Cleaning Artic Silver problem

[Imp]

Hey I want to clean off the artic silver on my cpu, do we really need isopropyl alcohol or other chemical compounds to clean? can't we just do a normal clean, just use q-tip to swipe it off?

 

[dotZIP]

well, you could, but you generally don't want to leave a residue.
Since the core size is so small, the a slight bit of dust can make a bit of difference, and since this is a hardware forum, we do what we can to get the best temps. Since I work in a lab right now (and I'm in chemical engineering when at school... on coop right now), I can get >95% isopropyl alcohol for free... yay

 

[CaNNoN]

i use laquir thinner. it totally liquifies the grease and then evaporates quickly andd is safe to use. use it on a q tip and bye bye paste!

C

 

[iZero]

I just use 91% isopropyl alcohol. I don't use all that other crap Arctic Silver recommends in addition to it. None of my CPUs have burst into flames, so I think my method is good enough.

 

[macklin01]

You can get a bottle of high-purity (>90%) isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol) at any walgreens / walmart / kmart / target / supermarket / etc for a couple of dollars.

It cleans the AS off quite well, it leaves no residue, and it evaporates very quickly. -- Paul

 

[allan_leung]

Hmm

I use 70% isopropyl alcohol.. the first time I clean it... I got some AS5 at the back of the CPU pins..... so I pore some 70% into a bowl and DUMP MY WHOLE 1.6A CPU into the bowl of Alcohol...

Got some Q Tip and clean it inside the bowl...

Then took it out... try for 30 mins and still working!!

 

[Syphon Filter]

I use light fuel, the stuff in the yellow can made by Swan (for zippos)...its what i have used for the past 5yrs and have never had a problem with it...

 

[darktiger]

Ive alwayed used isopropyl alcohol and never had a problem. Just get it at your local drug/grocery store. Or you might find stronger stuff at a hobby shop.

 

[Cinic]

I use acetone. It's available at the local Home Depot or Lowes. One touch and anything greasy is dissolved, including the oil on your fingers. And it dries really fast.

 

[Niggles]

rubbing alcohol is the shit.

the first time I applied artic silver, I kind of got it all over, well, everything.

I put my whole mobo in rubbing alcohol, wiped the AS off, gave it 20 minutes to dry, and it worked like a charm.