Question Spilled a bit of thermal paste on motherboard

[Igor Sena]

My nephew was installing an hyper evo 212 cooler and since those are a pain to install, it slipped and a tiny bit of thermal paste(Cooler Master Mastergel) went into the motherboard pins.

Here are the pictures. You can see the white thermal paste at right, close to the middle pins:

https://imgur.com/UyiOqzi

View: https://imgur.com/UyiOqzi

https://imgur.com/M6oeAB2

View: https://imgur.com/M6oeAB2


Should I be worried that it will cause any issues?

Thanks in advance.

 

[PCMDDOCTORS]

My nephew was installing an hyper evo 212 cooler and since those are a pain to install, it slipped and a tiny bit of thermal paste(Cooler Master Mastergel) went into the motherboard pins.

I have no idea how to attach a picture since it only allows me to post links.


Should I be worried that it will cause any issues?

Thanks in advance.

Try your best to clean the affected area with the highest percent of rubbing alcohol you can get like 99% with Q-Tips. Then wait for it to dry and then put the cooler back on using only a pea or grain of rice sized amount of thermal paste. Hopefully this helps. It should not affect anything assuming that the CPU was in the socket when the original paste was put on if cleaned properly afterwards.

 

[Igor Sena]

Try your best to clean the affected area with the highest percent of rubbing alcohol you can get like 99% with Q-Tips. Then wait for it to dry and then put the cooler back on using only a pea or grain of rice sized amount of thermal paste. Hopefully this helps. It should not affect anything assuming that the CPU was in the socket when the original paste was put on if cleaned properly afterwards.

Hello, there.

Thank you for your fast reply.

Yes, the cpu was in place when he applied the paste and then the cooler slided and the paste slipped to the motherboards outside pins, the ones where the cpu gets placed(about 5-6 pins maybe) but it was just a tiny little bit.

I gently cleaned it as much as possible with a toothbrush and upon turning on the pc it seems everything is fine so far.

Let´s see how it goes when i try to do several tasks with the computer.

Thank you very much again. Best regards.

 

[AllanGH]

I have no idea how to attach a picture since it only allows me to post links.

Nothing to add to the cleaning of the MB, as that seems to be handled.

Uploading images....upload to Imagur, and get the link to the image. Just paste the link into the text field that you use for posting...don't bother with the post image bit at the top.

 

[Igor Sena]

Nothing to add to the cleaning of the MB, as that seems to be handled.

Uploading images....upload to Imagur, and get the link to the image. Just paste the link into the text field that you use for posting...don't bother with the post image bit at the top.

Hey.

Yeah i ended up figuring it out after searching how to post images here.

Here is the images just in case:

https://imgur.com/UyiOqzi

View: https://imgur.com/UyiOqzi

https://imgur.com/M6oeAB2

View: https://imgur.com/M6oeAB2


The thermal paste is that white thing on the right next to the middle .

 

[Oldmate1337]

Best way i have found to remove thermal paste from sensitive areas is to get a can of electrical contact cleaner its completly safe to spray electronics down with it. Just make sure you unplug the pc from the power and wait 5 mins for
it to all evaporate. Its a life saver for cleaning tarnished ram contacts also

 

[Oldmate1337]

This is the stuff here, a few diffrent brands make the same product

https://imgur.com/a/b36EALt

View: http://imgur.com/a/b36EALt

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

Seems like a conclusion has been reached, but anyways thermal paste isn't conductive generally so if the CPU is already in place and thermal paste gets around the socket odds are it will do no damage. Contact cleaner as listed above is a great option. It might be easier to clean it immediately as you won't risk the paste drying out(as it may if you leave it for 4 years).

 

[Igor Sena]

Best way i have found to remove thermal paste from sensitive areas is to get a can of electrical contact cleaner its completly safe to spray electronics down with it. Just make sure you unplug the pc from the power and wait 5 mins for
it to all evaporate. Its a life saver for cleaning tarnished ram contacts also

Hello, there.

Is this the same as a compressed air can? Because I have one at hand.

I have managed to remove about 90% of it with the toothbrush by now but I can always use the can if necessary.

 

[Igor Sena]

Seems like a conclusion has been reached, but anyways thermal paste isn't conductive generally so if the CPU is already in place and thermal paste gets around the socket odds are it will do no damage. Contact cleaner as listed above is a great option. It might be easier to clean it immediately as you won't risk the paste drying out(as it may if you leave it for 4 years).

Thank you for your time as well.

 

[Oldmate1337]

Hello, there.

Is this the same as a compressed air can? Because I have one at hand.

I have managed to remove about 90% of it with the toothbrush by now but I can always use the can if necessary.

No its not its like cleaning alcohol compressed in a can super handy to have around if you are building computers or just for maintenance and the pressure from the can is normaly enough to dissolve and move thermal paste

 

[Igor Sena]

No its not its like cleaning alcohol compressed in a can super handy to have around if you are building computers or just for maintenance and the pressure from the can is normaly enough to dissolve and move thermal paste

Oh got you😅

Thank you very much for the tip and for your time.

 

[Oldmate1337]

Oh got you😅

Thank you very much for the tip and for your time.

All good mate i'm just glad i could help.

 

[ElectrO_90]

It's non conductive and thus would not do any harm at all on a printer circuit board. It only causes problems when it is on the PINS of the cpu/socket.
Otherwise it's just Aesthetics, no need to panic.

 

[Igor Sena]

It's non conductive and thus would not do any harm at all on a printer circuit board. It only causes problems when it is on the PINS of the cpu/socket.
Otherwise it's just Aesthetics, no need to panic.

Hey, there.

It actually went into the motherboard pins where the cpu fits; just a tiny tiny bit; at first I think I said about 5-6 pins but it seems to be only 3-4.

I managed to clean most of it. My only concern now would be if it will give me problems once the components heat.

Let's hope not

 

[ElectrO_90]

Hey, there.

It actually went into the motherboard pins where the cpu fits; just a tiny tiny bit; at first I think I said about 5-6 pins but it seems to be only 3-4.

I managed to clean most of it. My only concern now would be if it will give me problems once the components heat.

Let's hope not

If the chip is inserted and the heatsink is on it, it would be impossible for it to affect anything.
But goodluck in cleaning it without bending pins