Thermal paste

[ReliJon]

noob here,

I am scared to remove my thermal paste off of my cpu and heat sink.

can anyone give me tips to minimize the risk of destroying my cup and mobo?

also, what are some good supplies to do this task?

thanks a lot

Jon

 

[delluser1]

Remove the cpu from the socket, hold it only by the edges, use a piece of plastic to scrape off the bulk of the paste ( those fake credit cards / promo gift cards they constantly send out work well ) then get some Q-tips or a used dryer sheet and some 90% Isopropyl alcohol and clean away.

Personally, I just get the alcohol and Qtips and go to it while it's still in the socket.

 

[sportsfanboy]

Yep the Q-Tip alcohol method is the way to go. Remember not to add too much paste , the size of an uncooked piece of rice in the form of a small ball in the center of the chip should do it. That said, depending on the heat sink you might want to consider some different methods of applying.

 

[ReliJon]

I have seen videos of people taking the Q tip and the isopropyl alcohol and taking off the paste while the cpu is still attached to the board....is it wrong to do it this way?...i would really prefer NOT to take my cpu out of the socket, but i worry about the rubbing alcohol going on my board.

I have the H50 from corsair. would you guys recommend we putting the paste at the center then pressing down with the H50, or should i evenly spread it it with a plastic bag over my finger?

 

[sportsfanboy]

For cleaning the cpu there really is no need to remove the chip from the socket ,it's perfectly safe,just make sure the alcohol fully evaporates before applying the paste. I would put a small dab in the middle, that should work well for you provided you tension everything equally. Obviously clean the h50 sink before as well.

 

[ReliJon]

Best answer selected by ReliJon.

 

[ReliJon]

thanks a lot sportsfanboy,

i hope this works out well

 

[kajabla]

No reason not to remove the CPU, though, and it would probably be easier than reaching into the case with a q-tip.

 

[sportsfanboy]

The heatsink needs to be re installed. The best would be put the computer on it's side so your not fighting against gravity. Unless he has a motherboard tray, either way I don't see why you would need to remove the chip.