Solved Rather messy thermal paste issue =/

[Tomha]

So upon getting my brand new CPU cooler with many other computer goodies this Christmas morning, it was not long before I hurried off to install my new Cooler master Hyper 212 Plus (not flash by any means, but decent). A complete novice to CPU coolers, I was cautious about installation, aware of what was potentially at stake here, and held off. After some encouragement from a family member I decided to go ahead, but my lack of knowledge proved problematic. You know how about a pea sized dollop of thermal paste is good? Well...lets say I may have put something a little closer to 4 peas (hurr), and there was a lot of excess, which has kind of spurted out covering most of the CPU, with a some on the PCB part (as opposed to the slightly smaller metal square), with some even managing to get onto the bracket.

Now I'll be honest I don't want to repeat the experience, but if this is going to cause serious irreversible problems, please let me know?

However what I really wanted to ask, was when it comes to deal to this mess, say I change cooler again as my set-up is really designed for something more like a Corsair Hydro Series cooler, as the large vengeance ram obstructs larger coolers (such as the Hyper 212 plus, by about 1cm), but this is a long-term-temporary stand in (temporary, but will be there a while). Anyway...when I come to change coolers, or perhaps earlier than that, a clean up will be required for sure. My main question to all you, what is a good way to do this?

I think removal of the CPU will be an idea, that way I can clean it well, get any of it off the bracket. I used cotton buds (some people call them Q-Tips or something..) and rubbing alcohol (ethanol) to remove the other paste, I would plan on using that again. Could this cause damage to the PCB or any other parts in the socket area? Obviously it wants to be 100% dry before I put power back through it, but I don't plan on drenching it or anything, just a damp cotton bud, dry enough no alcohol should drip off, or even leave much of a residue. Any tips will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Just be careful not to damage any parts.

As for the amount you put on check this out for some guide lines. Like you said, "way too much."

Arctic Silver, Inc. - Instructions

 

[Tomha]

Not damaging parts is kinda obvious Im asking if you guys know of any things one might do that would damage parts that you would like to tell me not to do, or anything that would make it easier to do, or safer.

 

[scrooge]

i'd take the heatsink back off the cpu (carefully) clean all around the cpu so you don't get any paste down under the cpu. then clean the cpu .make sure no paste in on the board and repaste it and reinstall the heatsink.(remember just a small bit of paste).

take your time do it right and you should be ok.

scrooge

 

[essenbe]

I agree with all posted above. Also, you need to use lint free cloth to clean up. Cotton can leave residue. I use coffee filters. They are lint free and and readily available in most households. This is a different cooler, but the same principle applys, maybe it will help.

 

[profdlp]

Be particularly careful with the CPU socket on the motherboard. Touch one of those little hair-thin pins inside and it's had it. The socket cover which came with the motherboard should be used during the cleanup process.

 

[dsperber]

I, too, was terrified the very first time I installed a giant cooler/fan onto a CPU in a machine I was building. As has been recommended, the instructions provided by Arctic Silver's site on how to do it and just what ONE DROP was and how you should align it based on whether you had a single, dual or quad CPU, etc.... it was by my side and never left it.

Anyway, the cooler/fan actually was slightly defective in its bearings, and was making an audible noise when spinning. This turned out to be very irritating as the case sits on my desk near me, and I couldn't stand what turns out to be an audible fan instead of the truly silent one I'd bought and paid for.

So I RMA'd it, and they sent me a new one (which, thankfully, was truly silent). However I now needed to remove the original and clean things up before installing the new one (I was now a "pro" with thermal paste, having accumulated an experience level of ONE!).

I went with Arctic Silver's "ArctiClean" product, rather than just using alcohol. I don't know if it was absolutely necessary, but it sure did an astonishing job. I mean the thermal paste residue on the top surface of the CPU literally dissolved into pretty much water! I just wiped it away with a cotton cloth and it was gone! NO trace left at all! Amazing solvent.

Now granted, I didn't also have to use it on PCB areas or other nearby components. But for removal of "properly applied" thermal paste from a CPU, this stuff is remarkable. I would also have to believe that Arctic Silver has made it so that it is zero-dangerous to surrounding parts nearby the CPU, just in case you do get a little "sloppy" or actually do have to clean the neighboring pieces as well.

Highly recommend if you ever need something like it again in the future.

