Is it okay to leave CPU with paste on it?

[zxzimw3]

I need to return my dead motherboard as soon as possible and I was wondering if it was okay to just take out the CPU(with thermal paste on it) from the motherboard and put the chip back in the original box until the new mobo arrives.

Or should I remove the paste first(which is kinda impossible atm)?

 

[Forever Oleg]

You can easily remove the paste using a paper towel soaked in some alcohol.

 

[zxzimw3]

You can easily remove the paste using a paper towel soaked in some alcohol.

I would do it if I could but I just ordered the 91% alcohol thingy so it will take some time to arrive.
I need to return the motherboard tomorrow.

 

[Forever Oleg]

Just put the CPU somewhere and that's it. Take the paste off later.

 

[SkyMembrane]

You can easily remove the paste using a paper towel soaked in some alcohol.

I would do it if I could but I just ordered the 91% alcohol thingy so it will take some time to arrive.
I need to return the motherboard tomorrow.

You should be good, but don't wait too long, since it will become harder to remove as time goes by. In any other situation, I would recommend that you run the computer for a bit before taking the CPU and its cooler out, since Thermal Paste is easier to remove when it's still hot. When I replaced my 4690k's stock intel cooler, I ran Prime95 for a minute or two before I closed the whole system and removed the cooler. Because it wasn't cold yet, I was capable of removing all the paste without alcohol. I still used alcohol before applying the new one, but that was just to be safe. I understand that this wasn't possible for this particular scenario, but keep that in mind for next time 😉

 

[digitaldoc]

Isopropyl alcohol from the pharmacy on a cotton rag, or paper towel will easily take the thermal paste off. No harm in leaving it on, other than the potential mess.

Just be certain the CPU is cleaned, and new thermal paste gets used when the CPU gets reinstalled in the new MB.