Replacing mobo

[bags159]

Gonna exchange my mobo for a replacement, as I have deemed it to be defective.

So, do I clean the thermal paste off the cpu / heatsink, or leave it on and reuse it? I've only been using the cpu / aftermarket heat sink for a week. Between mobos they will be sitting under cover for an hour or so.

If I clean it, how to?

 

[rolli59]

Use rubbing alcohol and clean it of. You will need new paste when you install it.

 

[rds1220]

Gonna exchange my mobo for a replacement, as I have deemed it to be defective.

So, do I clean the thermal paste off the cpu / heatsink, or leave it on and reuse it? I've only been using the cpu / aftermarket heat sink for a week. Between mobos they will be sitting under cover for an hour or so.

If I clean it, how to?

Whenever you remove the heatsink you ALWAYS want to re apply thermal paste. If you take the heatsink off then put it back on without replacing the thermal paste it's going to cause air bubbles to form and that will cause heat problems.
You want to wipe the old thermal paste off with non lint material like coffee filters. After most of the gunk is off, moisten a coffee filter with 99% rubbing alcohol and rub until you don't see anymore grey stuff coming off. Do that for both the heatsink and CPU and then reapply the thermal paste.

 

[bags159]

Alright.

Does it have to be 99%? 70% okay?

and is a microfiber cloth lint free yeah?

 

[bags159]

Uh, when I originally put on the thermal paste on the 2500k I went with a big grain of rice ala newegg's recomendations, this is what it looks like a week later when I took it off:

my temps were fine, however. Idled at like 30C and underload it went like 45C, stock cpu speed atm.

Should I do the same or do a bigger grain or what?

 

[rolli59]

That looks good even spread over most of the CPU!