Thermal Paste Emergency

Pixleperson

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Mar 31, 2014
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A bit of thermal paste is oozing over the side because I moved it while I was installing it should I try to wipe it up? I pulled the fan of it so is it contaminated? what do I do please help.
 
Solution
Thank you, I adjusted the brackets and now they fit. I'm using the cooler master thermal compound that came with it. This is my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ I touched the bottom of the fan accidently how much of an issue is this? Thank you for the help.

zink1701

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If you have rubbing alcohol use that with a lint free cloth and wipe the excess, if not use a dry lint free cloth and dry wipe (and antistatic band is highly recommended). The paste may now be uneven, if you have more wipe the paste off and start over. As long as the past is not oozing over the CPU pins then you wont have a problem. Do a google search there are plenty of tutorials on applying thermal paste.
 

zink1701

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If the holes dont line up then you should have a bracket that came with the cooler that mounts it with compatible socket types. Cheack your socket type on the motherboard and make sure your cooler supports it. If it dosent dont use it.
 
Depends to a large extent on what it is....the liquid metal stuff would be a real big problem, AS5 is an issue as .... well just read what the As5 folks say about it

Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

So, if this is a concern, I'd remove the cooler and CPU and clean both throrouhly as well as any areas affected if spilled over on MoBo...... If ua in no rush, the best stuff to use is

Indigo Xtreme Clean Non-Conductive Thermal Surface Cleaner - 30mL (XC-01)
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/13256/thr-106/Indigo_Xtreme_Clean_Non-Conductive_Thermal_Surface_Cleaner_-_30mL_XC-01.html

Indigo Xtreme Clean™ works better than other products. It possesses higher solvating power than isopropyl alcohol and emulsifying cleaners, yet leaves no residue. Unlike acetone, xylene, and toluene, Indigo Xtreme Clean is non-flammable and is safe for most surfaces.

Indigo Xtreme Clean is easy to use. Simply place a small amount on a clean, dry cloth, wipe the surface clean. One and done - no fussy two-step process. The surface will be left completely free of any thermal grease or stray material and ready to accept a superior thermal solution such as Indigo Xtreme™.

If in a rush, you could "get away with" 99% isopropyl alcohol but that does leave a residue. I do sometimes use the alcohol in step 1 to get off large amounts of "baked on grease" on metal surfaces then finish with the Indigo as a final clean in step 2. I'd don't use alcohol on PCBs tho; if TIM spilled or dripped on any circuitry, I only use the Indigo.

For what ya pay for an ounce of the Indigo stuff, you will get 16 ounces of alcohol, but having used both, I much prefer the Indigo..... my 1 ounce bottle is about 3/4 full after cleaning 6 GFX cards and 5 - 6 CPUs / coolers. I apply with Q-tips.

As for the line up thing, the "trick" is to make sure you are using the correct mounting bracket. Most aftermarket coolers come with several choices..... and typically will have 2 or 3 alternative holes to insert screws through. And if you are confused reading thr directions, they all "make sense" the 2nd time you install it but I think the staff writing the directions and preparing the diagrams challenge each other to see how confusing they can make it for 1st time users.

 

Pixleperson

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Mar 31, 2014
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Thank you, I adjusted the brackets and now they fit. I'm using the cooler master thermal compound that came with it. This is my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ I touched the bottom of the fan accidently how much of an issue is this? Thank you for the help.
 
Solution
That partpicker link says "Choose my...." for everything

You touched the fan ? The TIM got on the fan ? You touched the bottom plate of the cooler with TIM on it ? I'll assume you mean the last.

Most of the time, CPU coolers have a slight curve to them which is designed to match the CPU and prevent entrapment of air bubbles. Of course if you lap the CPU / Cooler, you destroy this important aspect of the design. If you have enough left, I'd clean everything and reapply. I assume you cleaned up the "oozed out" stuff.

If you don't have enough left, and didn't leave the TIM exposed for too long, and the material remains as viscous as it was coming out of the tube, you can scrape ff any that has hardened or clumped, add what's left and apply using the plastic glove method described here

http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=3

Just make sure to remove any excess .... a credit card comes in handy for such uses. You'll note that this testing debunked a lot of TIM application advice commonly offered in forums.

http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=3
 

Pixleperson

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Mar 31, 2014
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Sorry about that, this link should work: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3oo6X I meant I touched the bottom of the heat tower before paste was on it. There is paste left so I think I will try to clean it now that I better understand how this works. Is there anything else I should know about cleaning i before I try that? Like will pulling the fan off damage the cpu?
 
I always do a dry run before using the paste. To pull the cooler off the CPU, best to wiggle it around a bit and slide back and forth to break the vacuum....then lift with a lil more pressure on one side. If using Q-Tips or whatever, never dip them back into thew bottle .....always use a fresh part of ya paper towel or fresh Q-Tip when going back for more cleaning liquid.