[GUIDE] [Hard mod] Nexus 5's throttling solved by adding thermal paste.
- Thread starter pyj08178
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Opps, I didn't read the whole thread. Lol
I got the same ipa solvent bottle that's why I feel that way.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Wow this looks awesome!
Could you run the Classic Test on StabilityTest (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.into.stability) and see how warm it get´s after about 10min? This would be really interesting since my Nexus 5 reaches 100°C/212°F easily.
Thank you very much.
Could you run the Classic Test on StabilityTest (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.into.stability) and see how warm it get´s after about 10min? This would be really interesting since my Nexus 5 reaches 100°C/212°F easily.
Thank you very much.
Xda is my blog =p
I stay in malaysia 25C~35C depending on weather.
-Stock rom @ Stock GHZ @ Stock Vol
-r32 franco kernel
At first, I thought my antutu score was so terrible, getting 23k~25k. Then I does a quick search and realize it was thermal throttled.
I got annoyed with the low score. (U know the feeling when u have the almost same spec as note3 and getting low score)
40~60C on normal usage, 77C max when running antutu.
So I decided to void my warranty, and deal with the s800 heat problem.
I applied 3W/mk 1mm thermal pad, and the result was good. Got 27K~28K. The screen was slightly hot to use. Not comfortable when keeping in pocket after usage. 40C~58C on normal usage, 66C max when running antutu.
After 3days, I got frustrated with the heat on the screen everytime I use. The heat was so hot and I worried the screen might fail over time.
I thought maybe thermalpad wasn't a really good conductor and collecting too much heat.
So I change from thermal pad to 0.5mm Copper plate. I applied thermal paste between s800 and copper plate and nexus5 frame.
s800|#|Cu|#|Nexus5
legend: ('# = thermal paste'),('Cu = Copper')
The result of antutu was great! 29k~30K. 30999 was the highest I get.
But then I got more frustrated and worried with the heat on the screen. It is not even optimal temperature for the IPS screen to work properly.
40~60C on normal usage, 65C max when running antutu.
The frame was a good collector of heat, but a very bad heat dissipator, it got very hot on the screen after long use and it actually reached 65C
for just surfing websites with chrome. 30min of surfing on forums only, no java/gif/flash/watever****s.
I used to be an overclocker on PC, and 60C is a very sensitive limit to me. I feel very sad that Nexus5 is very bad with thermal control that it actually sacrifice s800 performance to overcome the thermal issue. So in the end I took out the copper plate and clean up the thermal paste.
It actually feels better for daily usage where no thermal paste/pad/ copper plate is applied to the frame.
Lesson of nexus5
1) Forget about the benchmark. Nexus 5 score will not able to beat other s800. Unless you live in freezer or somewhere cold.
2) God created us, He knows us best. Have faith in the thermal throttling, LG knows nexus5's best
3) Nexus5 is not a heatsink, the frame is not for heat dissipation, it is a big heat collector.
4) Nexus5 is easy to disassemble.
I voided my warranty for this lesson. (It was fun anyway, I like to disassemble things)
But no sticker nor watever pin that shows I've opened up my unit.
So yup... still got chance for warranties next time. (Probably changed new phone by that time)
I stay in malaysia 25C~35C depending on weather.
-Stock rom @ Stock GHZ @ Stock Vol
-r32 franco kernel
At first, I thought my antutu score was so terrible, getting 23k~25k. Then I does a quick search and realize it was thermal throttled.
I got annoyed with the low score. (U know the feeling when u have the almost same spec as note3 and getting low score)
40~60C on normal usage, 77C max when running antutu.
So I decided to void my warranty, and deal with the s800 heat problem.
I applied 3W/mk 1mm thermal pad, and the result was good. Got 27K~28K. The screen was slightly hot to use. Not comfortable when keeping in pocket after usage. 40C~58C on normal usage, 66C max when running antutu.
