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Removing Artic MX4 thermal compound.

sblantipodi

sblantipodi

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Aug 29, 2010
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Hi,
is it easy to remove MX4 thermal compound from the CPU using a cloth and alcool?

Do I need some special products to remove it or alcool in enough?
 
Goof Off typically eats plastic. Just use 90% iso alcohol.
 
sonsonate said:
Goof Off typically eats plastic. Just use 90% iso alcohol.
Click to expand...

90% is always the safe choice (and cheap for a pretty big bottle), it is also ISO approved for electronics, you could more or less dunk the whole CPU in a cup of it and let it sit without issue, and I have done this before on a REALLY old CPU with rock hard TIM, let it soak over night and came right off the next day.
 
Like other said, 90% isopropyl alcohol, and some sort of lint-free cloth or something. My go-to are coffee filters - I don't drink coffee, so 1 pack lasts me forever for using with only cleaning thermal compound off.
 
BlueFireIce said:
90% is always the safe choice (and cheap for a pretty big bottle), it is also ISO approved for electronics, you could more or less dunk the whole CPU in a cup of it and let it sit without issue, and I have done this before on a REALLY old CPU with rock hard TIM, let it soak over night and came right off the next day.
Click to expand...
hm, didn't know you could do this.

Can you do this with other things as well?
 
Cerulean said:
hm, didn't know you could do this.

Can you do this with other things as well?
Click to expand...

The CPU is a solid state part and so there is nothing to be damaged assuming it has no power running through it, with some of the newer CPUs however using normal TIM under the IHS to the core I would not suggest doing it with those CPUs, chances are it would soak into that and could cause it to run out causing loss in contact and a over heating CPU. When I say old, I mean no IHS, core contact.

With that said, I have used it to clean all sorts of things including RAM sticks and a cell phone board that was dropped in water, used the 90% to clean and flush out all the water from under chips/small gaps and let it dry for a day, put it back together and it worked just fine.
 
I've used fingernail polish before (essentially just weak acetone) but just keep it away from anything plastic. like everyone else said, IPA is probably still your best bet
 
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