Acer Extensa 5220 Thermal Paste Replacement

First of all, remove the screws holding the this panel. Open it.

It is recommended to disconnect the battery as well.

Unscrew the screws holding the CPU heatsink and disconnect the fan.

Remove the screw holding the fan to the case and gently remove it.

Open the fan (there are a few small screws holding it together) and use a soft brush or compressed air to clean all the dust.

After you are done cleaning, reassemble the fan.

Clean the old thermal paste from the cooler, CPU and GPU. It is best to use isopropyl alcohol and cotton buds or paper towel, but be careful not to go too hard on the chips.

Once you removed the old thermal paste its time to apply new one. Dont use too much thermal paste, just enough to cover some portion of the pad. If you have a spreader, use it. The thermal paste will apply evenly after you tighten the heatsink.

Last, put the heatsink back carefully and tighten the screws in order to ensure even pressure. Dont forget to plug in the fan cable.

Once you opened the back cover, it is a good idea to upgrade the RAM, the HDD/SSD or the network adapter if you want.