Thermal paste, ah explosion...?

paperfist

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Nov 30, 2000
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So friends kid upgrades CPU/HSF. Doesn't ask for help till after it won't POST.

I never seen anything like this. There's enough thermal paste on the processor to do 4 more jobs. The stuff doesn't even look like it was compressed with the heat sink.

Anyway he's got the stuff everywhere, on the MB, all parts of the processor, even the socket handle.

I'm pretty sure he toasted something...everything?

Just for humor are there any advance methods to clean it off besides 90% isopropyl alcohol and q-tips/lint free cloths?

EDIT: Even got it on the GPU! Worse, pins on Ryzen CPU. How the F do you clean that?
 
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pcgeek11

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Jun 12, 2005
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Give the kid some 90% isopropyl alcohol and q-tips/lint free cloths and let him clean it. That is what I would do, maybe he will actually learn something in the process.
 
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paperfist

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Alcohol and a toothbrush.

Awesome idea, why didn't I think of that! :)

Give the kid some 90% isopropyl alcohol and q-tips/lint free cloths and let him clean it. That is what I would do, maybe he will actually learn something in the process.

Another awesome idea that I didn't think about! :) I started cleaning it last night though. I figure the lesson learned will be a dead CPU/MB/GPU and the $1000 to replace it.


Yeah I got 'em :) mainly for my own protection, but I planned to upload them later as soon as I find a place to host them.

His mom which I thought was kidding said he looked like he was doing a drywall job and was covered head to toe in stuff. It didn't click till I got the PC to work on. It's even on the PSU housing lol

The CPU fan bracket isn't even attached and I'm afraid to ask him why...
 
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paperfist

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Hopefully the paste is non-conductive?

I'm not really sure, it looks like he bought a retail box Ryzen and HSF, but getting answers is like pulling teeth.

The CPU fan spins up on everything, but no video. The PSU is making a clicking sound. I have to do some research I'm not familiar with these AMD boards. There's an EZ Debug on the MB and a white LED that's going nuts on the CPU indicator.

It's an AMD B350M Bazooka MB

Here's the pics of the goopy mess:

https://www.amazon.com/photos/groups/share/yaIspj1mSaiT4FP2NAyImQ.ix6Q50_G3qsTBn5Swbd0Ku
 

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
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Are you sure it's thermal paste and not toothpaste or something else? Looks really runny.

It looks like the no-name paste I used to buy in little individual plastic bags back in the late 90's/early 2000's until I switched over to Artic Silver. It used to be really runny, and it looked exactly like that. It looks like they used the whole plastic bag (almost like a ketchup packet).
 

dlerious

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Mar 4, 2004
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It looks like the no-name paste I used to buy in little individual plastic bags back in the late 90's/early 2000's until I switched over to Artic Silver. It used to be really runny, and it looked exactly like that. It looks like they used the whole plastic bag (almost like a ketchup packet).
My other thought was he added water to some dried up paste.
 

UsandThem

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May 4, 2000
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My other thought was he added water to some dried up paste.

He could have, but I swear that generic paste I used was horrible. I used to get them from Newegg for like $1. I'll have to look and see if they still sell it.

It was very thin and runny. It was like night and day difference going to Artic Silver, which was much more a paste than that runny white stuff made in only God knows where in some Chinese back-alley. ;)
 

paperfist

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Are you sure it's thermal paste and not toothpaste or something else? Looks really runny.

lol

It is sticky like honey and wasn't runny at all. I scraped it all off and then cleaned the rest with the alcohol. I don't know what he used, I always use Arctic Silver which I don't recall being so sticky and it's a darker more consistent color.

It was actually fairly hard to remove for something that didn't bake long.
 

paperfist

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Just curious, but how young a young man are we talking about ?

Not that young I guess, 23ish. Never had a PC before, always a console. So it's all new to him.

I guess the thermal paste was conductive after all. The old processor is in and working, I'm really surprised that's the only thing that got hosed.
 

EXCellR8

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Sep 1, 2010
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Well, you gotta learn one way or another... my first CPU's were Athlon XP's so I never got to mess it up since there was no lid on those.

The CPU should be salvageable but it does look kinda runny. I like to use a credit card to get the excess off of the top and then around the edges. Dunno how you'd go about cleaning pins though without solvent like stated above.
 
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paperfist

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jeez, is he aware theres this website now that shows you how to do everything called 'youtube'?

Yeah I don't get it either. I've been building for as long as he's been alive so he could have asked me. I know he's always on youtube so don't know why he didn't check that. I guess it's one of those I'd rather do it the hard way scenarios and learn myself.

That's not coming off without damage! Unless you put it in a solvent bath.

I didn't feel comfortable soaking it so I used a semi-stiff paint brush to scrub it off a bit with 90% rubbing alcohol. He was running it with the paste touching the sides and pins so I was pretty sure it was dead anyway.