Just a good mechanical cleaning with a paper towel is enough, no need for fancy cleaner. As small amount of solvent lowers the paste's viscosity and make it easier to remove.
If you intend to use solvent to flush flux off instead of rubbing it off, you may be flushing for a long time.
If using that, I'd do so with the cpu not in socket. It's an industrial solvent, which unlike isopropyl, will actually dissolve the paste to varying degrees, so typical surface tension doesn't apply. 1 small drip could get out of hand very quickly and wick down the pcb and into the socket. It claims not to leave residue, but that's only when the grease/oil is removed.
Further reading into that website :
Ppl use Windex on windows for a reason, and not the stronger stuff such as 409, Royal Purple or other strong degreasers.
- Minimizes white residue formation
Isopropyl or other cleaners like Arctic Clean have more temporary emulsifier properties, solvents actually change the chemical composition of the grease.
Not saying don't use it, just use more care than you normally would have to.
Why not just use the stuff that comes with the CPU? If you aren't going to use an aftermarket HSF for 10-20C better cooling, you shouldn't be particularly worried about getting 2-5C better performance from aftermarket paste.I ain't gonna touch the CPU. I am going to clean the paste off of AMD stock cooler that has one pre-applied. Then apply custom paste on CPU and put on a now clean cooler.
Why not just use the stuff that comes with the CPU? If you aren't going to use an aftermarket HSF for 10-20C better cooling, you shouldn't be particularly worried about getting 2-5C better performance from aftermarket paste.
The pre-applied stuff is actually quite decent for either Intel or Amd. Definitely can do worse with some high faluting, super-over-the-top sounding name brands.
The only time you'll need to change pastes is if there's a need, like it's visibly dried out or discolored or questionable or plain messed up.
Want to change, for any reason, even if just because you have more faith in an aftermarket paste, is a totally different decision.
If you want to, that's fine, go ahead and do as you please, I would since all I use is Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut and Noctua NT-H1, just don't think you have to.
Ah. Well as to that, there's roughly a 5°-6° difference at max loads between the highest ranked pastes and lowest, so if you figure the stock paste as about in the middle, it's @ 3°C or so away from best. (pastes, not the liquid metals). Most of what goes into the rankings is ease of use, ease of cleaning, spreadability, viscosity, temps.
Yes there are issues. But that can affect many pastes, not just stock. When a paste dries out it goes from being a greasy application to old, hard caulk. It develops a seal. This isn't an issue. What the issue is, is breaking that seal. For removal purposes, a slight twist will do that. For temp purposes, as long as the seal is intact, it's good.
The only issue is with Amd cpus. The locking mechanism is where the pins are forcibly held into the socket. This can fail if there's enough upwards force applied, like a cpu that's stuck to the cooler. Doesn't apply to Intel as their locking mechanism is a lid forcibly holding the cpu down.
There can be issues, or worries, but it's not something to worry about unless/until it happens as it's not predictable.
Stock coolers have 1 design intent. Get you up and running doing normal stuff on the pc. Aftermarket coolers are supposed to increase the range of what you'd consider normal. For some, that's uber heavy, high thread, high voltage, so consequently high heat usage and require something a lot beefier than a stock cooler. OC or not. Some aftermarket coolers look cool, sound cool, really cool price and are anything but cool.
AMD's Wraith's are seriously decent, but they do have limits, just about the same as the better, popular aftermarket coolers.
The stock paste is 'hard' because machine-applied paste does not need as much oil in it as human-friendly goop needs for ease of application. Most thermal pastes are based on zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, ceramic or other fillers that have effectively infinite lifespan as does the silicone oil used to keep it together, so it does not matter much if the paste has been on there for a week or a decade. Paste generally fails when it has been in use for a few years and then the heatsink or computer case gets shaken or encounters a mechanical shock that breaks the paste loose, nothing to do with the chemistry of it or 'drying'.Also nobody knows how long that stock paste dried for and I heard its hard and can act as a glue.