After 3days, I got frustrated with the heat on the screen everytime I use. The heat was so hot and I worried the screen might fail over time.
I thought maybe thermalpad wasn't a really good conductor and collecting too much heat.
So I change from thermal pad to 0.5mm Copper plate. I applied thermal paste between s800 and copper plate and nexus5 frame.
s800|#|Cu|#|Nexus5
legend: ('# = thermal paste'),('Cu = Copper')
The result of antutu was great! 29k~30K. 30999 was the highest I get.
But then I got more frustrated and worried with the heat on the screen. It is not even optimal temperature for the IPS screen to work properly.
40~60C on normal usage, 65C max when running antutu.
The frame was a good collector of heat, but a very bad heat dissipator, it got very hot on the screen after long use and it actually reached 65C
for just surfing websites with chrome. 30min of surfing on forums only, no java/gif/flash/watever****s.
I used to be an overclocker on PC, and 60C is a very sensitive limit to me. I feel very sad that Nexus5 is very bad with thermal control that it actually sacrifice s800 performance to overcome the thermal issue. So in the end I took out the copper plate and clean up the thermal paste.
It actually feels better for daily usage where no thermal paste/pad/ copper plate is applied to the frame.
Lesson of nexus5
1) Forget about the benchmark. Nexus 5 score will not able to beat other s800. Unless you live in freezer or somewhere cold.
2) God created us, He knows us best. Have faith in the thermal throttling, LG knows nexus5's best
3) Nexus5 is not a heatsink, the frame is not for heat dissipation, it is a big heat collector.
4) Nexus5 is easy to disassemble.
I voided my warranty for this lesson. (It was fun anyway, I like to disassemble things)
But no sticker nor watever pin that shows I've opened up my unit.
So yup... still got chance for warranties next time. (Probably changed new phone by that time)
what material is block base on SoC? copper or aluminium? cuz i cant use coollaboratory liquid ultra on Al because it contain Gallium
Big thanks to op for the idea an to you for experimenting even further.. I myself live in Sarawak and our weather is not kind to the nexus 5..I like your idea of the copper pad.. Is it better than if I were to use thermal paste only like op.. Maybe op can post some Temps so we can compare... Anyway for heat management I just switch to elemental x and it's the best kernel for heat control after subjective tests.. Esp when you touch the screen a lot.. The Temps are around 54 compared to 65+ with stock/Franco (I use dragging down the notification bar up and down to simulate touch events while looking at Temps).. So with elemental an this mods the Temps should be great.
I was wondering why you think the screen heating up is a bad idea.. Doesn't it heat up even without the mod?..
Do it
I know this is an aging thread, but I thought I'd share some additional info, as I just did essentially this same thing to my Nexus with great results. Unfortunately, I did not see this thread before starting, if I had I would have taken baseline screen temperatures, since an increase there seems to be a concern. But, you'll see post-mod temps below.
Maybe it varies phone-to-phone, but there was NO thermal compound on the chip to start with, and it does not make contact with the metal frame directly above it. The chip is essentially insulated by air-gap, rather than sinked. Can't imagine why this was done, as it basically subjects the chip and adjacent components to very high temps, instead of subjecting the whole phone to moderate temps.
Can't see most of OP's pictures, and you may be able to guess why I couldn't take any pictures during the process, but it's really simple. There is a square indent in the frame where the main chip sits; I put a layer of thick copper foil in this to fill the air-gap. Then I put thermal compound on the main chip, as well as a thin layer on the metal shield surrounding it, as this shield contacts the frame. Also put a thin layer on the SIM holder, as this also touches the frame and may pull some heat away from other components (mostly was thinking of the flash LED when in torch mode, as it's directly opposite).
I ran Stability Test's classic test for 15 minutes to see before/after, with System Monitor running in background-process mode.
