Cleaning my processor to apply new heatsink. Help please.

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Pseudonyms

New Member
I recently bought a new heatsink and thermal paste for my processor and I understand how to install the heatsink and how to apply the thermal paste and everything.

I have a question on the removal of the existing thermal paste from the processor itself.
I have heard an effective way of doing it is cleaning it using coffee filters and the cleaner "goo gone" because they leave no small fibers on the surface, and it cleans all the grease right off. Then you dry that, and then use a coffee cleaner with 70-90% isopropyl alcohol to make sure it's clean and dry that off.

I have another solvent that is acetone based, and as i understand goo gone is oil based.

Would this product work in the same fashion as the goo gone, or should I attempt a different method? I don't know enough about this, and I'd love some help.

Thanks in advance. I'm willing to take suggestions on other methods to clean it too
 
Honestly you are looking into it too deep, I just use an old t-shirt to wipe the old thermal compound off, and use Q-tips to cleanup anything that I missed. I wouldn't use chemicals as they may drip down to the pins and cause issues.
 
MacBook said:
Honestly you are looking into it too deep, I just use an old t-shirt to wipe the old thermal compound off, and use Q-tips to cleanup anything that I missed. I wouldn't use chemicals as they may drip down to the pins and cause issues.
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That isnt thorough enough, the old stuff will stay deposited in the heatsink and hinder thermal resistance.

I recommend 91% isopropyl alcohol along with coffee filters, works just fine.
 
step one: Lint free cloth preferably, but paper towel will do. Wipe off the worst of the thermal paste. Keep going in small circles until the cloth/towel stops coming out grey

step two: With rubbing alcohol (isopropyl), preferably 90%+, put some on the end of a q tip (cotton wool on a stick) and rub the surface carefully

step 3: wipe with a clean lint free cloth/paper towel

done :)

You use anything other than rubbing alcohol and you will leave behind a residue that will probably be worse than using nothing at all but wiping off. The reason you use 90%+ rubbing alcohol is because it gets rid of the thermal paste and evaporates pretty much instantly
 
bomberboysk said:
That isnt thorough enough, the old stuff will stay deposited in the heatsink and hinder thermal resistance.

I recommend 91% isopropyl alcohol along with coffee filters, works just fine.
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I've gotten the heatsink and CPU heatspreader to shine like new after using a simply t-shirt. Besides, it's not like there will be enough of the old thermal paste left to noticeably hinder heat transfer.
 
Pseudonyms said:
So is it literally as easy as alcohol and a coffee filter, because that cuts a step out of my plan.
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yep

MacBook said:
I've gotten the heatsink and CPU heatspreader to shine like new after using a simply t-shirt. Besides, it's not like there will be enough of the old thermal paste left to noticeably hinder heat transfer.
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Not every time, no, but you do this every time and won't notice your chip is maybe 5 or 6 degrees hotter after maybe 7 or 8 reaplications of thermal paste. You can't see the gaps either, but they are there. It is worth doing every few months, giving a proper clean I mean, the temps will plummet after you do it
 
MacBook said:
I've gotten the heatsink and CPU heatspreader to shine like new after using a simply t-shirt. Besides, it's not like there will be enough of the old thermal paste left to noticeably hinder heat transfer.
Click to expand...

Shin isnt what matters, unless your eyes happen to be a scanning electron microscope its very hard to see the microscopic valleys and ridges in a thermal contact area. Pure friction will not remove the thermal interface material, you need a solvent(such as isopropyl alcohol), and even then you wont be able to remove all of it(however, using something like arcti-clean is the closest you can get to an unadulterated surface).
 
bomberboysk said:
Shin isnt what matters, unless your eyes happen to be a scanning electron microscope its very hard to see the microscopic valleys and ridges in a thermal contact area. Pure friction will not remove the thermal interface material, you need a solvent(such as isopropyl alcohol), and even then you wont be able to remove all of it(however, using something like arcti-clean is the closest you can get to an unadulterated surface).
Click to expand...
The existing thermal compound is not going to do any harm, as it will still transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink.
 
The existing thermal compound is not going to do any harm, as it will still transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink

true. . . so long as it hasn't gotten dust dirt or too much oxygen exposure causing degradation and possible oxidation, depending on the quality of materials. If you were the last to put the paste on (before this initial pasting)

If its an oem install or second hand, I always trust two people; one is me, the other isn't the other guy who installed the processor in the first place.
take the 20 seconds and $2 for isopropyl alcohol, then you will know that part of your computer is done well.

cheers.
 
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