what is the best way to clean a CPU?

[birddog]

What is the best (safe) way to clean off artic silver/AS2 from a cpu. Wiping it with a lint free cloth gets most of it all, but smears what is left all over. Is rubbing alcohol on a q-tip safe (and is if effective)?

 

[littlezipp]

Rubbing alcohol will certainly work, as well as nail polish remover.
Head on over to Arcticsilver.com and they have a guide on how to do it.

 

[zzzz]

yes rubbing alcohol is safe and so is soap+ water( for athlons)..make sure to let the cpu dry before you out it back in though.
Not sure about effects of water + other solvents going though the hole in the IHS on the P4 cpus.

 

[Bateluer]

Uh, dude, never ever ever wash a CPU with soap and water. Not only will you have a new paperweight, but you will sound pretty silly explaining to the business why you need a replacement.

Use rubbing alchohol or nail polish remover. I think most alcholol based solvents will work alright too.

 

[Strych9]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Uh, dude, never ever ever wash a CPU with soap and water.

Actually soap/water won't hurt it, although, the soap can leave a residue. Rubbing alcohol or fingernail polish remover seems to work the best.

 

[RU482]

I'll add in for iso-Alcohol. It leave little if any residue and dries very quickly

 

[Boobers]

Use a cloth wet with acetone to get off as much Arctic Silver as possible. Then use a pencil eraser to simply "erase" and remove any AS that gets on the components/bridges (as it ALWAYS does). I've done this many times and it works great. Always clean the core with alcohol (and make sure it's dry) right before you apply the new thermal compound.

DO NOT USE SOAP AND WATER!

 

[zzzz]

DO NOT USE SOAP AND WATER

why not?

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: zzzz

DO NOT USE SOAP AND WATER

why not?

Because if you use it it could potentially fry your cpu. Soap is a base, therefore it is an electrolyte (it conducts electricity). Given it is not a strong base, it still conducts electricity to a certain extent. If you use the soap, even if it looks like there is no residue, there is. If that residue is on any of the exposed electronics, it will then conduct electricity and short out whatever components that it connects.

 

[Boobers]

Yeah, what he said. Besides, it'll get slippery and you could drop it.

 

[zrider]

I am also wondering about anything getting in the IHS hole on the P4. Anybody have any knowledge/comments?

 

[PowerMacG5]

I use a Silicone based thermal compound, and it has gotten into the hole on the IHS, and has not given me any problems. I actually took my old PGA-423 P4 and "disected" it. Once I removed the IHS, all that I could see that was exposed was the processor core, which was connected to the IHS using some sort of thermal compound.