Before thermal treatment:
@5:00 - 40 successful runs
@10:00 - 74
@15:00 - 107
CPU temp leveled out at 80c pretty quickly
After Treatment:
@5:00 - 50 successful runs
@10:00 - 90
@15:00 - 131
CPU leveled out at 73c
Running Linaro kernel, so throttling is not stock. Ambient temp was 20c for both tests. According to IR thermometer, screen temp leveled out at 36c (at the top, bottom of screen is cooler) after the treatment. So, this mod results in heat being transferred to the whole phone, but the temps are not enough to damage anything, and will result in a much better environment at the main chip and surrounding components.
There you have it; ~20% increase in sustained work capacity for about 30 minutes of work. And yes, my Antutu score increased as well, but we all know we shouldn't care about that...
I know this is an aging thread, but I thought I'd share some additional info, as I just did essentially this same thing to my Nexus with great results. Unfortunately, I did not see this thread before starting, if I had I would have taken baseline screen temperatures, since an increase there seems to be a concern. But, you'll see post-mod temps below.
Maybe it varies phone-to-phone, but there was NO thermal compound on the chip to start with, and it does not make contact with the metal frame directly above it. The chip is essentially insulated by air-gap, rather than sinked. Can't imagine why this was done, as it basically subjects the chip and adjacent components to very high temps, instead of subjecting the whole phone to moderate temps.
Can't see most of OP's pictures, and you may be able to guess why I couldn't take any pictures during the process, but it's really simple. There is a square indent in the frame where the main chip sits; I put a layer of thick copper foil in this to fill the air-gap. Then I put thermal compound on the main chip, as well as a thin layer on the metal shield surrounding it, as this shield contacts the frame. Also put a thin layer on the SIM holder, as this also touches the frame and may pull some heat away from other components (mostly was thinking of the flash LED when in torch mode, as it's directly opposite).
I ran Stability Test's classic test for 15 minutes to see before/after, with System Monitor running in background-process mode.
Before thermal treatment:
@5:00 - 40 successful runs
@10:00 - 74
@15:00 - 107
CPU temp leveled out at 80c pretty quickly
After Treatment:
@5:00 - 50 successful runs
@10:00 - 90
@15:00 - 131
CPU leveled out at 73c
Running Linaro kernel, so throttling is not stock. Ambient temp was 20c for both tests. According to IR thermometer, screen temp leveled out at 36c (at the top, bottom of screen is cooler) after the treatment. So, this mod results in heat being transferred to the whole phone, but the temps are not enough to damage anything, and will result in a much better environment at the main chip and surrounding components.
There you have it; ~20% increase in sustained work capacity for about 30 minutes of work. And yes, my Antutu score increased as well, but we all know we shouldn't care about that...
Stock Lollipop 5.1. PVS 2. Encrypted.
17 ºC at home.
Franco kernel r72; default settings (Conservative CPU governor, Noop I/O scheduler, 70ºC CPU thermal threshold, Balance Performance profile)
ARTIC MX-4 Thermal compound (Carbon micro-particles). http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/mx-4.html
AnTuTu Benchmark v5.6.2 (Stability test). ~39K on Test (Before and after)
System Monitor 1.4.3 (Flying monitor. CPU temperature)
BEFORE:
-Min: 26 ºC
-Max: 84 ºC
-Average: 61 ºC
AFTER:
-Min: 25 ºC (-1)
-Max: 83 ºC (-1)
-Average: 58 ºC (-3)
NOT IMPRESSED!!!
UPDATE:
But... What about BATTERY temperature???
Stability Test v2.7 (CPU + GPU Stability Test. 5 minutes):
BEFORE: From 20,5 ºC to 25,6 ºC (+5,1)
AFTER: From 29,7 ºC to 29,7 ºC (+0!!!)
IT SEEMS THAT HEAT FROM SoC DOES NOT TRANSMIT TO BATTERY!!!
17 ºC at home.
