Question Did I damage my CPU and/or its cooler?

[_Minty_]

I spent about 40 minutes with coffee filters and 91% isopropyl alcohol rubbing off the pre applied thermal paste on my wraith cooler before realizing that it probably wasn't paste I was rubbing off, and maybe a film or a metal oxide coating. The surface looked clean, but rubbing more aggressively would still pick up grey stuff that looked like their thermal paste.

I also rubbed it off of my CPU, but for not near as long as my cooler.

I have no idea what's on this stuff and what I've been rubbing off. Am I safe to use these?

 

[SamirD]

Yep, when you've used the alcohol like that, it will turn into a goo that will take forever. Wait until it dries out and then use a tissue to wipe it off and then use the alcohol and coffee filters to get the rest off. The end results should be a shiny metal surface.

 

[_Minty_]

Yep, when you've used the alcohol like that, it will turn into a goo that will take forever. Wait until it dries out and then use a tissue to wipe it off and then use the alcohol and coffee filters to get the rest off. The end results should be a shiny metal surface.

Gotcha, thank you for the reply. To clarify, you're saying that that really was the goo, and not some coating?

It already looked clean, but rubbing more aggressively was picking up stuff that looked like the pre applied thermal paste. In hindsight, it might have been a bit darker, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[SamirD]

Gotcha, thank you for the reply. To clarify, you're saying that that really was the goo, and not some coating?

It already looked clean, but rubbing more aggressively was picking up stuff that looked like the pre applied thermal paste. In hindsight, it might have been a bit darker, but I could be wrong about that.

That's correct. Most processors and heatsinks don't have any type of coating, but are just polished (and etched in the case of processor markings). To give you some idea, I actually use a tissue to wipe off old paste and then a pink pencil eraser to polish and rub off all the old paste. Once the eraser isn't black anymore, it's clean and ready to go again.

 

[_Minty_]

That's correct. Most processors and heatsinks don't have any type of coating, but are just polished (and etched in the case of processor markings). To give you some idea, I actually use a tissue to wipe off old paste and then a pink pencil eraser to polish and rub off all the old paste. Once the eraser isn't black anymore, it's clean and ready to go again.

Awesome. I just got done going over it again with the filter and alcohol, and I just took a clean mechanical pencil eraser to the cooler. Edges of the eraser are black, and the paste is coming up in small dark specs on the surface. Just to clarify, should the paste behave like this? This is an R5 3600X wraith and its counterpart CPU. The cooler looks about the same as it did yesterday, which is shiny and clean looking