ATI FireGL V5200 laptop graphics chip heating question?

Folks, Hi everyone!

I am really desperate for a answer to this riddle. I hope you guys can respond even if you have suggestions "only "...doesn't matter. I've solved many problems for friends and myself that way! I feel like I'm standing in front of the solution, but can't see it.

Alright, so I have a Thinkpad T60p with the stats in the signature. I put the T7600 and the Atheros 802.11n mini-PCIe card in myself, and everything worked like a charm.

However, the ATI card is embedded on the motherboard I believe, and I have no idea as to how I would clean it, fix it, take whatever to it. I am at a loss at this point.

Basically, the card does work, but whenever I put it through some kind of "tougher" test, such as the Vista Experience Index (VEI), it will ALWAYS shut down the laptop, which is what my CPU did when it became overly hot before I recently replenished the silver paste. The CPU is now back to appropriate temps now.

I tried it with Vista x64, Windows 7 x64, as well as Windows 7 x86 (32-bit). The result is the same across the board. Once "pushed ", the ATI card conks out. Hmm...

Now, what is it that I can do to fix this?? Again, the card works, I wish I could take it out and replace it with a powerful one like I did with the CPU and the wireless-N card. Any ideas on how I might get a more powerful card in there??

I've had some ideas: I have a PCMCIA, as well as an Express Card slot, as well as one mini-PCIe internal slot open (where a WWAN card was which I no longer needed). Can I use any of the above to put a different (with higher specs)?? I would look at that as killing two birds with one stone. lol...

I hope I'm not leaving something important out. PLEASE ask me if I am leaving something out...I just don't get it. It does everything I want during normal operation, but when the card is being "pushed to its limits ", so to speak, the entire computer will shut down.
One more thing that is likely essential for any problem-solving:

***This all started when I put more Arctic Silver 5 paste to the CPU (T7600) and the heatsink the day before I started having the problems with the ATI card. Did I get something else mixed up when I went in to get that done. This is NOT likely a co-incidence!??!?! *** ...is it?

Thank you SO much for your help!!!!!

 

I think we spoke about this before C-D. You want the thinnest (even) layer of thermal compound between the CPU and the heatsink. All it is really there for is to displace any air because that is an insulator, and far from perfect, the compound is the best method of transferring the heat across.

Did you need to put more on? The more compound, the less heat transfer.

The problem sounds like the CPU overheating to me, especially when you say it started happening at the time you changed it.

The graphics adapter, I don't know that you can change it. Have you looked for a service manual at Lenovo? An add-in card I don't expect would perform as well as the built-in one.

You astound me a bit C-D . You seem to want to make the laptop work the same way as a desktop. I just use a laptop for "mobile" computing. I have 3+ desktops at home doing separate tasks (internet + day to day tasks; gaming; entertainment).

Matt