Franco kernel r72; default settings (Conservative CPU governor, Noop I/O scheduler, 70ºC CPU thermal threshold, Balance Performance profile)
ARTIC MX-4 Thermal compound (Carbon micro-particles). http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/mx-4.html
AnTuTu Benchmark v5.6.2 (Stability test). ~39K on Test (Before and after)
System Monitor 1.4.3 (Flying monitor. CPU temperature)
BEFORE:
-Min: 26 ºC
-Max: 84 ºC
-Average: 61 ºC
AFTER:
-Min: 25 ºC (-1)
-Max: 83 ºC (-1)
-Average: 58 ºC (-3)
NOT IMPRESSED!!!
UPDATE:
But... What about BATTERY temperature???
Stability Test v2.7 (CPU + GPU Stability Test. 5 minutes):
BEFORE: From 20,5 ºC to 25,6 ºC (+5,1)
AFTER: From 29,7 ºC to 29,7 ºC (+0!!!)
IT SEEMS THAT HEAT FROM SoC DOES NOT TRANSMIT TO BATTERY!!!
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The thing is, we cannot go against basic laws of physics, like energy conservation law. People expecting getting colder device with mod applied are wrong.
Actually, your device will be hotter since the amount of heat generated under the same conditions is the same, but it is more quickly transferred from internal components to device frame. And moreover, since this tricks throttling mechanism into being able to use higher CPU frequencies (since heat is more quickly removed from components where temp is measured), this automatically results in even more heat generated. Back frame is not able to absorb that amount by itself, that's why screen is getting hotter.
@C3C076:
That would be correct if the Phone would be constantly used for intense computing like a benchmark or stress test. But I think this mod is for the average use where the SOC gets a task where it has to do some demanding work and since SOCs are designed to do those tasks quikly and go back to sleep the SOC can do that without throttling and finishes that task
But if it is only for Benchmarking and constant intense tasks you´re right. It is contraproductive for the whole Phone since more parts get worn out because of the transfer on other parts
That would be correct if the Phone would be constantly used for intense computing like a benchmark or stress test. But I think this mod is for the average use where the SOC gets a task where it has to do some demanding work and since SOCs are designed to do those tasks quikly and go back to sleep the SOC can do that without throttling and finishes that task
But if it is only for Benchmarking and constant intense tasks you´re right. It is contraproductive for the whole Phone since more parts get worn out because of the transfer on other parts
I can safely say that the mod has not worked. Idle temps before were around the 38-40°C mark. After results are 43° idle.
Used Arctic Silver 5.
Used Arctic Silver 5.
So, I first made it by just applying thermal paste between screen and processor. I noticed that the temperatures were really stable, and of course, the screen was getting hotter, but not as much to bother me. So, after that, I decided to open it and put a small metal piece between the screen and the processor, but, I let a small bended part of it out of the square, so the metal piece dissipates heat by air too. Conclusion: It's even better than before and I got 44300 on antutu with thermal throttling off, stock frequency, the temperatures are much stable and low now, and, the screen is not getting as hot as before. The temperature rarely gets over 60°C with heavy use such as games. With normal use with apps like facebook and tapatalk it stays between 40°C and 44°C.
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This MOD can help you to lower the temps but to be honest, it won´t prevent you from thermal throttling of any kind. All you do is to prolong the duration of the time until the SoC is starting to throttle. Don´t forget one thing: thermal grease also has a thermal resistance .
But on the other hand, if you own your device since 2013 and you´re out of warranty anway, you can still perform this Mod since at least it won´t do any harm if performed properly. Maybe I´m going to perform it later too since I still have some Arctic Silver 5 left, some thin copper sheets and other parts.
Edit: I did the MOD now but in a different way than just adding some thermal paste to fill the gap.
I cut around 16 x 16 mm of 0.5mm thick copper from a junk sheet I had laying around ( I used a mini grinder ) , made sure to polish the surface on both sides with grinding paper
I attached a thin layer of Arctic Silver 5 on the metal surface ( in the 16x16mm gap ), attached the copper plate and also added a slight layer of Arctic Silver 5 on top of it.
