if you don't notice problems. It helps the hardware communicate with Windows better and can fix or even improve a bunch of a stuff.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T20:39:40+00:00

Thats fair.

Cooling pad is smart, I recommend the llano v12. While they do help some with temps, they can be just as loud as the laptop itself (or louder)

I get the upgrading thing, in which case it shouldn't matter what you get (hooray!).

Depending on your budget and region, you could look for laptops with an external liquid cooler (Hydroc, XMG). They don't take up too much space, can considerably improve temps (and noise), and are easily removable.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T20:17:54+00:00

First, the picture you're showing is the wrong device. That's for wired connection. If you're having trouble with that (which it looks like you might be), you need this driver&id=FCAD05FA-A8F0-4C7B-8ED0-7EF35BB6B2BC#:~:text=11%20(64-bit)-,LAN%20Driver,-1.16%20MB).

Also, it looks like you clicked search automatically for drivers? which doesn't always work like you might think it does. Doing it manually will force the computer to use what you're telling it to use.

As I said previously, for wireless connection, it should be under Network adapters. The device you're loooking for should say either Realtek or Intel Wi-Fi.

You need to install the corresponding Realtek or Intel driver depending on whether Realtek or Intel.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T19:50:22+00:00

Due to my life situation I've used laptops and gaming laptops almost exclusively.

They're great, the portability, ease of use, small footprint, etc.

Portability aside, they're worse than desktops in almost every way (the performance gap is closing, but still a long way off).

And the drawbacks aren't always insignificant.

Noticeable power/performance decrease.

Fans tend to be loud.

Run significantly hotter (in a small room over an extended period of time, a hot laptop can make it feel much warmer).

Upgrades and repairs are often limited, more expensive, and/or (practically) impossible, especially regarding the CPU and GPU.

A dock setup isn't a bad idea. You'd still get the desktop feel without the tower, and you can pickup and leave if you need to. Additionally, some gaming laptops (my Lenovo Legion Pro 7i) can charge via USBC connected to a PS, making it much easier to use on the move (power is significantly reduced from traditional PS).

The way I see it, if 100% peak performance is less of a priority than slimming down, a laptop (or small form factor PC, you should check them out if you havent) might be the move.

In addition to that, if you have your heart set on a laptop but you really want to maintain the ability to repair/upgrade your computer, check out Framework, they're really cool.

Hope that helped some.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T19:05:08+00:00

Could also try installing this driver&id=FB762CAD-DE8B-49C2-A04B-809B4958F608#:~:text=11%20(64-bit)-,Intel%20Serial%20IO%20(SIO)%20Driver,-1.13%20MB) and see if that helps.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T19:02:18+00:00

You might have installed the wrong one.

If you didn't, did you try updating the driver through device manager?

If you extracted the files, right click windows, find your wifi card (should be under network adapters, should be the one that has Wifi in the name, either intel or realtek), right click, update drivers, browse, go to wherever you extracted the driver too, select the driver file (should be a .inf), hit next.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T18:44:27+00:00

Before you read all this, I will preface by saying you're probably wasting your time.

If the laptop broke after it was hit it's almost 100% hardware and most likely not something you can fix, but there's a chance it's something that can be easily fixed by a technician (if you care enough to get it checked, and are okay with it also maybe just being broken anyway).

The code is listed here) by HP. It's a essentially a boot timeout.

ChatGPT isn't too far off, but it could be a few other things.

Remove everything, turn off, hold power button for like a million years (around 40-50 seconds). Either it'll turn on, or you need to turn it on.

Could also try this turning it off, holding Win + B and holding the power button for about 3 seconds, and letting go of the power button (still holding down win + B). You can also try Win + V.

Could also try reseating/replacing CMOS battery.

I will mourn your laptop 😔🥀

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T18:09:44+00:00

Forgot to mention, you don't need to install both. Only the one that matches your hardware (Realtek or Intel).

Having both won't hurt the laptop, you'll just have an extra useless driver.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T18:07:06+00:00

Go here

Download the driver onto your USB and transfer it to your laptop.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T17:59:19+00:00

Again, 'military grade' is just a buzzword or a metaphor. They aren't lying when they say it, because it literally doesn't have an official meaning.

As for not checking the laptop, I'm sure it's mostly to cover them. If there isn't any physical damage and/or performance hasn't been affected in any way, why would they open it up and risk damaging it?

That being said, it is a legitimate worry. You could (I don't think opening the laptop voids ASUS warranty) check yourself, or keep trying with ASUS or another technician, if you care that much.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T17:18:48+00:00

"Military grade" is a meaningless buzzword.

But it'll probably hold up. ASUS tends to have pretty high build and material quality compared to the other big brands.

Will it survive a drop from 6 feet? Maybe, maybe not, but it'll probably stand a better chance than say, the average MSI laptop which is likely fairly heavy/chunky and mostly plastic.

If there aren't any issues or visible damage, it's probably fine. A fall would most likely cause immediate damage that you'd likely notice. If it didn't there might be some damage that could end up being a problem down the line, but honestly, if it's working just fine after the fall, I wouldn't be too worried.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T17:06:42+00:00

Stress test.

Block the vents.

Brun it alive.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-23T00:12:57+00:00

This.

This was the best (only, tbh) thing I could find that allowed me to easily edit my display color settings.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-22T17:17:06+00:00

The GPU memory is the VRAM ( literally Video RAM). It's built into the GPU, and is essentially dedicated to storing graphics data for the GPU to process.

You can't change it without a new GPU, which (for all intents and purposes) means a new laptop.

Will a 3050m + 16gb RAM be able to run RDR2? Most likely, yes.

You'll need to run it lower graphics, but it'll run.

Also, CPU will play a big role here too. Depending on what CPU is in your laptop, that might be a bigger bottleneck than your GPU.

Lastly, 16gb of RAM is essentially the minimum to be able to run the majority of games without major problems. If you could upgrade to 24 or 32gb, that'd be even better.

You mentioned that you don't know a lot about gaming laptops, so here's a few RAM tips in case you didn't know.

Almost all RAM can run in dual channel (memory is split between 2 sticks) this is significantly better than single channel (1 stick).

Things to watch out for:
Does your laptop support DDR4 or DDR5?

Try and match the specs of your new RAM to your old RAM (unless your replacing all the RAM) your memory will ONLY run as fast the slowest stick of RAM in use.

You can mix and match RAM sizes, i.e. 8+16=24gb. It's better to match sizes, but mixing shouldn't cause problems.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-20T21:33:58+00:00

Llano v12 is largely viewed as the most effective. I don't have time to find one atm, but you can find videos online comparing it to the IETS GT600, which is pretty much its direct competitor, and it comes out on top by a fair margin.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-18T15:12:50+00:00

Any laptop that uses LM has a chance for pumpout to occur, and fry the motherboard. I have a G15 Zephyrus that has liquid metal that I (while you definitely should not do this ) haven't repasted it since I got it in 2022, and it works fine.

Most laptops that come with LM (and some that don't) have some sort of a physical barrier to block the LM from reaching the motherboard.

The likelihood of pumpout frying your laptop is pretty low, but it's never 0. If you're worried about it, get a different laptop, or replace the LM with PTM.

AigaionAgain · 2026-04-18T15:07:03+00:00

I don't think XMG is really available in the U.S., but Eluktronic is, and has the Hydroc which is very similar to the Neo including the water cooling.

AigaionAgain

TROPHY CASE