A liquid metal application is always risky, especially on a gaming laptop, since these machines are carried around and move in all sorts of directions, which can cause the material to leak out. Unfortunately, a Lenovo Legion 7i owner says his RTX 4090-powered machine became useless after he handed it over to be serviced by Lenovo Premium Care over thermal issues. The company has also allegedly refused any refund or replacement.
If liquid metal can cause hardware issues on the PS5, which is a console that’s hardly moved around, imagine the kind of damage it can cause to gaming laptops. Apparently, Lenovo’s Premium Care staff didn’t think much of it, but Redditor “oza1” surely did because his Legion 7i, kitted out with an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and a fully powered RTX 4090, is no longer in working condition.
The post doesn’t exactly mention whether the liquid metal spread across the motherboard, but since the Legion 7i was stuck at the Legion logo after reassembly and later became unusable, we suspect the conductive compound made its way onto other components and something shorted. The Redditor also mentions that Lenovo Premium Care carried out two additional unsuccessful repair jobs involving the heatsink and motherboard.
When it came time to take responsibility, Lenovo was nowhere to be found, as the post says that the company not only refused a replacement but also a full refund. Considering that gaming laptops have become considerably expensive due to the DRAM shortage, it’s near-impossible for consumers to even consider an upgrade, forcing them to hold onto their older hardware.
Regarding the refund, the customer said he was directed to a third-party seller in the UAE, Sharaf DG, but Sharaf DG refused, saying Lenovo caused the problem in the first place. Instead, the seller offered store credit equal to the original purchase price. Sadly, not only is the store credit restricted, but it’s also insufficient to fund the purchase of an equivalent laptop.
Adding insult to injury, the store credit doesn’t address the additional Lenovo Premium Care warranty that the Redditor paid extra for, which is valid until August 31, 2028. Looking at the subpar treatment of the customer, other commenters recommend that a swift complaint be forwarded to Dubai Consumer Rights to escalate the problem, since Lenovo’s technicians were the ones responsible for depriving a loyal customer of a high-end laptop.
We also find it strange that companies are still adamant about using liquid metal, despite knowing how difficult and dangerous it is, even though it offers superior thermal transfer properties. If you’re the kind of person who likes to service their laptops themselves and want superior temperatures, we swear by PTM7950 thermal pads for the CPU and GPU, with UPSIREN’s UTP-X thermal putty for the VRAM chips, VRMs, and other components covered by the heatsink.
Neither of these will break the bank either, with an 80 x 80 x 0.25mm pad available for $23.89 on Amazon, with a 20g thermal putty pack going for $25.99 on the online retailer.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech’s mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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