How do you remove existing thermal paste from the CPU

[sanjeevdas]

How do you guys remove the thermal paste?

 

[Zepper]

You can buy the Arctic Silver cleaning kit.

OR

Remove most of the goop with a plastic tool so as not to scratch the surfaces. Rempve the rest with lighter fluid (naphtha - Ronsonol is one brand). Follow with a rubbing alcohol rinse. Dry with a piece of coffee filter (most common lint-free paper found in homes). Done, clean as a whistle...

.bh.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Do what zepper says, but I highly recommend the AS cleaner. Works very nicely, and by 'plastic tool' you can use the edge of a credit card/any type of card like that.

 

[sanjeevdas]

thanks!

 

[Zepper]

The plastic tool I like to use is the knife the Mickey D's gives with breakfast meals. That thing works great! But I don't go there for breakfast as often as I used to...

.bh.

 

[RallyMaster]

isopropyl alcohol swabs. buy 100 of them at CVS or something. good for cleaning wounds, bacterial infections and curing acne as well!

 

[HardWarrior]

Goof Off and an old t-shirt, you know, one that's been washed so much that it doesn't have any more free fibers. GO will even break VERY old TIM.

 

[Zepper]

GO will remove TIMs but it contains oils that can get into the pores of the surfaces and be difficult to remove themselves. Naphtha and alcohol contain no oils...

FWIW: Reminds me of a critique I once read about a TIM comparison test. The test found that there will less than 1 deg variance among the samples. The tester had used WD-40 (which does cut TIMs very well...) to clean between tests. Critic said that the tester had ended up testing WD-40 as a TIM rather than the samples under test. Then there is Dan's Data which tested toothaste and Vegemite, among the other, more commonly used, materials, as TIMs...

.bh.

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: Zepper
GO will remove TIMs but it contains oils that can get into the pores of the surfaces and be difficult to remove themselves. Naphtha and alcohol contain no oils...

FWIW: Reminds me of a critique I once read about a TIM comparison test. The test found that there will less than 1 deg variance among the samples. The tester had used WD-40 (which does cut TIMs very well...) to clean between tests. Critic said that the tester had ended up testing WD-40 as a TIM rather than the samples under test. Then there is Dan's Data which tested toothaste and Vegemite, among the other, more commonly used, materials, as TIMs...

.bh.

Vegemite? Man, I thought the TH vegetable oil cooled system would smell bad after a while...

-z

 

[bdww00]

put jeri curl juice on it or put it in a dishwasher

or put it in a bathtub and pis on it and the salinity and ammonia will take off the silicone or other tough tim's

 

[pkme2]

I use akasa TIM-clean
It disolves thermal paste very easily, and I give it a very good rating.

 

[sanjeevdas]

Thanks. I got the Arctic Silver cleaning kit. Unfortunately my AC Freezer 64 Pro didn't have the effect I thought it would have. The temps were higher than my stock cooler :Q