DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

High CPU consumption after applying thermal paste!

2 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/high-cpu-consumption-after-applying-thermal-paste.171621/

dud3rulz
dud3rulz Original post #1
Mar 18, 2013 at 1:40 AM
Hi guys,
I applied Cooler master thermal paste to my CPU and GPU of Dell XPS 15 laptop. Oddly, i noticed a bump in CPU usage than before. At idle my CPU consumption was less than 5% (no programs running). Now it constantly uses above 30% at idle. Also, a USB port stopped working. Can anyone suggest a solution ?

Laptop specs: Core i5 2.53 GHz
win8, 4 GB RAM, Nvidia GT 420M
harshilsharma63
Mar 23, 2013 at 9:10 PM
There is ABSOLUTELY NO RELATION between TIM and high CPU usage. Scan your pc for malwares and stop unnecessary programs running in background.