Alternatives to isopropyl

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ShadowSlayer

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Feb 10, 2013
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Hi all i am getti g the h100i to install on my new rig ax temps are way too high. I obviously need to put new paste on, i have arcitci silver mx2. Now in uk i can not get any type of alcohol, all i have is nail vanish remover and surgical spirit. What is the best cheap alternative ti isopropyl? Should i just use a credit card to scrape it off? Really need some help here please guys as need to get it tomorrow. Also is the tim that comes with the h100i as good as mx2?or is it worth using the mx2? Never done tim manually any builds i did used pre applied paste. Thanks a lot all
 
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coozie7
Like I said, surgical spirit is fine. It leaves NO residue, just let it dry for a minuet or so.
You can clean the stuff off dry, as bmacsys says, just pop the CPU out of its socket and give it a good wipe over, but be careful not to touch the gold contacts or you'll leave grease/oil/skin residue on them.
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Isopropyl isn't drinking alcohol, you get it in the drug store, it is generally labeled as rubbing alcohol, surgical spirit may be the same thing it would say xx% Isopropyl alcohol somewhere on the bottle. Generally you want it to be as high as possible, 70% is the most common as it works best for cleaning wounds but you really want ~95-99% when using it as a solvent.

Nail polish remover might work, but generally people pick alcohol over acetone as it is less aggressive so nail polish remover isn't commonly tested.
 
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Any of the following will work:

laboratory ethanol / denatured alcohol

rubbing alcohol / isopropy alcohol

electronic contact cleaner / tuner cleaner (some of these also lubricate. These particular ones are great for cleaning gold plated circuit connectors but are not ideal for cleaning off thermal paste)

nail polish remover / Acetone (I haven't tested this myself, but it should work given the similarities to ethanol)

lighter fluid (be extremely careful)
 
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I think surgical spirit is much the same as rubbing alcohol, either way I've been using surgical spirit as a cleaner for years, ( UK resident as well ).
Don't use nail varnish remover or other strong solvents, the COULD damage motherboard components.
Remember, Arctic Silver is electrically conductive so clean from outside in to prevent any spilling onto the CPU/MB.
 
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Thanks all. Been to four shops today including 3 chemists/pharmacys sbf all of them lookrd at me like i was an idiot when i asked for it. I have surgical spirit a nd nail polish remover. Will just usibg a card and cotton wool to scrape it be enough? I read somewhere surgical spirit can leave residue? Also note this paste has only been on for about a week so it hasnt had long to dry out. Thanks a lot for the help all!
Sorry for spelling erros, my tablet is blnot essy to type on haha!
 
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Unless the tim is hardened which is extremely doubtful a dry napkin will suffice. There is no need for alcohol.
 
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Like I said, surgical spirit is fine. It leaves NO residue, just let it dry for a minuet or so.
You can clean the stuff off dry, as bmacsys says, just pop the CPU out of its socket and give it a good wipe over, but be careful not to touch the gold contacts or you'll leave grease/oil/skin residue on them.
 
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