Heat shield, thermal pads, and foil for Acer Predator Helios 16.

Hello,

I plan on buying Acer Predator Helios 16, with RTX 4080 and Intel Core i9 14900HX (Model Number: PH16-72, Part Number: NH.QNZSI.002).

I would like to upgrade its 2*16 GB of RAM to 2*32 GB, and add a 4 TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD (likely from Western Digital) to the second, empty SSD slot.

While watching videos on how to upgrade the RAM and the SSD, I noticed that they removed some items: heat shield (I assume this is what the metallic looking plate covering the RAMs and the first SSD is called. My apologies if I am wrong.), foils with thermal pads which covered the RAMs and the SSDs.

My first question are given below.
1. Which of the aforementioned are reusable and which ones should I buy anew? Should I reuse the heat shield? Should I replace the foil with the thermal pads?
2. If so, then what should I search on Amazon to get heat shield and foil covered thermal pad replacements for the laptop?

3. In the videos, I noticed that the heat shield did not cover the 2nd ssd slot, and there were no foils with thermal pads for the 2nd SSD slot either. What should I do about the heat shield and the foil with thermal pads for the new, second SSD?

Some additional questions:
4. Does this laptop have a good reputation?
5. Can I upgrade it to 2*32 GB and 1+4 TB?
6. Is there adhesive on the heat shield and foil with thermal pads? How will they stay in place after I close the laptop's backside?

I have attached screenshots from 3 upgrade videos, all of which had different backsides for some reason (which is extra confusing for me). My apologies if this was hard to read: English is not my first language so I might have made some mistakes. I would be grateful for your kind response. Thank you very much for reading.

Accepted answers

All comments

Puraw

Hi AmaoriRenako,

If you're considering a Western Digital SN850X for the second SSD slot, it's a solid performer — but do note it tends to run hot under sustained load, especially in tight laptop enclosures. WD themselves recommend using the heatsink version for desktops and PS5, which hints at its thermal profile.

As an alternative, I’d recommend the Samsung 990 EVO Plus. It offers excellent Gen 4 performance with cooler operation, making it a better fit for the Helios 16’s second slot, which lacks a factory heat shield. Pair it with a thin copper plate heat spreader or graphene pad — these are easy to source and help manage temps without clearance issues.

Regarding your other questions:

4. Does this laptop have a good reputation? Yes — the Helios 16 PH16-72 is widely regarded as a strong value for money. With the RTX 4080 and i9-14900HX, it delivers excellent performance for gaming, content creation, and multitasking. Build quality and thermal design are solid, and upgrade flexibility is a plus.

5. Can I upgrade it to 2×32 GB RAM and 1+4 TB SSD? Absolutely. The system supports 64 GB RAM — confirmed by Crucial’s compatibility checker — and users have successfully installed 4 TB Gen 4 SSDs without issue. Just note that high-capacity drives may run hotter, so proper thermal management is key.

Let me know if you want help sourcing a compatible heat spreader or comparing SSD temps post-install. You're asking all the right questions before upgrading — nicely done.

AmaoriRenako

Thank you very much for your response. However I would be grateful if you could help me resolve my primary questions.

My main question was about the thermal items (heat shield, covering foil, and thermal pads), and if I should replace/reuse them (and where to buy them from, if needed).

Can I and Should I reuse the heat shield and the foils with thermal pads? If not then what what should I search on Amazon to buy new heat shield and thermal pads.
I see no heat shield or foil with thermal pad for the 2nd SSD. What can I do about it? I am not sure what to search on Amazon to buy these parts, and if I even need to buy them.

Also, I believe it would be hard for me to find a Samsung SSD as WD is the main brand available on Amazon for my region.

Additional question: Can I put a gen 5 SSD in the 2nd Gen 4 slot? I found a gen 5 ssd for the same price as a gen 4 one; buying that might allow me to transfer this SSD to a desktop a few years later, if the need arises. My main concern is if it will it cause too much heat and lead to thermal throttling?

Puraw

Hi AmaoriRenako,

Thanks for the follow-up — and no worries, your questions are perfectly clear.

Regarding the Slot #1 heat shield (the metallic plate covering the RAM and first SSD):You should leave it in place. It’s factory-installed, designed to manage heat across the RAM and SSD, and doesn’t need to be removed or replaced unless it’s physically damaged. The thermal pads and foil underneath are also reusable — they stay in place via light adhesive and pressure once the back cover is closed.

