Cleaning old thermal paste disaster

[anko89]

Hello, I am a computer noob. I was replacing my cooler and discovered this mess (not that it matters but I wasn't the one who applied the paste/installed the previous cooler). How do I go about cleaning this? I've cleaned off the top with rubbing alcohol + (carefully) picked off chunks from the sides so it looks a bit better than the image now, but it's still pretty bad especially in the corners. There's a lot of leftover gunk on the sides that I can't reach unless I unscrew the frame... Is it safe to unscrew and wipe down the outside with rubbing alcohol?

Thanks,

anko

 

[USAFRet]

Whoever did that (who was it?) put on WAY too much paste.

You need to unlatch and remove the CPU for a real cleaning.
Not 'unscrew'...just unlatch and remove it.

 

[volkgren]

Looks like someone put the whole tube of paste on there. Definitely one for the record books.

I would clean as much as possible before unhinging the latch. I would then unhinge the latch and lift the bracket to carefully clean the rest WITHOUT removing the CPU from the socket. You DO NOT want to get any paste in the CPU socket underneath the CPU. Once you get the majority of it out to where you are certain you won't accidentally get any in the socket when you pull out the CPU then you can remove the CPU and clean the rest.

Q-Tips and isopropyl [rubbing] alcohol.

 

[das_stig]

Whoever did that wants banned from ever touching IT equipment. Remove as much crap from the from socket, use Isopropyl alcohol before removing cpu, clean off all the crap from the cpu, remaining parts of socket and heatsink.

Let it stand for a few minutes to ensure it has evapourated, then apply a tiny amount to the center.

I normally cut the end of a q-tip, and using that to spread as thinly as possible all over the CPU.

 

[geofelt]

I think I would leave the cpu mounted.
If you remove the cpu you are likely to get goo or whatever into the socket which will be an unrecoverable mess.
Remounting the cpu can be a tricky business and one needs to be careful to not bend any socket pins.

Mechanically scrape off what you can.
Alcohol and lint free paper can get off the rest if you are patient.
I use paper coffee filters for this.
If necessary, wrap the paper around something pointed to get into the crevasses.
If you do need to unlatch to get at the sides, it is safer to not remove the chip.
keep a finger on the die so that it remains firmly in the socket while you clean out the rest of the goo.
It looks like the goo is not conductive so it is not likely to impact anything if some is left over.
After all, this whole mess was working before.

When remounting, a small rice sized drop in the center will spread out under heat and pressure.
It is hard to use too little.

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

Open the latch and try to get the large areas of paste off with a Q-tip or something.

When/if you take the CPU out to finish cleaning it, just try and make sure you don't get thermal paste into the socket, it shouldn't be conductive but still better to no have it in the socket

Lots of guides on how to clean the cpu and reapply paste if you look online, small pea sized drop is my go to method.

 

[anko89]

Thank you everyone for your helpful (and humorous :lol: ) replies, I've cleaned it as best I could. From what I saw after unlatching, none of the old thermal compound went into the socket so I just left the CPU in and cleaned around it. Just a few parts on the latch to clean, now waiting for it to dry before mounting the replacement cooler. Regards to all!

 

[volkgren]

Excellent!

 

[popatim]

Looking MUCH better! Good job!

 

[4745454b]

Noobs? Looks way better now then it did before. The cpu looks like it could be a bit cleaner. Or it could be the photo. Just make sure it's clean before you start putting paste on.