Thermal paste removal
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as long its pure, acetone will do ok. Avoid nailpolishers due they have some oils, parfumes etc which are not good for your heatsink's thermal properties.
Edit: to make sure you get best result whipe the chip two times and make sure the acetone / ispropyl alcohol or what ever has come off the surface, so surface is dry before applying paste. With alcohol it takes 3 to 10 seconds to alcohol dry off the surface. Depending on amount etc applied.
Edit: to make sure you get best result whipe the chip two times and make sure the acetone / ispropyl alcohol or what ever has come off the surface, so surface is dry before applying paste. With alcohol it takes 3 to 10 seconds to alcohol dry off the surface. Depending on amount etc applied.
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I've been using an isobutanol cleaning spray(Kontakt WL). It's very good for cleaning paste, but not so good when it comes to removing thermal stickers or glue. It's originally intended for removing sulfuric or oxidized residue. I usually work with a sharp knife, a lint-free cloth and the isobutanol spray. It vapourizes almost instantly.
Is isopropyl alcohol good for removing thermal stickers and pads?
Edit 1: Don't see why a fingernail wouldn't work, main thing is to get all residual paste or pad material and dirt off the chip. A nail's probably less risk-prone than my knife method anyway.
Is isopropyl alcohol good for removing thermal stickers and pads?
Edit 1: Don't see why a fingernail wouldn't work, main thing is to get all residual paste or pad material and dirt off the chip. A nail's probably less risk-prone than my knife method anyway.
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Seems to have worked ok. The stuff was like dried clay. The South Bridge had more like a mat or pad under it.
Really only looks like it has tiny bits of dust on it now. I wiped it with a lint free cloth.
There are a couple marks that won't go away just to the right of the "LE" and on the left too, but I don't think they will matter.
Really only looks like it has tiny bits of dust on it now. I wiped it with a lint free cloth.
There are a couple marks that won't go away just to the right of the "LE" and on the left too, but I don't think they will matter.
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I use a voided credit card, nice smooth edge and good grip. I work from corner to corner diagonally(X-style wipes), using lines rather than drops. An even spread is more important than smoothness, the heatsink will flatten it out. The paste will take care of the scratches and dents. I use a layer just thick enough to cover the markings on a chip.
A southbridge gets less hot than a northbridge, so it can make do with a pad. The northbridge usually features a phase sticker(melts and solidifies by temperature) that resembles dried clay when it's at room temperatures.
Hope all goes well!
A southbridge gets less hot than a northbridge, so it can make do with a pad. The northbridge usually features a phase sticker(melts and solidifies by temperature) that resembles dried clay when it's at room temperatures.
Hope all goes well!
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OK thats what I will do. I am just trying to see if the Zalman NB47J will be in the way of the ultra 120 extreme that I have coming. I could wait until it arrives and check. If the NB47J is in the way I will just cut some fins, but want to do that away from the MB, before I install it. But I want to install it now!
Just searching for the height from the CPU of the 120 extreme.
South bridge will be fine, have to rotate it a bit to clear the spot where a 2nd vid card would go but thats ok.
Just searching for the height from the CPU of the 120 extreme.
South bridge will be fine, have to rotate it a bit to clear the spot where a 2nd vid card would go but thats ok.
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@ stevenkelby:
lol, you don't need to cut any fins to make that Zalman NB sink to fit. You just can easily bend the small wings so Thermy's cooler will fit. Trust me, its way easier just to bend them.
@Das_Saunamies:
Isporopyl will not work that well against thermal stickers and similar that harden a lot. I Finad ArctiClean much better suited for that. I usually scrap thermal pads off with isopropyl soaked cotton stick, if I don't have ArctiClean. It will take time though with just isopropyl alcohol.
lol, you don't need to cut any fins to make that Zalman NB sink to fit. You just can easily bend the small wings so Thermy's cooler will fit. Trust me, its way easier just to bend them.
@Das_Saunamies:
Isporopyl will not work that well against thermal stickers and similar that harden a lot. I Finad ArctiClean much better suited for that. I usually scrap thermal pads off with isopropyl soaked cotton stick, if I don't have ArctiClean. It will take time though with just isopropyl alcohol.
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Ha Ha, thats so obvious now you mention it! I accidentally bent a fin or 2 the other day and bent it back but never thought to do it on purpose!thejamppa wrote:@ stevenkelby:
lol, you don't need to cut any fins to make that Zalman NB sink to fit. You just can easily bend the small wings so Thermy's cooler will fit. Trust me, its way easier just to bend them.
Thanks,
I will install them now.
I really don't like to use acetone on electronic components as it will dissolve an polycarbonate or epoxy coatings applied to the area if you spill it.
IPA (isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol) work well for these types of removals particularly if it's a typical nonpolar adhesive. If it were polar, then methanol would work just fine.
Make sure you get 91% or greater IPA and nothing added to it (some have perfume added to it).
IPA (isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol) work well for these types of removals particularly if it's a typical nonpolar adhesive. If it were polar, then methanol would work just fine.
Make sure you get 91% or greater IPA and nothing added to it (some have perfume added to it).
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If I have recently bought opteron 180 and got it up and running. Now I consider better heatsink for it.
I successfully (with mild violence) got rid of the plastic and fan of the boxed cooler and attached a low noise fan instead.
Now - back to the topic - can I just put new heatsink on top of cpu because the (the boxed) paste is quite new? Been only about for a week now. That would save me the pain and hassle of removing the old paste.
And would you recommend Scythe Ninja Plus SCNJ-1100P rev. B for low noise cooling? Mobo is asus a8n-sli deluxe.
I successfully (with mild violence) got rid of the plastic and fan of the boxed cooler and attached a low noise fan instead.