Now for Slot #2, which lacks any heat shield or thermal pad:Since you’re installing a high-performance Gen 4 SSD there, I recommend adding a thin copper plate heat spreader or graphene foil to help manage temps. These are laptop-safe and globally available:

MHQJRH Ultra-Thin Copper Heatsinks (2-pack): https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Heatsinks-Cooler-Laptop%EF%BC%882-Pack%EF%BC%89/dp/B07XD8M43P
SGTKJSJS Copper Heatsinks with Nano Thermal Pads: https://www.amazon.com/SGTKJSJS-Copper-Heatsinks-2pcs/dp/B07YC1XVYL
GRAUGEAR Heat Pipe Cooler with Graphene Foil:https://www.amazon.com/GRAUGEAR-Extension-Plate-Fin-Thermally-Conductive/dp/B0DNMK8TVS

These options will help keep your SSD cool without interfering with the chassis or airflow. Let me know if you need help choosing one based on your region or SSD model.

By the way, did you use the Reply button or just type your comment at the bottom? I’m testing how alerts behave in the new Vanilla layout — trying to figure out what actually triggers notifications, thanks

AmaoriRenako

Again, thank you for your fast response (I am actually pleasantly surprised at how fast you are.) I am from India and am using amazon.in.

I have heard that reusing thermal pads is not recommended as they might be already deformed, dirty or with air bubbles. I am willing to buy the thermal pads if they provide visible improvements. However, while I am able to find thermals pads, none of them come with a cover foil. What should I search to get thermal pads with foils?
Regarding the 2nd SSD, do I use thermals pads and a copper plate? If so then do I put the thermal pads only above or below the SSD as well?
I found this: amazon.in/Laptop-Heatsink-Thermal-Pads，Heat-Copper/dp/B07YC1HTFR.
I would be grateful if you could tell if this is usable, and if you know any better copper plate brands or items on amazon.in.
Also, as I mentioned before, I also found a gen 5 SSD for the same price as a gen 4 SSD. I was hoping to buy the gen 5 as I could put it in a newer device years later, if needed. But I have heard that gen 5 SSDs generate a lot of heat even in gen 4 slots. Do you think buying a gen 5 ssd for a gen 4 slot could lead to thermal issues? Should I stick with a gen 4 after all?

Regarding your last question, I am using the reply button.

AmaoriRenako

Also, in the upgrade videos that I saw, the shape of the heat shield got deformed a bit when they tried to take it off (i.e. it bent a little). Would it still be usable?

AmaoriRenako

Again, thank you very much for your response. My apologies for asking so many questions. I will try to make this my final request by asking all the remaining doubts that I have.

The reason I am being so cautious is because in India, this laptop costs several months worth of a normal person's salary, so care is absolutely essential.

Please note that I am a computer science student, who will be loading AI models as massive as 40-50 GB from the SSD into the RAM and VRAM. Therefore the storage units will be under heavy loads for hours at times. Please keep this in mind while answering my queries.

I have asked a total of 7 questions. I would be satisfied and grateful if you could answer all of them. Please try to answer all 7 questions as my possibly last request. Again, thank you.

—————————————————————————————————————————

For the RAMs, I will remove and move the foil with thermal pads from the old RAMs to the new RAMs. Then I will reuse the heat shield for the 1st SSD and the RAMs.

For the 2nd SSD I will use a thermal pad and a copper plate.

1. Did I understand that correctly?

—————————————————————————————————————————

Link to the Gen 4 SSD:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0DZK9C789?th=1

Link to the Gen 5 SSD:
https://www.amazon.in/WD_Black-Western-Warranty-Internal-WDS200T1X0M-00CMT0/dp/B0F3B6MZM9?th=1

2. Do you think it would be okay to buy this Gen 5 SSD?
3. What about the Gen 4 SSD?
4. Which one would you recommend overall?
5. Just double checking but I only need to apply the thermal pad on top of the SSD and not the bottom, right?

—————————————————————————————————————————

6. Can you please tell me which of these are usable?

A. This is the most affordable, but has rubber bands which I am not sure will fit in the laptop:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08PNL4G85

B. This is the one you recommended but it has no rubber/screws. I am worried about what if it gets loose and causes a short circuit (also this is a bit expensive in India, and has 2 pieces when I need only 1):
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07YC1HTFR?th=1

C. This is the most expensive and with a screw but looks thicker:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0D4C4CQ58?th=1

—————————————————————————————————————————

7. I know you mentioned that I do not need new foil but thermal pads, but I just wanted to double check. Do you think that I should still use the original ones instead of ordering these new thermal pads?

Link:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07PNL9C1Q

(Please note that these do not have foils as I didn't know what to search to get thermal pads with foil. If you think I should get new ones with foil, then would you tell me the key word that I should search to get Thermal pads with Foil.)

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