Ofc I made sure to clean all surfaces first with 100% Isopropanol ( the expensive alcohol ).
Now all I need to do is to keep an eye on my device and before I forget to mention....I also joined the "warranty void club"
If the Mod is done properly, it might at least help to prolong the lifetime of your components. Don´t forget one thing: These SoCs are engineered in a way to withstand way higher temperatures than you might expect so a Mod is not really necessary
But on the other hand, if you own your device since 2013 and you´re out of warranty anway, you can still perform this Mod since at least it won´t do any harm if performed properly. Maybe I´m going to perform it later too since I still have some Arctic Silver 5 left, some thin copper sheets and other parts.
Edit: I did the MOD now but in a different way than just adding some thermal paste to fill the gap.
I cut around 16 x 16 mm of 0.5mm thick copper from a junk sheet I had laying around ( I used a mini grinder ) , made sure to polish the surface on both sides with grinding paper
I attached a thin layer of Arctic Silver 5 on the metal surface ( in the 16x16mm gap ), attached the copper plate and also added a slight layer of Arctic Silver 5 on top of it. Ofc I made sure to clean all surfaces first with 100% Isopropanol ( the expensive alcohol ).
Now all I need to do is to keep an eye on my device and before I forget to mention....I also joined the "warranty void club"
If the Mod is done properly, it might at least help to prolong the lifetime of your components. Don´t forget one thing: These SoCs are engineered in a way to withstand way higher temperatures than you might expect so a Mod is not really necessary
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Hi there! This can be applied to our beloved nexus? http://www.aliexpress.com/item/15-1...-sheet-computer-graphics-card/1724170363.html
Yes, these things are even better than the selfmade pieces made of scrap material Make sure though that you pick one which is about 16mm x 16mm x 0.5mm or else it won´t fit into the gap. Worst case you need some sanding paper in order to make it fit
Make sure though that you pick one which is about 16mm x 16mm x 0.5mm or else it won´t fit into the gap. Worst case you need some sanding paper in order to make it fit Similar threads
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20Try this at your own risk. Warranty is voided (obviously) if you do this mod.
I will try to add some more useful pics & links in the future.
More proof will be added if its needed.
Also this is my first guide so please pardon me and tell me what can I improve on.
(all photos here if links not working. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ytidqu7ghvz8x1i/OIXAtT_8Pu)
Some important info first:
Phone info:
My Nexus 5 has a CPU binning of PVS 2 with -50mV undervolt for all clock speeds.
Running 4.4.2 stock rooted with latest stable Faux kernel.
Some shots of my Faux Clock settings (no signal in the pictures because i haven't put my SIM card in):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gvmolw5vkyisio0/Screenshot_2014-01-29-00-18-24.png
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6j0azscvg1qtq3/Screenshot_2014-01-29-00-18-45.png
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5frslsm9crdi774/Screenshot_2014-01-29-00-18-53.png
Don't even worry about that 85c limit that I set on picture 1. After this mod it wont even be close to 80c.
Antutu scores at 2.5Ghz:
30079 after mod room temperature 25c https://www.dropbox.com/s/lkeu4b9p6dgugan/Screenshot_2014-01-29-07-02-54.png
31191 before mod at temperature of -4c on a trip at a cold country https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqsilj39q39z12n/Screenshot_2014-01-29-06-14-16.png
Not the best scores but see the difference in the places tested?
Temperature immediately after 10 minutes of Asphalt 8:
(Temperature around the bottom right of the picture)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kri8h8hxfxz19pf/Screenshot_2014-01-29-00-46-20.png
It showed 54c 1 second later but anyway its still cooler than any phone I had before.
I played until 20 minutes and there is still ZERO throttling. I haven't tried playing any longer though but at 20 minutes its just a little warm, not even close to hot.
Oh and the room temperature was 25c.
