Cleaning thermal paste off of heatsink

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KaiGaming

KaiGaming

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May 13, 2010
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i've run into some trouble tryin to clean thermal paste off of a heatpipe based cooler. The old thermal paste seems to be dried and stuck in the gaps between the heatpipes. Is it okay to just leave it in..?
 
Solution
ewok93
Toothpick should work, I would use a wooden one because the wood kinda bends to fit into place. If that doesn't work, I guess you should be alright to put new paste on and install it.
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Gaidax

Gaidax

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Sep 27, 2013
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Clean off as much as you can, you lose cooling efficiency by leaving old thermal paste in.

Think of it this way, the whole point of thermal paste is to fill the gaps between the CPU lid and heatsink, by leaving old thermal paste in you create artificial gaps that degrade your thermal conductivity.

So better take another 30 minutes of annoying work, but get rid of the old thermal paste.
 
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D

Deuce65

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Oct 16, 2013
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Those little alcohol wipes you get in first aid kits are good for this. Just make sure to squeeze out any extra alcohol in them first (you want it dry enough so that when you squeeze it, nothing comes out).
 
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