 

[carwiz]

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

My underline.
This statement bothers me. If the compound can create a capacitive bridge, it IS conductive.
While the MB tracings are normally coated with lacquer, it's best to clean the compound from anywhere it's not supposed to be.

 

[Tomha]

Hmmm...I'm begging to think it may be an idea to redo this.

Be particularly careful with the CPU socket on the motherboard. Touch one of those little hair-thin pins inside and it's had it. The socket cover which came with the motherboard should be used during the cleanup process.

I don't have this any more...is there something I can use instead? I didn't realise it was that sensitive (I have never actually seen under the CPU).

I went with Arctic Silver's "ArctiClean" product, rather than just using alcohol. I don't know if it was absolutely necessary, but it sure did an astonishing job. I mean the thermal paste residue on the top surface of the CPU literally dissolved into pretty much water! I just wiped it away with a cotton cloth and it was gone! NO trace left at all! Amazing solvent.

I did a quick search and can't actually find any of this in New Zealand, I may have to buy overseas which is a big pain in the ass.

I agree with all posted above. Also, you need to use lint free cloth to clean up. Cotton can leave residue. I use coffee filters. They are lint free and and readily available in most households. This is a different cooler, but the same principle applys, maybe it will help.*

Wow...I could really have used this video, I did it sooooo wrong. I think I will be redoing this soon, I will be sure to take a picture so you can all cringe at my catastrophic failure . Like I said, I cant find that cleaner, and I lack the money at the moment to go hunting for fancy remover overseas, I think I will just have to use rubbing alcohol.

I was also thinking, if I was going to redo this, it would be good to get some high quality paste I can use in the future, I have heard many people speak of AS5, any comments?

 

[metalmania31]

Yes you should really clean it all off and redo. Thermal paste can be conductive as mentioned and you could short out and destroy your motherboard/cpu.

 

[profdlp]

Be particularly careful with the CPU socket on the motherboard. Touch one of those little hair-thin pins inside and it's had it. The socket cover which came with the motherboard should be used during the cleanup process.

Hmmm...I'm begging to think it may be an idea to redo this.
I don't have this any more...is there something I can use instead? I didn't realise it was that sensitive (I have never actually seen under the CPU).

I can't think of anything I'd recommend. It's nothing but a flat piece of plastic, but the problem is that it is made to be the exact size to cover the delicate pins underneath. A tiny amount too big and it wouldn't fit; too small and it would crush the pins you are trying to protect.

Got a friend you can borrow one from? I should also mention that I have been assuming that a lot of the excess goo had seeped around the edge of the CPU and onto the socket itself. (We've probably all done this, by the way, so don't feel too bad.) If the socket itself is not particularly cruddy I would just leave the CPU safely where it is and let it perform the job the CPU socket cover would be doing. The rub comes when you've gotten paste underneath it and need to remove the CPU to get at it.

 

[Tomha]

Ah yes, now you mention it I do have a friend who recently built a new computer and should still have a socket 1155 cover from his motherboard, its the same manufacturer too. Tbh, I didn't look at it too closely, I was very stressed, worried and reluctant to look at my messy problem I was creating ha ha, we shall find out soon though.

 

[Tomha]

I opened 'er up to have a look at reversing the fans (I cant actually do anything about re doing the paste untill shops reopen so I can get some new thermal paste), unfortunately the rubber dampeners that help keep noise at a minimum are stuck strongly over the screws, so until I also find something to replace them, due to the fact removing them will wreck them, I cant remove the screws so I cant reverse the fan.

 

[Tomha]

Ok, tripple post . I couldnt be bothered waiting for stores to open for me to get new thermal paste, so I just used what was already on and cleaned around it kind of thing. It had made quite a mess and I can see a tiny smidge of paste up against the pins at the bottom of the cpu, I have no idea what kind of contact it is making. Obviously that would be very hard/risky to clean, so I didnt. This is what it looked like after about 10 minutes careful cleaning:

Sorry for it looking so bad, our good camera is away with other people on holiday, so I had to use my ipod. Just before I put the cooler on I put a tiny bit more paste on in the middle, like the size of...like a 3mm ball, very small. All seems well now, temperatures are nice (no real noticeable temperature change.). Problem solved for now, let me know though if any of you see a problem in anything.

Thanks guys