Best way to hold a CPU to clean it?

F

Fee

Weaksauce
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Jan 10, 2005
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I recently replaced my old AMD 64 3200 939 with AMD 64 X2 4400 939, and i love it. :) but i was wondering whats the best way to hold or secure the 3200 so i can clean the A5 paste off the top of the heatspeader without bending the pins, the A5 is settled on there pretty good, any tips? thanks
 
stick it into one of those foam pads that you got when you bought the cpu, or just hold it by the edges like a cd.
 
i usually jst put it on a flat surface and hold the corners and remove gently, never had a problem
 
Yeah hold it by the edges. I use an old (sterilized) soft bristle toothbrush very lightly. AS5 can be rough to removed completely.
 
What solvent are you using to clean the CPU with?? My preference is normally 99% Isopropyl Alcohol that usually removes AS5 from a CPU quickly and with little work.

Also, I usually clean the CPU heat spreader while it's still in it's socket, and then remove the chip from the board. I might then hold the CPU from around the edges and lightly wipe away left over AS5 with a paper towel and alcohol.
 
best i can find around here is %90, so i use that, does take it off pretty easily., some of that and a paper towel folded over a few times, or a Q tip.
 
A firm thumb on the pins is always the best way to go. That sucker won't go anywhere!

 
I hold it down with my right foot while brushing with steel wool.



or hold it like a cd.
 
I just leave it in the socket of the mobo and gently wipe it off with paper towel or q-tips and isoprophyl alcohol. I find that is the best way to hold it secure without risking bending the pins by sticking it in foam or holding it with your fingers.

If the cpu is already out of the motherboard, then using that foam that comes in the cpu box is fine, but be careful not to bend pins. I would not recommend holding it by the edges, because the slightest bump with your finger can bend pins easily.

If you have AS5 that is caked on and won't come off with alcohol, its safe to get a flathead screwdriver and gently scrape it off the cap of the processor. You won't hurt it because that is just a cap that covers the actual die of the processor.
 
mdameron said:
I hold it down with my right foot while brushing with steel wool.
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LOL. Yeah, I've found lately that just getting some pliers and grabbing VERY tightly on the pins and the top of the heat spreader always gives the best possible grip. (NOTE: While this will securely hold your CPU in place, your CPU will be broken; permanently)


:rolleyes:
 
Pfff, I just clamp it to my work bench and use my power sander. :p

Really, I just hold it by the sides and clean with a folded paper towel and rubbing alcohol.
 
Thanks for the tips, im using 99% Isopropyl alcohol. im going put in the foam like a few suggested. and scrub with qtips and coffee filters.
 
why are people so careful with a cpu heatspreader? its a giant slug of metal. iso pretty much mach the most caked on junk sluff off easily. I never even give it a thought.
 
stealthy123 said:
why are people so careful with a cpu heatspreader? its a giant slug of metal. iso pretty much mach the most caked on junk sluff off easily. I never even give it a thought.
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im just worryed about the pins.
 
I assumed (and hope) he was talking about the bare core not the heatspreader! I'm used to cleaning my old Athlon XP's!
 
I always hold it by the very edge making sure to to give the pins a very wide zone of cleance (as much as my fingers will allow). The alcohol swabs you can by at drug stores are excellent (abrasive enuff to remove compound but no so abrasive as to mark the surface of the processor. Iusually use a processor for about six months and ebay them when upgradeing and buyers don't want to see scratches on the surface (like those made by an abrasive of hard object like a screw driver.
 
Just drop it in a container of MEK. wait 1 hr and replace the chip (J/K MEK will eat the chip so you really do replace it) . Iso Alcohol (90%+) and coffee filter is the best
 
Same here. Completely submersed mine (naked core) in 91% or 99% isopropyl alchol for a few minutes. No damage. I wanted to make sure I removed all the oils from the pins from handling. The chips are pretty tough. You can basically eat a greasy cheese pizza while cleaning, drop the cheese/pepperonni on it and put it back in the socket still greasy and it will boot up. Oh yeah, a few cigarrete ashes won't huwt eetha.

DO be carefull about cleaning it while actually holding the sides/corners of the chip as you can inadvertantly bend those outer pins because your fingers will tend to push the pins even though you feel your only holding the pcb.
 
I also find using my CPU to play frisbee with friends is a good way to loosen up those troublesome pieces of AS5 on the IHS. Note: wash hands thoroughly when you've finished your frisbee extravaganza.

 
tsuehpsyde said:
I also find using my CPU to play frisbee with friends is a good way to loosen up those troublesome pieces of AS5 on the IHS. Note: wash hands thoroughly when you've finished your frisbee extravaganza.

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Lol... It's a great use for old P1 chips...

I just leave the CPU in the socket and clean it with a paper towel and 99.9% alcohol.
 
I just put mine on my workbench, pin side down, on a bed of newspaper and absorbent paper towels and spray it off with Auto Prep by Klean Strip automotive surface cleaner. It cleans and degreases metal, plastic, & fiberglass surfaces prior to painting. It will also remove wax, grease, bugs tar and tree sap, just in case you get any of those items on there ;) :D

Seriously, its great stuff and requires only a minimum of handling to wipe it off. It dissolves AS5 and Ceramique (and any other thermal paste) very quickly without harming the silicon or the pins. You can get it at Pep Boys and Advance Auto Parts. NAPA also stocks a similar product.
 
I usually press the CPU into a nice flat piece of Styrofoam about 3" x 3" in size, about 1/2" thick. That way it can sit in my hand as I'm doing the cleaning and I never have to worry about bending the pins with any side-to-side wiping action - they're "socketed" into the Styrofoam and aren't going anywhere.

When I'm done I just lift one corner with a fingernail or two to pry it out of the Styrofoam and voila, clean as a whistle and ready to roll.
 
Pushing the chip down into some rough gravel is a good way to keep it in place while you soak it with gasoline.
 
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