You might have heard that people just use regular old paper towels, but we highly recommend against that because paper towels or tissues can leave behind residue. Before we move on, there’s one last thing we want to mention. Why You Need to Remove Thermal Paste. Use a spudger or dry cloth or the paper towel to remove the old paste. Make sure you just place enough amount to prevent any spillage from damaging the motherboard. Removing thermal paste isn’t exactly the most difficult thing in the world. Don't force it down either. (We are not liable for any damage.). Removing Thermal Compound – The BEST Way? There really is no right and wrong way of how to clean thermal paste, or a product developed as thermal paste remover because you can use household products to remove old paste or compounds from the CPU. When choosing thermal paste, be careful with brands that are metal-based since they could damage hardware like your motherboard. It isn’t … hrmm.. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Use a non static cloth. Some even dab a thick x-mark or happy face right in the middle of the CPU. First, you could go into your BIO and check CPU fan speed. (Apart from that there really isn’t a foolproof way to remove thermal paste without alcohol.). Depending on what kind of heatsink you have, flip the latch or release the retention clips that keep the heatsink attached to the CPU. Using something like Q-tips or tissues can leave behind small hairs or fibers. But thermal paste can dry out over the years, and that can lead to the processor overheating. Once the surface looks shiny and brand new, our job here is done. The process actually has several steps and requires extra care. Removing the Old Paste: Refer to your user manual for access. Hey there! att.value = "ca-pub-5983354619830769"; There's an option to double-check CPU temperature with temp tools (even Windows has one built in), or monitor clock speeds with a program like CPU-Z. If this is the case, it wouldn't matter if you used a top rated thermal paste in the past. Then clean it up with some 99% alcohol to help dry it off. Don't slide the CPU as this could damage the pins. First of all, remove the heatsink and then use the brush to clean the dust present in the vents. Don't forget to re-attach the cables and anything else you removed when you initially pulled out the CPU and heatsink. Again, it’s not obligatory but these bracelets are cheap, so better be safe than sorry. We already covered how to apply thermal paste in detail. Before diving head on learning how to remove thermal paste from CPU, you should first check the heatsink fan. The CPU cooler you have installed on top of the processor vents out the heat and keeps it cool. If you are a first time builder, applying thermal paste might look easy at first glance. You can skip that part if you’ll be installing a new heatsink. There is also the option of buying the Arctic Silver 5 kit. I don't have any isopropyl alcohol laying around in the house. But I do have a bottle of Everclear which is labeled as being 190 Proof, with 95% Alcohol. I did pull the leaver to clean but I didn't remove processor. (Isopropyl alcohol does a really good job at quickly cleaning away thermal paste.) You can use thin Q-tips to carefully clean the affected area. document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) { Let’s find out the quickest and cleanest way to remove the thermal paste from the CPU. Repeat if that didn't loosen the connection between your CPU's lid and its heatsink. But how to clean thermal paste off CPU. Make sure its clean before reapplying thermal grease for the new install. Listen to the fan of your computer. But if the computer detects a damaged CPU, it will not POST as expected. Wet coffee filters or lint-free cloths with the alcohol or a thermal paste remover and then use it to moisturize the old paste so that it can be easily removed. Make sure to use CPU temp tools to double-check. Arctic Silver’s ArctiClean is the best solution out there, as it’s purpose made to clean off the thermal paste. You don't need to be a computer repair technician to know that something is wrong with your CPU if you're trying to turn it on, but it keeps on shutting off right away without warning. Do you need any software when removing thermal paste? But don’t touch the areas which aren’t affected. There are different ways to apply new thermal paste to the processor. ), After that, apply a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to the microfiber cloth, and gently clean off the surface of the CPU. - MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 Determine if the latch needs to be twisted or moved slightly outward. }, 3000); //time in ms = 3 seconds You need to use alcohol as a solvent to remove the old, dried thermal paste. Also Goo-Gone works well, which is basically what Arctic Silver Thermal Paste Remover is made of, citrus extract. But what if you don’t have access to it and want to know how to remove thermal paste without alcohol? If you boot up the computer, hear the fan spin, but then turns off quickly, this means your CPU is detecting a cooling or overheating problem. How do you clean thermal paste off a CPU without alcohol? Don't apply pressure or force when placing the CPU back in place. Usually, the computer tries to go directly to POST (Power-on Self-test). Using alcohol, arctic-clean will help dissolve/loosen any thermal grease on the IHS. Additional Details. Try turning on your computer. As for the liquid that you’ll use to clean the thermal paste, it’s recommended using 99% isopropyl alcohol as it evaporates swiftly and doesn’t leave behind any sort of residue. I use cotton tips to clean the processor whenever I do a heatsink reinstall. Every CPU cooler has it pre-applied. But if you’re a beginner PC builder who doesn’t fully understand that process, we’ve got you covered. It isn’t as easy as stripping off a sticker stamped outside your CPU case. From the eye, it may look clean but it's not. Start of suggested clip. You might need to go a second run for both the CPU and heatsink. Get your microfiber cloth or paper towel. After that, apply a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to the microfiber cloth, and gently clean off the surface of the CPU. Scotch tape seems to work well after removing the majority of the stuff using cotton swabs. Pull the heatsink slowly upward, but make sure not to pull the CPU with it. He is also obsessed with DOTA 2 and Rainbow Six Siege. setTimeout(function() { Check out the CPU, spotting areas with the most thermal paste. Just using a papertowel won't remove the the microscopic pieces of thermal grease that have baked in. Use a credit card or similar plastic piece to scrape off the majority of the pad. This also allows you to easily find and access your comments/replies on PCGH by clicking the gear icon that'll appear right above the comment box AFTER making your first comment. it would be even better actually buying a cleaner like AbstruseB suggested. var att = document.createAttribute("data-ad-client"); Wipe away most of the thermal paste that you can and then use 99% Pure IPA to clean away any residue. This will boot normally if you changed processors but kept your old motherboard. var tag = document.createElement("script"); I did clean off the thermal paste on my cpu and heatsink with no alcohol but just a clean cloth, re-apply new thermal....and it still works. tag.setAttributeNode(att); basically you want a clean and oil free surface so your new heatsink will have maximum surface area to transfer heat. My heatsink was very Dusty. To do this, you will want to first give your CPU time to dry. Khan is the founder of cliffyB and an obsessed gamer! 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