More impressive is that it went together again. I agree that that heatsink compound is hard to replace, likely a custom pad from Bergquist, which you could probably get as a sheet ( at a price no doubt) and trim to size.
Upgrading frame rate would probably be merely a firmware switch flip, likely like the E4, it all is in there but disabled. Wonder what the few bits difference between upgrade firmware for the black and the silver is. Might work but unless you get better cooling for the processor and support chips along with the sensor it possibly could cause issues in very hot environments or in cases where there is no ability to dissipate heat in any case.