70% isopropyl alcohol good enough?

[movingincircles]

is 70% isopropyl alcohol good enough to clean off the thermal grease from the cpu and hsf?

 

[Ayah]

It'll work fine

 

[Budman]

a nice clean rag should do nicely on the cpu,as for the sink you can just wash it in soapy hot water,making sure you let it dry before reinstalling

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: Budman
a nice clean rag should do nicely on the cpu,as for the sink you can just wash it in soapy hot water,making sure you let it dry before reinstalling

Do not get water on a Zalman CPU HS. Because 120psi air won't drive out the moisture.
Only setting in front of a space heater for several hours will drive the moisture out of a
Zalman...I know

70% will be OK. I can use acetone because I'm nuts. It'll kill things

...Galvanized

 

[jackschmittusa]

It works, but I use 90% because it evaporates faster, having less water in the mix.

 

[w00t]

I use 70% cause we already have it around the house though 90% will work better.

 

[GeeFizzleDizzle]

As others have stated, if you use 70% make sure it dries completely before moving on with the installation as it takes a few seconds longer than using 90% or greater.

 

[shawn130c]

since were already on the topic can you use alchohol prep pads (got a bunch of them at home) to clean off thermal paste?
Specifically it says 2 ply saturated with 70% Isoprophyl Alcohol

 

[neutralizer]

Originally posted by: shawn130c
since were already on the topic can you use alchohol prep pads (got a bunch of them at home) to clean off thermal paste?
Specifically it says 2 ply saturated with 70% Isoprophyl Alcohol

Sure that works too. Just don't get the cotton/threads stuck on the heatsink.

 

[movingincircles]

hrm i dont have any lint free cloths


can i use my old glasses wipers? I dont use them anymore

 

[skooma]

Sure. People make too big a deal out of this stuff. Its not like we're working in "clean rooms"

 

[Blain]

I never use 70%. It's 91% for me or I hold off on the job.

 

[neutralizer]

Originally posted by: movingincircles
hrm i dont have any lint free cloths


can i use my old glasses wipers? I dont use them anymore

Aren't they lint free?

 

[jackschmittusa]

I use an old T-shirt.

 

[SnoMunke]

70% has too many impurities in it...I would use nothing less than 90%.

 

[Kakumba]

The bottle I have claims to be 100%. so i assume its at least 90%. dries off REALLY fast.

 

[neutralizer]

Originally posted by: SnoMunke
70% has too many impurities in it...I would use nothing less than 90%.

Impurities? Aren't the only things in there water and alcohol and trace elements of poisonous chemicals that shouldn't affect the properties of the alcohol?

 

[Powermoloch]

you'll do fine...

 

[Slammy1]

First, coffee filters make great lint free cloths.

It all depends on what you're cleaning, but 70% is fine for most pastes. Of course, if you're cleaning off a thermal pad get the 90% (I'm a chemist, so I can get a bottle of near pure no prob, but for everyone else I believe they have it in the pharmacy).

 

[pkme2]

I like the smell of using Akasa TIM-clean.
Alcohol makes me whoozy.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I use 70% IPA to clean CPUs all the time and it works well enough. I think Everclear cleans better though.

 

[acole1]

After you clean it light a match and put it to your CPU and cooler to burn off any extra that might be laying around.





...yes, I am kidding.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: Blain
I never use 70%. It's 91% for me or I hold off on the job.

QFT. IMO anything under will leave unwanted residue.

 

[w00t]

Originally posted by: skooma
Sure. People make too big a deal out of this stuff. Its not like we're working in "clean rooms"

speak for urself

my room is clean right now.