The Nexus 4 copper block mod http://xdaforums.com/nexus-4/general/hardmod-nexus-4-investigating-thermal-t2144652 isn't ideal because of the smaller gap (1.5mm vs 0.5mm) so yeah.
WARNING: DON'T follow the way they applied the thermal paste on the N4 mod thread. IT IS WRONG because it will not be evenly spreaded.
Try to use good thermal paste's like the Noctua NT-H1, Arctic Cooling MX-2/MX-3/MX-4, Prolimatech PK-1/PK-2/PK-3, Tuniq TX-2, Gelid GC-Extreme and a few others that I can't recall.
Don't just pick any random paste because some are even WORSE than mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise works but dont use it unless you want your phone to smell like rotten mayonnaise and I 'think' its electrically conductive).
DO NOT use electrically conductive thermal pastes like Indigo Xtreme & Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra/Pro as they are obviously not good for uses on the phone.
Also because the Indigo Xtreme & Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra/Pro WILL cause corrosion like this https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSR8rn5Q92qYNmQmAbUJ4zzF5R5VzLsaZ_go1bxk8xfDHIDvWJZ
Now the guide:
Step 1: Take your phone apart using this guide http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+5+Teardown/19016
Step 2: Step 14 at above link shows that square box beside to the left of number 53.
Now clean the square box and the SKHynix RAM( as seen in Step 11 at above link) with and a microfibre cloth to prevent leaving lint as lint affects thermal transfer.
Pour some rubbing alcohol on the cloth an rub the red coloured number 3 and black 'tick' off as the ink might affect thermal transfer as well.
A tissue can be used too but just remember to blow/clean the lint off.
Step 3: (Read this before applying thermal paste http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058-9.html)
Now put thermal paste at the middle of the square box.
The paste has to cover the whole RAM (don't worry the CPU is just directly under it). Do not put too much or little as it isn't good.
Use the pea method like this http://core0.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/01/thermal-paste-thermal-100021574-orig.jpeg but you need to put much more because of the 0.5 mm gap between the RAM and the square box. Just make sure it fills the square box. Then put the RAM back.
It should look something like this when its done correctly (bottom right picture) https://www.dropbox.com/s/vci7uor6xlzt879/dsad.PNG
DO NOT let the paste overflow out of the box. To make sure how, just put the RAM back in place properly then take it out again.
If its too much/little then just add/remove some. To remove the additional paste, just use the microfibre cloth/tissue + rubbing alcohol to rub it away.
Now just put everything back and enjoy the phone that will probably never throttle while gaming Oh the thermal paste I used was Noctua NT-H1.
Well that's it. I hope my English is clear & good enough. Please leave a comment if there is anything more that I can add/remove/improve. Also leave a comment if you are unclear or have any questions regarding this.
Just hit thanks if this helped you6Xda is my blog =p
I stay in malaysia 25C~35C depending on weather.
-Stock rom @ Stock GHZ @ Stock Vol
-r32 franco kernel
At first, I thought my antutu score was so terrible, getting 23k~25k. Then I does a quick search and realize it was thermal throttled.
I got annoyed with the low score. (U know the feeling when u have the almost same spec as note3 and getting low score)
40~60C on normal usage, 77C max when running antutu.
So I decided to void my warranty, and deal with the s800 heat problem.
I applied 3W/mk 1mm thermal pad, and the result was good. Got 27K~28K. The screen was slightly hot to use. Not comfortable when keeping in pocket after usage. 40C~58C on normal usage, 66C max when running antutu.
After 3days, I got frustrated with the heat on the screen everytime I use. The heat was so hot and I worried the screen might fail over time.
I thought maybe thermalpad wasn't a really good conductor and collecting too much heat.
So I change from thermal pad to 0.5mm Copper plate. I applied thermal paste between s800 and copper plate and nexus5 frame.
s800|#|Cu|#|Nexus5
legend: ('# = thermal paste'),('Cu = Copper')
The result of antutu was great! 29k~30K. 30999 was the highest I get.
