The laptop stopped working after just ten minutes of operation following the application of new thermal paste.
The laptop stopped working after just ten minutes of operation following the application of new thermal paste.
The Dell 3410 Intel i5 10th gen stopped working abruptly after a thermal paste swap. It ran for roughly ten minutes while playing games before freezing completely. The display went dark, static formed, and random shapes appeared throughout the screen.
The thermal paste adjustment was likely made to address overheating concerns. The laptop is still relatively new, so the change wasn’t necessary, and coolant often isn’t the main issue for cooling performance. A different thermal compound may have been selected for improved efficiency.
Static lines and cubes on the screen often point to a GPU problem. Have you repasted the GPU as well? Make sure you didn’t skip applying thermal paste. This kind of issue usually means the GPU is dead or nearly dead, or there’s a broken driver related to the GPU itself.
You applied the paste evenly and ensured full coverage of the chip. Desktop laptops don’t provide strong mounting pressure, so they can’t guarantee proper sealing on their own. Which type of paste did you use? Also, did you inspect any thermal pads for damage or misalignment after reinstalling?
I made sure to cover the entire chip. The HY510 thermal paste had a conductivity of 1.93W/m-k. I replaced it because I felt overheating during a live stream at two events. The thermal paste included with the laptop was completely dry.
I made sure to update the GPU settings and performed some fixes such as disconnecting the battery and restarting the laptop in safe mode. Would you like me to verify if your GPU driver is up to date?
HY510 and after inspecting the thermal paste on my CPU and GPU, it appeared completely dry. Updated August 2, 2025 by Drewyyyy
The temperatures were higher after applying the new thermal paste. It seems the device overheated.