It's thermal paste waste! Clearing out your fans and heatsinks of dust and debris can make a massive difference! But changing the thermal paste, even if its dry and crusty? Not really.
This video is evidence.
Often times, there are content creators that will open a laptop and cleanout lint and dust around the fans and heatsinks, and they change the thermal compound unnecessarily. When a before and after temperature check is performed, they conclude all of that work was necessary. The fact is, the major cooling difference occurred by removing the blockages in the heatsinks and fans. The thermal compound likely makes a 'margin of error' difference and is a complete waste of time, in my 30+ years of experience in this industry. However, on the internet, people want to 'feel good' and will perform this work for emotional reasons.
If you feel the emotional need to change your thermal compound, this video is NOT for you. However, if you want to know (with evidence) why most big corporations IT departments do NOT EVER do this work or even stock thermal compound, regardless of how old the PCs get, watch this video for proof.
car-ey-lyst: (noun) Any special person who enjoys creating, repairing or optimizing PCs to their full potential and beyond!
