Is it OK to clean thermal paste with this certain acetone solution?

[babaca245]

So, I just bought some Arctic Silver 5 to clean and replace the termal paste off my Intel CPU.

I couldn't get my hands on Isopropyl Alcohol however I do have some Acetone solution laying around.

The problem is, I am unsure about its composition. I think it should be fine since it only contains Acetone, Ethyl Alcohol and Dye. The dye isn't too strong but I don't know...

Is the dye a problem? Is it OK if I just use tiny amounts of this acetone solution and clean the paste using a Coffee Filter?

 

[babaca245]

I would say it's fine... I did it by carefully adding tiny drops to the coffee filter, most of the paste was removed physically rather than chemically but I believe the tiny drops of Acetone helped.
Always be sure of the composition and never drop it directly into the CPU.

 

[Karadjgne]

The problem with acetone is 2 fold. First, it'll leave a film on the ihs, so you'd have to make sure to rub well after it's dried to physically remove that film, and even then there's no guarantee. 2nd, acetone is caustic and stands a good chance of removing the print off the ihs, invalidating any cpu warranty.

Not sure why you can't find rubbing alcohol unless you are in an Arabic country, since any alcohol is religiously forbidden. An alternative, if you can get one, would be those sanitary wipes that come in the little packets, those are rubbing alcohol, just dampen the coffee filter, dont apply directly.

 

[Pinhedd]

So, I just bought some Arctic Silver 5 to clean and replace the termal paste off my Intel CPU.

I couldn't get my hands on Isopropyl Alcohol however I do have some Acetone solution laying around.

The problem is, I am unsure about its composition. I think it should be fine since it only contains Acetone, Ethyl Alcohol and Dye. The dye isn't too strong but I don't know...

Is the dye a problem? Is it OK if I just use tiny amounts of this acetone solution and clean the paste using a Coffee Filter?

Acetone will attack a large number of polymers so I would strongly advise against using it because it may attack the plastic components and other parts of your PC.

Isopropyl alcohol, denatured ethyl alcohol, and non-lubricating electronic contact cleaner all work well. Rubbing alcohol is available at virtually every drug store, look harder.

 

[Calvin7]

Isopropyl Alcohol is available at drug stores and supermarkets. 91% has less water in it and is preferred.

Clean the mating surfaces completely with a low residual solvent (High-purity isopropyl alcohol or acetone) and a LINT FREE cloth. (i.e. lens cleaning cloth)

 

[rhoban]

I've used rubbing alcohol (70%) on my CPU. So far, no problems after a few months.