Now - back to the topic - can I just put new heatsink on top of cpu because the (the boxed) paste is quite new? Been only about for a week now. That would save me the pain and hassle of removing the old paste.
And would you recommend Scythe Ninja Plus SCNJ-1100P rev. B for low noise cooling? Mobo is asus a8n-sli deluxe.
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You can reuse thermal paste if there's enough of it left, but stickers and such you'd best remove. Usually there's too little paste left for proper contact and the stuff will be lower grade than Arctic products.
Recommend always removing previous contact materials, cleaning both chip and cooler base and installing with fresh paste.
Recommend always removing previous contact materials, cleaning both chip and cooler base and installing with fresh paste.
I concur regarding the isopropyl alcohol. a 99% pure bottle is still pretty cheap when you can find it and it cleans anything off well.jhhoffma wrote:I really don't like to use acetone on electronic components as it will dissolve an polycarbonate or epoxy coatings applied to the area if you spill it.
IPA (isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol) work well for these types of removals particularly if it's a typical nonpolar adhesive. If it were polar, then methanol would work just fine.
Make sure you get 91% or greater IPA and nothing added to it (some have perfume added to it).
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for my CPU and North Bridge, i cleaned both of them with isopropyl alcohol (the 50% kind, not the 70%), and q-tips (a lot of them, lol!) making sure it was clean.
then i used the Zalman ZM-STG1 Thermal Grease, it's cool cos it's not thick and you can spread it evenly with the included brush in the cap of the bottle.
then i used the Zalman ZM-STG1 Thermal Grease, it's cool cos it's not thick and you can spread it evenly with the included brush in the cap of the bottle.
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I used the acetone and it worked great, I was very careful and used q-tips then a lint free cloth. Seemed to work great but who knows if there is something left behind.
I bought some 99.5% Isopropyl alcohol today from a chemist, $5 for 100ml. I think that my NB Zalman NB47J heatsink will be in the way of the ultra 120 extreme thouigh, when I get it. I also put a thin layer of arctic 5 on the sink and on the chip. I think I was only supposed to put it on the chip.
So I just ordered some Arcticlean thanks to you guys, will re-do the NB as I will have to remove it anyway to bend a few fins down.
When the ultra 120 extreme arrives Monday I will lap it, thanks to the guides linked somewhere here, and use the arcticlean there too, even though it and the CPU are new. I won't clean the CPU of course, it's still wrapped up.
I bought some 99.5% Isopropyl alcohol today from a chemist, $5 for 100ml. I think that my NB Zalman NB47J heatsink will be in the way of the ultra 120 extreme thouigh, when I get it. I also put a thin layer of arctic 5 on the sink and on the chip. I think I was only supposed to put it on the chip.
So I just ordered some Arcticlean thanks to you guys, will re-do the NB as I will have to remove it anyway to bend a few fins down.
When the ultra 120 extreme arrives Monday I will lap it, thanks to the guides linked somewhere here, and use the arcticlean there too, even though it and the CPU are new. I won't clean the CPU of course, it's still wrapped up.
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"Eipä mitiä", rigid plastic cards are the best. The newer the better, as the edges will be sharper. Swapping chipset heatsinks is almost mandatory now, the quality of the factory heatsinks and their installation is just appaling. The chips can take a good deal of thermal abuse though, although I'm not sure if that bodes well for component life.
You should only apply the paste on one surface, preferrably the chip: this ensures you can observe the quantity better and it won't spill or drip onto non-contact surfaces.
I recommend cleaning chips and heatsinks regardless of packing status. It's not like they're oiled, but there is occasional residue here and there. It's not a big task and guarantees peace of mind.
You should only apply the paste on one surface, preferrably the chip: this ensures you can observe the quantity better and it won't spill or drip onto non-contact surfaces.
I recommend cleaning chips and heatsinks regardless of packing status. It's not like they're oiled, but there is occasional residue here and there. It's not a big task and guarantees peace of mind.
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OK I will clean the proccessor too Thanks for the advice.
How do you get the right thickness of paste? Can you just smear some on, then scrape it off with a new card? I plan to get the Heatsink base smooth like glass with ever finer wet and dry on a piece of glass. Is it a good idea to polish the heatsink base with autosol to a mirror?
How do you get the right thickness of paste? Can you just smear some on, then scrape it off with a new card? I plan to get the Heatsink base smooth like glass with ever finer wet and dry on a piece of glass. Is it a good idea to polish the heatsink base with autosol to a mirror?
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I've used various solvents for a long time.....and I can say this. Alcohol-type solvents don't work on a long list of stuff that needs to be cleaned. You end up just using the friction of the wipe-rag, not the alcohol. I've settled on a product called "ACRA-SOLV". It's an automotive product used for various cleaning jobs. It can be used to remove glue, tar, grease, practically anything sticky including every thermal compound I've seen.
It is safe on paint, fabric, you name it. Alcohol should be used in drinks.....not in your computer.
It is safe on paint, fabric, you name it. Alcohol should be used in drinks.....not in your computer.
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I mis-spelled it....it's ACRY-SOLV. And of course it's toxic if inhaled, or drank. But it works.....gets surfaces clean enough for paint to stick. The one quart size will last you forever.
Ingredients...bad stuff.
Naphtha
Xylene
Ethyl Benzene
Toluene
The main thing here.....you only need a small amount, with little pressure, and with little/no worry about harming other components you might touch. And when you're done cleaning heatsinks/CPUs......take some out to your car and clean the spots on your seat-covers. It works.
Ingredients...bad stuff.
Naphtha
Xylene
Ethyl Benzene
Toluene
The main thing here.....you only need a small amount, with little pressure, and with little/no worry about harming other components you might touch. And when you're done cleaning heatsinks/CPUs......take some out to your car and clean the spots on your seat-covers. It works.