I accidentally wasted my thermal pad, should I clean it off or reapply thermal paste over it?

[mitchafi]

See topic, I won't be able to get the paste till tomorrow so I guess I'll have to wait.

 

[axemanxt40]

You should clean it off with some high purity Isopropyl Alcohol which you can find at your local drug store. Also acetone will work, but DO NOT use nail polish remover as there are other chemicals in nail polish remover which you don't want on your heatsink/processor. Then once you give the heatsink/processor a minute or 2 to let the little amount of alcohol used dry...you should reapply some form of thermal compound.

 

[fredtam]

Clean it off. Make sure you get it clean. Use alcohol and try to make sure there is no haze left on the heatsink. You may want to try to scrape the mojority od it off with a razor blade before you start cleaning or it will just smear and take forever. Don't scratch up the heatsink.

 

[axemanxt40]

I think if you have a old credit card that you haven't shredded yet or something that has a sturdy plastic edge...that would be better than a razor. This way you reduce your chances of scratching your heatsink up.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: axemanxt40
I think if you have a old credit card that you haven't shredded yet or something that has a sturdy plastic edge...that would be better than a razor. This way you reduce your chances of scratching your heatsink up.

Yeah I'm just used to the razor blade. I always remove the pad and use AS3 on systems I build for people.

 

[Zepper]

Yeah, pads are one-time deals. As others have said, scrape most off with a plastic tool (the knife they give you with a breakfast at Mickey D's works great) and clean the rest off with naphtha (lighter fluid) or acetone (some generic nail polish remover, e.g. Target's house brand, is 100% acetone). Follow with an alcohol rinse. It's now ready for AS, ets.
.bh.

 

[mitchafi]

can this cause any damage if done incorrectly? And can it cause problems If I just leave it on completely? (just curious). I'm kinda nervous about all this hehe...first build.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: mitchafi
can this cause any damage if done incorrectly? And can it cause problems If I just leave it on completely? (just curious). I'm kinda nervous about all this hehe...first build.

Do not leave it on. You will have litle pockets that trap heat. It is foolproof. Scrape the pad off. Clean with acetone or alcahol and a lint free cloth until you get the shine back. If you used acetone finish up with alcohol. Now put some new paste on. I suggest AS3. Use a credit card to apply a thin layer to the cpu. About the thickness of a piece of paper. Not to thick. Now take the heatsink and with your finger in a plastic bag rub some on the contact surface. All you should end up with is a haze. Similar to waxing your car. Now put the heatsink in place and your ready to go.

Edit: Here is an Artic Silver guide with pics in case I missed anything.

 

[mitchafi]

don't mean to keep bothering you, but what is AS3? A type of alcohol?

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: mitchafi
don't mean to keep bothering you, but what is AS3? A type of alcohol?

Your not bothering me. AS3 is thermal paste. I suggest AS3 or AS5.
See my edited post for a guide.

 

[mitchafi]

It seems like using anything except the thermal pastes that AMD reccomends voids the warranty, and unfortunately I don't see Arctic Silver on the list. Is there a next best? The options are Ajigo, AVC, coolermaster, foxconn, molex, and thermaltake.

 

[charloscarlies]

If you're worried about voiding the warranty...try Artic Silver Ceramique. It isn't conductive like AS3/5 so it shouldn't void your warranty.

 

[mitchafi]

How can they tell what thermal paste you used anyhow? Just thought about that..

 

[Viper96720]

If they don't see a pad or residue from one. They can assume you used something else.

 

[mitchafi]

Well you are allowed to use certain brands of thermal paste without voiding the warranty instead of using the pad included in the retail package. So how would they know whether I used Arctic Silver or one of their allowed brands? I don't want to order it online because I don't want to wait, but the only place that has thermal paste of any type near me is compusa, and the brand they have would void the warranty technically.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: mitchafi
Well you are allowed to use certain brands of thermal paste without voiding the warranty instead of using the pad included in the retail package. So how would they know whether I used Arctic Silver or one of their allowed brands? I don't want to order it online because I don't want to wait, but the only place that has thermal paste of any type near me is compusa, and the brand they have would void the warranty technically.

You are right. It will not void your warranty. I have had an Intel CSR tell me that. If you look deeply on Intel's site you will also find recommended aftermarket cooling solutions like coolermaster and others. Are you supposed to call Intel and get a thermal pad? Your warranty is only voided if you screw up the cpu by doing things like overvolting it, breaking pins, or removing the heat cap.

At CompUsa you will find a thermal paste called PC toys. It is in fact Artic Silver.

Some of you really need tin foil hats. They don't have time to check the thermal paste residue for capacitance.

Edit: Also as per specs on AS 3-5:

Not electrically conductive.
Arctic Silver 3 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity. It is only electrically conductive in a thin layer under extreme compression.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 3 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

Again you can find AS at CompUsa as PCToys Thermal grease.
Arctic Silver 3 is also available nationwide as PcToys Silver Thermal Compound

 

[mitchafi]

Is it a bad idea to use generic/no-name brands? The only brand they have in-stock at my local CompUSA is FMI.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: mitchafi
Is it a bad idea to use generic/no-name brands? The only brand they have in-stock at my local CompUSA is FMI.

Yes. Bad idea. if you base it on the silver content. However the FMI paste is probably no less effective than the stock thermal pad. I don't see a problem using it but I would watch the temps and if they were higher than they should be or you plan to OC go ahead and order some AS.

Did you look at CompUsa or did you call. I would think they would have AS and PCToys. They have it here (Atlanta) but maybe they stock different things. I would look around before I bought their (FMI) thermal paste.

 

[mitchafi]

I looked up my specific store online and it says it's out of stock....every store that came up when I typed in my area code was out of stock...and that's like 5 or 6. Perhaps i'll call.

 

[fredtam]

Where are you at?

 

[mitchafi]

boca raton, fl 33498. I've been looking in the yellowpages for small computer shops that may carry AS but no luck yet.

 

[Viper96720]

Just use what you can get. I doubt you'll tell a difference between AS3 or normal heatsink grease. Since you were going to use the pad anyways. I doubt a couple degrees more or less will matter to you.

 

[BullsOnParade]

1) Use Acetone, alcohol and lighter fluid really didn't do much to my radeon thermal pad.
2) Thermal grease's influence on temps is minimal, you can probably make do with Radioshack goo


Does anyone know if you even need to use paste/goo/pads at all?

 

[peter7921]

Use any Heatsink compound you can get at a local store, they will be fine for your purposes.


Here is step by step instructions on how to apply heatsink compound (with pictures!) from Artic Silver.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

 

[peter7921]

Originally posted by: BullsOnParade
1) Use Acetone, alcohol and lighter fluid really didn't do much to my radeon thermal pad.
2) Thermal grease's influence on temps is minimal, you can probably make do with Radioshack goo


Does anyone know if you even need to use paste/goo/pads at all?

You must use some kind of thermal paste/pad whatever. If you don't you could damage your CPU.