Modern consoles run hot. Sealed cases, all-AMD silicon and tightly-packed cooling mean a year or two of dust is enough to push thermals into the throttle zone. The fan ramps to compensate, the case rattles, and games start stuttering during long sessions.

A proper deep clean — full disassembly, dust extraction, fresh thermal paste — reverses all of that. Most consoles come back 10–20°C cooler under load and dramatically quieter. This page covers the full scope, what’s in and out of scope, deposit terms and FAQ.

Why Hark Tech

One price, no surprises

£45 covers the whole job. Deposit £15 to book, balance £30 once you've seen it back to factory-quiet.

Premium thermal paste, not the cheap stuff

Arctic MX-6 or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut as standard. Lasts years rather than months.

Clear postage terms

You arrange secure inbound postage. Tracked UK return postage is included in the flat price.

What we do, step by step

What’s included in £45

How it works, in detail

  1. Book online. Fill in the booking form on the main service page and pay the £15 deposit by card. Takes about a minute.
  2. Post it to us. Pack the console securely and use your preferred tracked carrier. You arrange and pay for inbound postage.
  3. Pack it sensibly. Wrap the laptop in bubble wrap or a padded sleeve. Box it with 3–5 cm of padding on every side. We photograph condition on arrival.
  4. We do the work. Strip-down, clean, re-paste, software pass, before/after temperature test. Usually 2–3 working days from arrival.
  5. Pay the £30 balance. We email a Stripe invoice for the £45 service fee minus your £15 deposit. Pay by card from any device.
  6. It comes back tracked. Once the balance and return-postage charge clear, your console ships back via tracked courier in secure packaging.

Pricing breakdown

Same £45 regardless of make or model. Premium thermal paste, written report and 30-day workmanship guarantee included.

Deposit policy: The £15 reserves workshop time and is credited against the £45 service fee. If the console has a fault outside the service scope, we contact you before any extra work or cost. The current booking terms apply to cancellations and refunds.

If we find another fault: We email you with photos and an honest opinion before doing anything chargeable. You decide whether to add it on (at our normal repair rates) or just have the laptop returned after the clean.

Full FAQ

What's actually included in the £45?

Full strip-down, dust extraction, premium thermal paste on the APU, optical drive lens clean (if applicable), software cache clear and controller firmware check. Postage and approved replacement parts are charged separately.

How does the £15 deposit work?

It confirms your booking and is credited against the £45 service fee. You arrange inbound postage. Once finished, we invoice the remaining £30; tracked UK return postage is included.

Is the deposit refundable?

The £15 reserves workshop time and is handled under the current booking terms. If the console has a fault outside the service scope, we contact you before any extra work or cost.

Will my saved games be safe?

Yes. The deep clean doesn’t touch your storage. Saves, profiles, downloaded games are all unaffected.

How long does it take?

Typical turnaround is 2–3 working days from arrival. Add Royal Mail Tracked 48 transit time both ways and you’re usually looking at a week from booking to console-back-on-the-shelf.

Does it actually make a difference?

On most consoles 18+ months old, yes — visibly. Dust chokes airflow and old paste loses thermal conductivity. A proper clean and re-paste typically drops APU temps by 10–20°C under load. You feel that as quieter fans and steadier framerates in long sessions.

What if you find another fault?

We email you with photos and an honest opinion before doing anything chargeable. Liquid damage, broken HDMI, dead drive — you decide whether to add it on (at our normal repair rates) or just have the console returned after the clean.

Related services

Ready to book your laptop in?

£45 service fee. £15 to book, with postage charged separately.