[Andrew0987]

I am looking to replace the craptacular intel heat sink I got in the retail box but
what should I use to clean old thermal paste off of my cpu?

 

[twajetmech]

pure isopropyl alcohol will work fine....you can usually find 91% or 99% isopropyl at walgreens and such or home depot

 

[Andrew0987]

pure isopropyl alcohol will work fine....you can usually find 91% or 99% isopropyl at walgreens and such or home depot

Will 70% do? And what should I put it on? A tissue or some cotton?

 

[twajetmech]

No, it won't that's is 30% water and you don't want water any where near the cpu ! and use some swabs and lint free cloth (old tee shirt, cut up) remember to turn the psu off but leave it plugged in and wear an anti stat strap and remember not to touch the surface with your bare hands once the cpu is cleaned.

 

[Andrew0987]

No, it won't that's is 30% water and you don't want water any where near the cpu ! and use some swabs and lint free cloth (old tee shirt, cut up) remember to turn the psu off but leave it plugged in and wear an anti stat strap and remember not to touch the surface with your bare hands once the cpu is cleaned.

But it is distilled water and distilled water is not conductive So in theory there shouldnt be a problem.

 

[Barry_R]

I use Goof Off applied sparingly to a paper towel to clean my CPU's and Heatsinks. You do not want this stuff to run onto your mobo so do not quirt it on the components, only on the paper towel.

Goof Off is one of the cleaning products recommended by the Arctic Silver 5 application tutorial. Just be carefull with it and it will do a great job.

Please do not use products containing distilled water. Although pure H2O is not conductive it can pick up ions or other impurities while in use and fry your PC.

 

[Andrew0987]

I use Goof Off applied sparingly to a paper towel to clean my CPU's and Heatsinks. You do not want this stuff to run onto your mobo so do not quirt it on the components, only on the paper towel.

Goof Off is one of the cleaning products recommended by the Arctic Silver 5 application tutorial. Just be carefull with it and it will do a great job.

Please do not use products containing distilled water. Although pure H2O is not conductive it can pick up ions or other impurities while in use and fry your PC.

Do you think I could get away without using any cleaning agents and rubbing it with a dry cloth?

 

[Barry_R]

If it will come off clean yes.

 

[Tumbleweed36]

Hi,

Goof-off will do a decent job for you, but frankly if you are near a best buy or some other computer store, the regular Artic Silver thermal paste cleaner called "Arctic Silver ArctiClean Cleaner" does the best job of all the mentioned methods. I think I paid around seven bucks for mine. And, don't ever use cotton swabs or fingers to clean off or spread any of the products mentioned .