Thermal paste change for noisy 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Max?

I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Most Macs can go their entire lifetime without the need to replace the thermal paste. And by life time I mean 10-12 years or more.

It would be more likely that a mechanical fan has become unbalanced by accumulated dust. It's also more likely that the vents may be junked up by dust. The judicious use of a small vacuum and/or canned air to clean these areas may go a long way to reducing the MBP's elevated temps.

Apple provides this guidance regarding fans and fan noise:

About fans and fan noise in your Apple product - Apple Support

Also please see: Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures - Apple Support

Danielhok wrote:

Whats your opinion about this topic? Should I replace it or maybe even let our local Apple shop replace the thermal paste or is it just fine and changing it would get me absolutely nothing? I'm not sure if it makes sense to change it after 5 years maybe yes? What would you do if you were in my shoes? Does a Apple store even offer changing thermal paste if I would ask them to do it?

• The Apple Store will not change the thermal paste. However you might be able to convince an Authorized Apple Service Provider to do that because they are independent shops (certified by Apple) so they have more flexibility.
• I have a 2010 MacBook Air and 2013 MacBook Air and a 2019 MacBook Pro, and I also use newer Macs. All on their original thermal paste. All run very quietly.
• I am speculating that when people have replaced the thermal paste, they also have cleaned out dust that can impede the fans, if lots of dust is present. I speculate that that dust removal might have been at least as effective as thermal paste replacement.

• You will need a grounding strap and some experience to avoid accidentally shorting something out. The battery will need to be disconnected during the work and then reconnected. This is doable but not straightforward on some models.
• You MAY have to completely remove the logic board to access the heatsink, depending on the configuration.
• Unclear where to obtain the correct replacement thermal paste. The wrong compound might be worse than the original.
• Doing this will also mean you have to take special care around multiple ribbon cables and many small screws, both of which are easily damaged.

Personally, I would not attempt this. The cure might be worse than the disease. By the way, 100 open Chrome tabs? I am surprised that the Mac is running all that well at all with that kind of load.

I think changing the thermal paste is a Bad idea™.

I think taking any such risky actions without understanding exactly WHAT is working to generate that excessive heat is a Really Bad Idea.

Consider downloading and running this little "discovery" utility, Etrecheck. It changes NOTHING. Etrecheck was developed by a senior contributor here, and uses mostly system calls and simple tests to collect often-needed information.

it contains little tests for speeds of devices, CPU utilization, memory usage, energy usage and a digest of recent problems, in one easy to use package. it does not even need to be Installed. Because less can be learned when your Mac is running great, best time to run is when your problems are actually occurring, if possible.

if you follow the directions faithfully, its report (pre-laundered of all personally-identifiable information) can be "Shared" to the System ClipBoard, then Pasted into an ‘Additional Text’ window in a reply on the forums.

Use Etrecheck Pro for free:

http://Etrecheck.com

The amount of data you get can be daunting. If you POST your report, some Readers here are willing to look over those reports, and can provide valuable insights.

Then start a reply on the forums, Click the "additional text" icon in the reply footer, and PASTE

Consider that Apple has built their devices to a quality standard and have not made their innards especially user accessible, generally speaking. I believe that if periodic replacement of thermal paste was in the best interest of keeping a Mac in proper operating condition, then mention of that would be made somewhere in Apple's documentation. As far as I know it has not been.

The expected lifespan of a Mac is at least seven years. At that point Apple will have classified that computer to be vintage status, at five years after its discontinuation of sales, and then finally obsolete status at seven years after discontinuation.

Many users, myself included, will use their Macs beyond even ten or twelve years without ever having to give thought to replacement of the thermal paste. It's just not a thing these days. Decades ago, when the tech and manufacturing process was different, there might have been some advantage. Maybe. But those days are gone.

I would suggest that if you are concerned about the operating temps of your Mac, then follow Apple guidance in the links I posted earlier. Make sure you don't restrict the airflow around your Mac. And if you experience problems that you believe are temperature related, I recommend that you make an appointment to have a qualified tech evaluate the computer for service and/or repair rather than attempt service like this yourself.

And, you're welcome! 🙂

docker, 30-100 open chrome tabs

Chrome is a known resource hog. Full stop.

100 tabs seems unreasonable at best. Try a different browser and compare your results.

Uninstall /disable your Docker and compare your results.

change Thermal paste— no.