how to clean thermal paste underneath the cpu

Jetster · Jan 8, 2016

Remember rubbing alcohol has oil in it. Do not use it. You want
Isopropyl Alcohol, 99%

aasim1111 · Jan 8, 2016

I went outside n he did a little cleaning. He then checked with a microscope n said it's all good. He didn't use the ALCOHOL at all. So my question now is should I still wash it with 99% alcohol or no.? Does alcohol damage anything? Or Shud I do nothing and plug it in the mobo?

peche · Jan 8, 2016

aasim1111 said:
Does alcohol damage anything?

isopropyl alcohol is the recomended one because is safe to use...

aasim1111 said:
I went outside n he did a little cleaning. He then checked with a microscope n said it's all good. He didn't use the ALCOHOL at all.

what did ya friend used?

aasim1111 said:
Or Shud I do nothing and plug it in the mobo?

your friend said so ?

aasim1111 · Jan 9, 2016

To clarify, he wasn't my friend. I went to a repair shop. He just wiped the patches with a soft cloth. So now what to do. Shud I wipe the cpu with alcohol? Do I listen to ur advice or his?

xvi · Jan 9, 2016

aasim1111 said:
Shud I wipe the cpu with alcohol?

Should be fine as-is. I'd say put it back in and see if it's good.

CAPSLOCKSTUCK · Jan 9, 2016

i only ever wipe them with toilet paper, all mine are fine.

Just put it in.

aasim1111 · Jan 9, 2016

AlwaysHope · Jan 9, 2016

In my country, a product known as "Methylated spirits" is perfect for this task Its listed with min. 95% ethanol v/v. Put it on and let it sit for about a minute or so, then remove the mess. But whatever you use, you want that cpu surface ultra clean no doubt before remounting any kind of cooling solution.

aasim1111 · Jan 9, 2016

I need more opinions tho. What to do with the cpu

Jetster · Jan 9, 2016

face palm

Liquid Cool · Jan 9, 2016

I use an old soft-bristled toothbrush and cheapo 70% isopropyl alcohol from Hy-Vee. Then let it dry for a few hours. Maybe I've been doing it wrong all these years, but it's worked perfectly.

For 90% of everything.....I dip a q-tip.

Best,

Liquid Cool

xvi · Jan 9, 2016

aasim1111 said:
I need more opinions tho. What to do with the cpu

The tech already cleaned and inspected it. It's time to put it back in.

micropage7 · Jan 9, 2016

i never use alcohol, just damp cloth, some times just use paper from newspaper or tissue then re-clean it by using damp cloth and its fine
just make sure its clean, i mean you left no residue on that before applying new paste

Ebo · Jan 9, 2016

Isopropyl alcohol, soft cloth ans thats it, since Iso dosent leave any skin after it has evapurated.

xvi · Jan 9, 2016

OP has thermal paste on the bottom of the CPU where the contacts are. A third party has cleaned it for them.

Please stop telling them to add more thermal paste because the next picture will look like this.

truth teller · Jan 9, 2016

aasim1111 said:
He then checked with a microscope n said it's all good.

aasim1111 said:
I went to a repair shop. He just wiped the patches with a soft cloth.

aasim1111 said:
I need more opinions tho. What to do with the cpu

you can clean the base of the cpu (the pads side) with a napkin or a piece of cloth (or something thats not abrasive) and some alchool. if there is some smd capacitors/resistors on the bottom side be gentle to not knock then off, but please do clean between them (using a soft tiny brush like an old tooth brush gently scrubing between these smd components with some alchool would be best), but only do this if you can see some thermal paste residues in there.
the hardest cleaning part is over, which was the motherboard socket with all its small pins, the cpu is much easier to clean, 90% of its surface is a flat surface super easy to clean, just wipe it

you should be fine now to re-assembe and trying to power up the system, worst case scenario it stays the same (not booting up), but with some luck it might turn back to life, if it shows the bios screen its all good.

good luck, and please do report back if the system works or not

peche · Jan 9, 2016

Liquid Cool said:

nice lab dude!

aasim1111 said:
I need more opinions tho. What to do with the cpu

post a photo if possible, gonna be easy to tell how is it...

aasim1111 · Jan 11, 2016

I gave some good news. My pc is up and running. It's very cool and quiet. I haven't gamed yet so I can't say much about Temps but they consistent at 38 degrees. Wei is 8.1
However I have a new issue not related to hardware. Check out my new post to learn more

RejZoR · Jan 11, 2016

Just toilet paper. It's rough enough to nicely clean all the thermal paste but doesn't scratch anything. You can also place a sheet or two on desk and then press and glide CPU or cooler on it with some pressure and it'll clean all off.

micropage7 · Jan 11, 2016

aasim1111 said:
I gave some good news. My pc is up and running. It's very cool and quiet. I haven't gamed yet so I can't say much about Temps but they consistent at 38 degrees. Wei is 8.1
However I have a new issue not related to hardware. Check out my new post to learn more

yeah nice to hear that, dont forget to improve your airflow too

hat · Jan 11, 2016

aasim1111 said:
I gave some good news. My pc is up and running. It's very cool and quiet. I haven't gamed yet so I can't say much about Temps but they consistent at 38 degrees. Wei is 8.1
However I have a new issue not related to hardware. Check out my new post to learn more

Well, I'm legitimately glad you finally got it up and running. I hope you didn't have to spend any more money replacing any parts? Are you using the evo or the stock cooler now? You'll learn more in the future... we all have made mistakes and will continue to have mishaps, though the more experienced we become the less often these things happen. In the future, take your time, have patience, and don't jump into anything blindly.

aasim1111 · Jan 11, 2016

Thank you to all. This community is awesome. I didn't buy any new parts. I m using the cooler master 212 evo cooler

peche · Jan 11, 2016

aasim1111 said:
Thank you to all. This community is awesome. I didn't buy any new parts. I m using the cooler master 212 evo cooler

we are here to help each other...
Hyper 212Evo is more than enough!

Regards,

SouthOfHere · Jan 11, 2016

I've always used pure acetone from the local pharmacy, but never the nail polish remover stuff. Is acetone actually safe to use even though for 5 years I've never had any problems?

peche · Jan 11, 2016

well I prefer so much isopropyl alcohol, I got it for free from a friend, he gifted me a gallon, so I have plenty for 5+ years, also for cleaning my bike brakes!

also the point of using coffee filter is pretty simple: Lint free!

I use also a vaporizer with a mixture of 60% isopropyl alcohol and 15% distilled water and 25 % ether, for cleaning some parts that may be sensitive, since the pure alcohol may be abrasive or strong enough to "burn" or damage some plastic parts, ether makes the mixture strong enough and pretty fast to evaporate, water just divides the mixture!

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how to clean thermal paste underneath the cpu

Jetster

aasim1111

peche

Thermaltake fanboy

aasim1111

xvi

CAPSLOCKSTUCK

Spaced Out Lunar Tick

aasim1111

AlwaysHope

aasim1111

Jetster

Liquid Cool

xvi

micropage7

Ebo

xvi

truth teller

peche

Thermaltake fanboy

aasim1111

RejZoR

micropage7

hat

Enthusiast

aasim1111

peche

Thermaltake fanboy

SouthOfHere

peche

Thermaltake fanboy

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