Removing old Arctic Silver

[sswingle]

I just got my 2600 today. Looks like the previous owner used a whole tube of arctic silver on it. Its everywhere. I am assuming its AS because its a gray color and not the normal white color of most cpu grease.

What is the best way to get it off of there and start over again?

 

[Jeff7181]

I don't think you'll ever get it ALL off... but isopropyl alcohol and lots of q-tips (rubbing alcohol, at least 80% pure I think is what Arctic Silver recommends) works great, and leaves behind no residue, unlike things like Goo Gone and Acetone.

 

[pelikan]

I thought acetone leaves no residue.

 

[KF]

When I slop it all over, due to my own clumsiness, I just wipe it off with a kleenex. That's just so I don't slop it over on anything else. AS is not supposed to hurt anything, because it is non-conductive electrically, and it never has for me. Getting noncondutive stuff on the CPU pins might be a problem though, so I'd be careful handling a slopped up CPU.

I have never successfully cleaned off every bit of the AS when it gets into crevices, even using alcohol, but like I say, it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

 

[Nate-X]

Actually cotton balls and isopropyl do a great job at removing thermal compound from the ceramic part of the cpu.. I just dabbed and dabbed and dabbed til it was nice and clean. Just make sure none of the cotton is on the processor after you're done cause it seems to break apart pretty easy if it's snagged at all.

 

[jar5tyle]

I just use toilet paper

 

[pspada]

Originally posted by: KF
When I slop it all over, due to my own clumsiness, I just wipe it off with a kleenex. That's just so I don't slop it over on anything else. AS is not supposed to hurt anything, because it is www.upstatefreshwater.org, and it never has for me. Getting noncondutive stuff on the CPU pins might be a problem though, so I'd be careful handling a slopped up CPU.

I have never successfully cleaned off every bit of the AS when it gets into crevices, even using alcohol, but like I say, it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

AS3 is not completely non-conductive, it can cause problems if it gets in your leads.

 

[joe2004]

AS is electrically conductive as some of us learned in a painfull way so better be carefully. AS2 is less conductive and AS3 is not conductive. Therefore it depends what it is.

 

[Vonkhan]

Originally posted by: joe2004
AS is electrically conductive as some of us learned in a painfull way so better be carefully. AS2 is less conductive and AS3 is not conductive. Therefore it depends what it is.

word


tried on my 9500pro ... the card kept getting worse in terms of corruption till i wudnt boot. The AS3 had gotten onto the die (or whatever that green part is called) - cleaned it off and reapplied some generic white goop and everything was rite as rain after that

 

[Jeff7181]

Acetone does not fully evaporate, it leaves somewhat of a residue behind. Kleenex is one of the absolute worst things you can use because it has lotion in it. You may as well clean your CPU with an oily rag. Toilet paper can leave lint.

I can't for the life of me figure out why people won't spend $3 on a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a box of q-tips and keep looking for cheap ways to do things... JUST USE WHAT ARCTIC SILVER RECOMMENDS! It's not that hard to find if you leave your house.

 

[KF]

> Kleenex is one of the absolute worst things you can use because it has lotion in it.

Maybe the lotion improves heat performance better than the "polysynthetic" oil in AS? Are you sure the generic 69 cent kleenex from SAV-A-LOT has lotion in it? How about the toilet paper? I know I could use some lotion on my butt. Maybe Q-tips contain lotion. Maybe Q-tips leave lint.

You know where I got the idea that AS was non-conductive? I mean originally, not from experience. I read it on the Arctic Silver page. That was back when I bought my AS2, and a few times since. Because the knowledgable people here were so adamant about AS being conductive, I checked the AS site just now. In the interim it has become "slightly capacitive."

(If only the AS guy would just cut the bull and say that AS doesn't make your CPU any cooler than the old white goo at Radio Shack.)

How capacitive is "slightly?" If you ever took a course on electronics, you would learn there is capacitance between any two wires. This is in fact a serious problem at gigahertz frequencies.

We also find this:

"Once you have applied a thermal grease or melted a thermal pad onto a heatsink, it is impossible to remove all of the grease or pad from the microscopic valleys in the heatsink using standard cleaning chemicals and paper or fabric towels. Any subsequent thermal material will be applied over the remnants of the original material."

No doubt. And if you ever use anything on the CPU or heat sink, it is still there. That goes for bits of cotten swabs. Alcohol molecules. We don't live in "clean rooms" either. So there are pollen grains, bacteria, and mold spores floating in the air that land on everything. Skin that animals and humans shed constantly. SO2, oxides of nitrogen, and unburned hydrocarbons adhering and reacting with the surfaces of everything. Particulate matter (dust, carbon grains, silicates) waft into our homes. Strontium 90 from Chernobyl. So if your AS doesn't perform up to parr, you can see why.

Some people seem to think using soap and water on your CPU might not be a good idea, and were sceptical when I presented the idea. But we have:

"CPU Ceramic:
Use any of the following cleaners.

Any dish detergent (Dawn, Lux, Palmolive, Etc.)
..."

So everone read up:

AS instructions page

 

[joe2004]

I know I could use some lotion on my butt.

