Thermal Paste in an AM3+ Socket Board and on AMD Processor Pins?

Crypto6

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Oct 10, 2014
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So a client recently brought in his desktop he tried to custom build himself- to make a long story short, he didn't really know what he was doing when he was putting thermal paste on his computer- probably ended up using the whole tube from what I can tell- and to make a long story short: He ended up getting thermal paste all over a nice MSI gaming motherboard and a $200 FX processor.

I ended up replacing the board as he described it wasn't displaying anything on POST (No kidding, he may have killed his components with all that paste) and the processor he ended up getting a downgrade with one I had in my store. He is taken care of but didn't want the old mobo and processor since they are possibly damaged but I want to see if either one is worth salvaging since they are decent parts.

I will say that I don't know anything about the thermal paste and if it is conductive or not. It came with his Hyper Evo 212 cooler and that's the paste I assumed he used when he tried to put the computer together on his own. So if you guys know what comes with that CPU cooler, then hopefully that's helpful.

Anyway, here is a link to the images to show just how much thermal paste ended up in the holes of the mobo and on the pins of the proc: http://imgur.com/a/UFqRW

I could use some helpful advice on what my options are on cleaning either of these components off. They may be fried but they are expensive and decent components so I'd like to see if they are salvageable unless it really is a loss cause. Or at the very worse case scenario, clean them off and see if either can be RMA'd (though they may not be covered under warranty since the customer may have been the one that killed them- if he did anyway).
 
Solution
Oh, the joy. I'm not saying this is the best approach, but isopropyl alcohol would be my approach. You can try soak the CPU pins in it, then with a tissue paper folded, try wipe the excess away. This depends on how much time you have, steady hands, etc.

Wish you the best.

c0rr0sive

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Mar 17, 2015
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Hrm, here in the states theres CRC Electronic Contact Cleaner, sprays onto the object with a strong blast... Have had good luck with that cleaning most anything from electronics in the past, should handle thermal paste just fine.
 

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Jan 16, 2010
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Oh, the joy. I'm not saying this is the best approach, but isopropyl alcohol would be my approach. You can try soak the CPU pins in it, then with a tissue paper folded, try wipe the excess away. This depends on how much time you have, steady hands, etc.

Wish you the best.
 
Solution