But then I got more frustrated and worried with the heat on the screen. It is not even optimal temperature for the IPS screen to work properly.
40~60C on normal usage, 65C max when running antutu.
The frame was a good collector of heat, but a very bad heat dissipator, it got very hot on the screen after long use and it actually reached 65C
for just surfing websites with chrome. 30min of surfing on forums only, no java/gif/flash/watever****s.
I used to be an overclocker on PC, and 60C is a very sensitive limit to me. I feel very sad that Nexus5 is very bad with thermal control that it actually sacrifice s800 performance to overcome the thermal issue. So in the end I took out the copper plate and clean up the thermal paste.
It actually feels better for daily usage where no thermal paste/pad/ copper plate is applied to the frame.
Lesson of nexus5
1) Forget about the benchmark. Nexus 5 score will not able to beat other s800. Unless you live in freezer or somewhere cold.
2) God created us, He knows us best. Have faith in the thermal throttling, LG knows nexus5's best
3) Nexus5 is not a heatsink, the frame is not for heat dissipation, it is a big heat collector.
4) Nexus5 is easy to disassemble.
I voided my warranty for this lesson. (It was fun anyway, I like to disassemble things)
But no sticker nor watever pin that shows I've opened up my unit.
So yup... still got chance for warranties next time. (Probably changed new phone by that time)4Do it
I know this is an aging thread, but I thought I'd share some additional info, as I just did essentially this same thing to my Nexus with great results. Unfortunately, I did not see this thread before starting, if I had I would have taken baseline screen temperatures, since an increase there seems to be a concern. But, you'll see post-mod temps below.
Maybe it varies phone-to-phone, but there was NO thermal compound on the chip to start with, and it does not make contact with the metal frame directly above it. The chip is essentially insulated by air-gap, rather than sinked. Can't imagine why this was done, as it basically subjects the chip and adjacent components to very high temps, instead of subjecting the whole phone to moderate temps.
Can't see most of OP's pictures, and you may be able to guess why I couldn't take any pictures during the process, but it's really simple. There is a square indent in the frame where the main chip sits; I put a layer of thick copper foil in this to fill the air-gap. Then I put thermal compound on the main chip, as well as a thin layer on the metal shield surrounding it, as this shield contacts the frame. Also put a thin layer on the SIM holder, as this also touches the frame and may pull some heat away from other components (mostly was thinking of the flash LED when in torch mode, as it's directly opposite).
I ran Stability Test's classic test for 15 minutes to see before/after, with System Monitor running in background-process mode.
Before thermal treatment:
@5:00 - 40 successful runs
@10:00 - 74
@15:00 - 107
CPU temp leveled out at 80c pretty quickly
After Treatment:
@5:00 - 50 successful runs
@10:00 - 90
@15:00 - 131
CPU leveled out at 73c
Running Linaro kernel, so throttling is not stock. Ambient temp was 20c for both tests. According to IR thermometer, screen temp leveled out at 36c (at the top, bottom of screen is cooler) after the treatment. So, this mod results in heat being transferred to the whole phone, but the temps are not enough to damage anything, and will result in a much better environment at the main chip and surrounding components.
There you have it; ~20% increase in sustained work capacity for about 30 minutes of work. And yes, my Antutu score increased as well, but we all know we shouldn't care about that...2So, I first made it by just applying thermal paste between screen and processor. I noticed that the temperatures were really stable, and of course, the screen was getting hotter, but not as much to bother me. So, after that, I decided to open it and put a small metal piece between the screen and the processor, but, I let a small bended part of it out of the square, so the metal piece dissipates heat by air too. Conclusion: It's even better than before and I got 44300 on antutu with thermal throttling off, stock frequency, the temperatures are much stable and low now, and, the screen is not getting as hot as before. The temperature rarely gets over 60°C with heavy use such as games. With normal use with apps like facebook and tapatalk it stays between 40°C and 44°C.
