Bought used Ryzen 1500, worried about damage

[photon05]

Hey all,

So I bought a used Ryzen 1500 off a third party auction site (so there's no way to contact the owner) and it has some thermal paste on the sides of the IHS and on the PCB (including the back).

See pics: https://unsee.cc/4fc6780d/

My question is, do you think this is safe to use? Or should I try to get a chargeback? I don't have a motherboard to test it out yet, and most of the repair shops in my area don't have an AM4 mobo yet.

Update: I was planning on buying parts over time for a new build, but I decided to buy a MOBO and RAM so that I could check the cpu. I spent a bit of time cleaning the thermal paste and it seems to work. Thanks for the help!

 

[profoundnoah]

It SHOULD be safe to use. My eyesight definitely isnt as good as used to be, but if theres no paste close to any of the CPU pins, you should be fine. If you still don't feel comfortable, you can use some isopropyl alcohol to clean it off with a non-lint cloth.

 

[vMax]

As profoundnoah has said, it looks fine, should work and only way to find out is power it up...

 

[photon05]

There's a little bit on the actual pins itself. I'm honestly surprised how it got there, as its on the side facing other pins, not the side facing the edges. Think that changes anything?

 

[vMax]

Use a small cotton bud stick with and remove it carefully...should be fine...good thing you spotted that!!!