what's a good way to remove thermal grease from a CPU?

[kyzen]

I just got a new HSF for my CPU, and with prime95, at stock speeds, my C2D 6300 is topping 62c and erroring out on Prime95.

My only guess is that because I've had 4 different HSFs on this thing over the past 8 2 months, the grease that I was lightly removing is actually layering on itself, and causing heat to be poorly transferred between the two, so I need a good way to really clean it all off.

Though I'm open to toher suggestions for why this is happening

 

[Ika]

High purity rubbing alcohol (preferably 90%+; 99% is best for alcohol) or acetone, if you can get your hands on some. As an alternative, you can buy something like ArctiClean, though I really don't know how it works (my guess is that it's similar to acetone).

 

[kyzen]

what should I rub it with? tissue paper? a rag?

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: Aflac
High purity rubbing alcohol (preferably 90%+; 99% is best for alcohol) or acetone, if you can get your hands on some. As an alternative, you can buy something like ArctiClean, though I really don't know how it works (my guess is that it's similar to acetone).

Isn't acetone used in nail polish remover? If it is, I'd be a little careful about using that. I remember spilling a bottle of nail polish remover and then learning about the ability of the stuff to melt through plastic.

 

[tw1164]

Originally posted by: kyzen
what should I rub it with? tissue paper? a rag?

I've used paper towels/cotton rounds and Q-Tips before.

 

[joejccva]

Originally posted by: kyzen
what should I rub it with? tissue paper? a rag?

Got any coffee filters? They work great! Anything that is completely lint free.

 

[coldpower27]

Originally posted by: Aflac
High purity rubbing alcohol (preferably 90%+; 99% is best for alcohol) or acetone, if you can get your hands on some. As an alternative, you can buy something like ArctiClean, though I really don't know how it works (my guess is that it's similar to acetone).

I second rubbing alcohol, exactly what I used to clean my HSF of thermal paste before I reapplied some for my new processor.

 

[Brunnis]

Regular cellulose thinner is extremely effective for removing thermal paste.

 

[darkfalz]

Isoprop alcohol - best stuff ever

 

[John]

Goof Off is my preferred cleaner. It contains Xylene and will make you goofy if you sniff it for too long.

 

[CurseTheSky]

If there's TONS of paste, I scrape the first bit off with a credit card. Then I use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol with a paper towel, rubbing in all directions until the surface looks perfectly clean. Finally, I finish up with ArctiClean (both fluids). I let them sit, one at a time, for about a minute, then clean it off with a paper towel.

You'd be surprised how much more comes out with the ArctiClean steps - the paper towel is often black after cleaning off the first fluid. I'd imagine you could get similar results with other cleaners. Alcohol works great, but it doesn't seem to get EVERYTHING; that may not be a huge deal if you're reusing the same kind of paste. However, if you're switching pastes (AS5 to MX-2 for example), you might want to give it a shot.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: CurseTheSky
You'd be surprised how much more comes out with the ArctiClean steps - the paper towel is often black after cleaning off the first fluid. I'd imagine you could get similar results with other cleaners. Alcohol works great, but it doesn't seem to get EVERYTHING; that may not be a huge deal if you're reusing the same kind of paste. However, if you're switching pastes (AS5 to MX-2 for example), you might want to give it a shot.

Which is precisely why I use Goof Off. A 16 oz container is roughly $5 @ Lowe's or Wal-Mart and it will last a long time. Since it evaporates and doesn't leave any residue it isn't necessary to use alcohol afterwards.

 

[Regs]

I use a cotton ball or 6-10 q-tips with nail polish remover. If that's really your problem.