I think you should change your panties more often.

 

[Jeff7181]

Maybe the lotion improves heat performance better than the "polysynthetic" oil in AS? Are you sure the generic 69 cent kleenex from SAV-A-LOT has lotion in it? How about the toilet paper? I know I could use some lotion on my butt. Maybe Q-tips contain lotion. Maybe Q-tips leave lint.

Don't be an ass... it's a fact that kleenex contains lotion. It's also a fact that toilet paper and q-tips don't. If you need lotion on your butt, wipe your ass with kleenex. Q-tips can leave lint, but because they're cotton, they don't leave small lint particles like toilet paper and kleenex.

"If you use acetone, do a final cleaning with isopropyl alcohol." - taken from your link... why do you think that is? Could it be that acetone leaves a residue and the only way to clean it off is with alcohol... since alcohol fully evaporates and leave no reside behind? Hmmmm... maybe this quote explains it... "If you use any of the suggested products to remove Arctic Silver thermal compound from the CPU ceramic or heatsink base, always do a final cleaning with isopropyl alcohol to remove any residue from the cleaner."

*EDIT* The instructions are clear as day... don't read into what it says, just read what it says. Isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs.

 

[Netopia]

I've posted this plenty of times but some of you will probably still freak out.

When I get a CPU that's too cruddy from HS compound, AS or otherwise, I just grab an old toothbrush and wash it under hot water in the kitchen sink with some Dawn... it cuts the grease you know! Then I towel dry it and hit it with a blow drier for a minute or two until it's totally dry.

Remember that the CPU is ceramic, just like your coffee cups.

I've NEVER had even a single issue doing this and I've done it with CPUs from 486's on up. I've done it on my CPU's, those of friends and also some of those which belong to the company I work for where I'm IT Director.

Once you do it, you'll never goof around with alcohol or acetone or cotton balls or Q-Tips again. It is very quick and leaves the CPU spotless.

Joe

 

[Jon187]

Nail Polish Remover...

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Jon187
Nail Polish Remover...

You've never read Arctic Silver's instructions have you?

 

[Overkast]

Originally posted by: Netopia
I've posted this plenty of times but some of you will probably still freak out.

When I get a CPU that's too cruddy from HS compound, AS or otherwise, I just grab an old toothbrush and wash it under hot water in the kitchen sink with some Dawn... it cuts the grease you know! Then I towel dry it and hit it with a blow drier for a minute or two until it's totally dry.

Remember that the CPU is ceramic, just like your coffee cups.

I've NEVER had even a single issue doing this and I've done it with CPUs from 486's on up. I've done it on my CPU's, those of friends and also some of those which belong to the company I work for where I'm IT Director.

Once you do it, you'll never goof around with alcohol or acetone or cotton balls or Q-Tips again. It is very quick and leaves the CPU spotless.

Joe

Now that's a cool little trick. Where'd you learn to do this?

 

[pelikan]

I take my cpu down to the local car wash and just throw it in there. Comes out spotless.

But yeah, I've heard other people say that washing it in the sink with soap works great.

 

[Netopia]

Now that's a cool little trick. Where'd you learn to do this?

I don't think I learned it anywhere. I got this AMD 486/DX2-80 pre-installed in a mobo and the person who had mounted it put about 20 gallons (slightly exagerated) of thermal grease on it. I just thought about how I should get it off and then took a risk.

Joe

 

[Technonut]

The best that I have used is Citra-Solv cleaner. It quickly cuts AS like a hot knife through butter. I then follow up with a quick wipe of isopropyl alcohol to remove any residue left by the Citra-Solv. Very fast and easy....

 

[MrThompson]

Any citrus based cleaner will leave a residue in the microscopic surface imperfections and compromise the thermal interface. Alcohol will not remove the residue.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: Netopia
I've posted this plenty of times but some of you will probably still freak out.

When I get a CPU that's too cruddy from HS compound, AS or otherwise, I just grab an old toothbrush and wash it under hot water in the kitchen sink with some Dawn... it cuts the grease you know! Then I towel dry it and hit it with a blow drier for a minute or two until it's totally dry.

Remember that the CPU is ceramic, just like your coffee cups.

I've NEVER had even a single issue doing this and I've done it with CPUs from 486's on up. I've done it on my CPU's, those of friends and also some of those which belong to the company I work for where I'm IT Director.

Once you do it, you'll never goof around with alcohol or acetone or cotton balls or Q-Tips again. It is very quick and leaves the CPU spotless.

Joe

 

[Technonut]

Originally posted by: MrThompson
Any citrus based cleaner will leave a residue in the microscopic surface imperfections and compromise the thermal interface. Alcohol will not remove the residue.

I was not aware that studies were conducted regarding citrus based cleaners leaving residue in microscopic surface imperfections that alcohol cannot remove.... All I can say is that I have been using this method for years with no adverse thermal issues. (That I can see or measure)

 

[MrThompson]

A qoute from Bill Adams of Swiftech from this thread:

citrus oil is good for removing the goo from price stickers, and that is just what Home Depot sells it for
-> citrus oil is terrible for cleaning bps, as it leaves an oily residue