Removing thermal paste (will this be ok)?

D

deadman_uk

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 30, 2003
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I posted on this forum a week ago asking what would be best to remove thermal paste from a heatsink. Most people said get Isopropyl alcohol 70% or more so I went to the chemist and asked for some.

It was a very expensive bottle (£5 or $10) as it was the smallest they do (500ml) but I am not sure if this is right for removing the paste. I will tell you what it says on the bottle...

HILLCROSS

Isopropanol BP
(propan-2-ol)
500ml

HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
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I know there isnt a lot to go on and there is no mention of percentage but would this be suitable?

Thanks
 
I am not sure if that is good or not, sorry. That stuff seems very expensive. If you wanna get your chip clean for cheap use some brake cleaner and a paper towel.
 
Wow better be pure alchol if it is that expensive!

I always use carb cleaner, then alchol to remove any residue. Its cheap and works very well. Carb cleaner is also great to use on those stubborn thermal pads. Takes them off within seconds. Just be very carefull around your chip. I dont know if that stuff will melt the silicon!
 
DaRkF0g said:
Wow better be pure alchol if it is that expensive!

I always use carb cleaner, then alchol to remove any residue. Its cheap and works very well. Carb cleaner is also great to use on those stubborn thermal pads. Takes them off within seconds. Just be very carefull around your chip. I dont know if that stuff will melt the silicon!
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I have also had problems with carb cleaner leaving residue but have not experienced that with brake cleaner.
 
Xylene works great. The sticker remover products like GooGone are based on Xylene, but can leave a residue. I got enough xylene to last me a lifetime at the hardware store for 10 bucks.
 
People, not trying to be rude but now is not the time to talk about alternatives. I dont have brake cleaner and I spent almost £600 on PC hardware and spent every last penny I have on this alcohol, im broke. I'm fitting this PC together with a friend tomorrow (never done it before)

What should I do?
 
deadman_uk said:
What should I do?
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Use the alcohol! :) It will work pretty damn good. Not much to talk about as far as technique goes. I like to use paper towels and cotton swabs.
 
Honestly, I have never experienced any kind of problems using good old alchol >70%, on any of my chips. It normally has no problem removing old arctic silver thermal paste. If you are really worrying, pick up some of Artic Silver's cleaning agents.

EDIT: Use a bunch of cotton swabs to clean it off in steps. When your chip looks clean and there is no paste on the swabs, then it is ready to be re-pasted. Just dont touch the top after you get it clean (but I am sure you allready knew that :) ).
 
Can't the paste be removed with just tissue? What if I dub cotton buds (q-tips) in the alcohol so its damp and then dab that on the top of the cpu where the paste is?
 
Sorry, I really did not describe the technique in my post above. Yes, you are correct. Tissues can sometimes be messy (if you have a lot of paste to clean up). As you said, just give the swabs a light dab (not too much). That will help clean the old paste up. If you use too much alchol, it will get the chip all wet. You dont want that.
 
DaRkF0g said:
Sorry, I really did not describe the technique in my post above. Yes, you are correct. Tissues can sometimes be messy (if you have a lot of paste to clean up). As you said, just give the swabs a light dab (not too much). That will help clean the old paste up. If you use too much alchol, it will get the chip all wet. You dont want that.
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k thanks

I never done anything like this before, let me explain exactly what I think I should do...

1) Remove heatsink

2) Remove CPU

3) Place CPU in new motherboard (make sure pins are lined up and do not force it, it should fall straight in)

4) Put a small dab of artic silver 5 on top of the CPU

5) Place heatsink on top

Is that it? Do I smudge the paste around the CPU? or is it just 1 dab and then heatsink on top?
 
Yep, you have the idea.

As for applying it, I know a lot of people here use their own technique. Arctic Silver recommends you use a small dab (on Intel Chips), then put the heatsink on-top without smearing it around.

Personally, I dont like that technique. It really does NOT allow the paste to cover 100% of the chip. In stead put a dab in the middle and smooth it over the chip, using a razor blade, or a credit card (anything with a strait clean edge). You ONLY need a very thin even layer. If you get too happy with the paste it will go all over the place.

Other than that you should be ok. :)
 
Im with darkfog, ive always used 70% good ol rubbing alcohol and never had any issues with residue or "nappiness" :)
 
That tehnique will work just fine. Some people spread their thermal paste with a razor and some just do the dab in the center whcihc has worked quite well for me. Sorry about recomending other stuff. Hope that helps ya out.
 
Thanks everyone, you all have helped alot.

I will use the alcohol I got from the chemist, not sure what percentage it is, but I know isopropyl is also known as Isopropanol so I should be fine.
 
For what it's worth, I use isopropanol alcohol. The listed ingredients are 99% isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. You should be fine. This stuff is probably just high-purity isopropyl, nothing more.
 
Guys, peep inside some first aid kits and take the alchahol wipes. That's waht I use... LoL Just be sure to refill the box when you're done, otherwise when you cut your finger and need to clean a cut... you'll be sol.
 
deadman_uk said:
I
Thanks
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Sorry I'm late, but don't use tisues or cotton swabs for final cleaning as they can leave lint behind, use a coffee filter, they're lint free.

I wrap my finger in "Syran Wrap" and use that to spread a thin layer of TIM in both the processor and sink....thinner if they are lapped. You can also warm the paste and components to facilitate easier spreading.

I use Shin-Etsu X23-7783D Thermal Grease See:http://microsi.com/packaging/thermal_grease_x23-7783d.htm
 
70% rubbing alcohol is fine for most people...I hear the absolute best thing to use is denatured alcohol, which contains 0% water
 
go to an auto parts store and get an aerosol can of brake cleaner or carburator cleaner.....
works great.........
 
I just use the big jug of acetone I got at Ace Hardware in the "paint thinner" section. Xylene isn't quite as good of a solvent in my experience, but it takes a lot longer to evaporate (acetone evaporates REALLY fast), so it's good for really tough wax thermal pads or dried adhesive where you have to soak the sink for a while. Either one really takes the grease off though. Industrial grade dissolvative!
 
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