Thermal Paste Removal/Installation Guide

[Ken Su]

Right after I apply the thermal compund on the heatsink and place it on top of the CPU. Can I take it back out or will that damage anything.

Because I put the heatsink on and realize that the bracket doesn't match the screw so I take it out and wipe the thermal compound off the CPU and heatsinker. Is that OK?

And what happen if I touch some metal parts at the bottom of the motherboard. Will that shock the motherboard and other parts on the motherboard already?

if you take out the heatsink after applying the paste then it won't damage anything. but if you put it back in the CPU without reapplying the paste your CPU will probably overheat due to poor thermal conductivity as there will air bubbles between the paste and heatsink plate.

I took out the heatsink while there is some thermal compound still on the heatsink and CPU. I wipe it off with tissue paper and reapply it. Will that be OK? It was kind of hard to pull it off maybe cuz of the thermal compound.

Also it is OK to touch some metal parts of the motherboard at the bottom when lifting it up?

 

[thasan1]

@Ken Su did you clean the heatsink with isoporpyl alcohol? and also the mobo thing won't be a problem. though you should touch a metal surface before touching any thing in the CPU or ram just to keep safe.

 

[Ken Su]

@Ken Su did you clean the heatsink with isoporpyl alcohol? and also the mobo thing won't be a problem. though you should touch a metal surface before touching any thing in the CPU or ram just to keep safe.

I haven't clean it yet but I will use some kind of alcohol to wipe the heatsink and CPU.

If the mobo is broken and I power it on. Will everything else on the mono also be broken than?

 

[thebluephilip]

i somehow used normal paper when removing the existing thermal paste as a substitute to the lint free cloth is it alright to use those? i just applied it on 3 pcs ) btw thanks for this guide.

 

[Sajeel Niazi]

I M GOING TO APPLY THERMAL PASTE TOMORROW SHOULD I APPLY IT WITH DOT METHOD OR CROSS METHOD OR WHOLE SPREAD. I AM GOING TO APPLY ON BOYH CPU AND GPU

 

[amuffin]

I M GOING TO APPLY THERMAL PASTE TOMORROW SHOULD I APPLY IT WITH DOT METHOD OR CROSS METHOD OR WHOLE SPREAD. I AM GOING TO APPLY ON BOYH CPU AND GPU

Depends on the cooler. Most of the time I would just apply using a dot method!

 

[Nafryti]

Can I use methylated spirit 99%?
Can't get hold of any isopropyl alcohol.

define "Metholated Spirit" is it an alcohol based? or is it an acetone, Acetone will erode the nickel plating and the copper heat pipes and or copper anything. I recommend if you DO NOT have alcohol, to just use a clean dry cloth or rag, be sure no debris is left from either the old paste or the cloth, and you will be fine.

 

[Naer]

What are ways in finding out when you need to do this? CPU temp software?

 

[cerefo]

I will look Noob by asking this question but I want to know that:
1) Are there fans in which I don't need to apply thermal paste?
2) I am not sure but does thermal paste comes with cooler or with the processor?
3) What is the exact name of the component(hardware; that big machine; looks like a fan) that you are putting over your processor?

 

[Nafryti]

I will look Noob by asking this question but I want to know that:
1) Are there fans in which I don't need to apply thermal paste?
2) I am not sure but does thermal paste comes with cooler or with the processor?
3) What is the exact name of the component(hardware; that big machine; looks like a fan) that you are putting over your processor?

1) you do not apply thermal paste to "Fans"
2) Many aftermarket coolers and stock heatsinks come with thermal paste, some have it pre applied.
3) that would be called a CPU Heatsink

if you do not know the name of the device, you should not be worrying about whether or not it has paste pre applied, you should be searching google for wiki's and youtubes to walk you through until you have enough of an understanding on the basics and then you build up the courage to put yourself to the test. Be careful, be very careful, Google and Bing every step of the way before you open your case.

 

[Nafryti]

What are ways in finding out when you need to do this? CPU temp software?

CPU temp software like "CoreTemp" running in the background will show you the hottest your CPU reaches overall, and as it gets higher it will change the highest accordingly so you don't get misleading results from alt tabbing out of a video game to check your temperatures, if you have ROG Connect, a feature on most newer ASUS ROG motherboards you can monitor your temperatures actively via laptop. Monitoring your thermal increase over time should be required for higher end CPU's on STOCK cooling solutions, a weekly ritual on aftermarket heatpipe coolers, and a once a month hobby for closed loop liquid cooling and custom loop water cooling, and for those fancy enthusiasts with Phase Shift Cooling (probably called Phase Change) you may just need to check up on your pressure levels once every 2 to 3 months.

Watch your temp, if it sky rockets from playing a game, you need a better cooler. If over time you notice it getting hotter and hotter, remember, 65C is game load average temps, not idle temps, you can suffer 10C to 20C increase over time, but change the paste at 30C increase.

 

[Osoclocker69]

that is too much thermal paste to be out on the cpu!

 

[Nafryti]

that is too much thermal paste to be out on the cpu!

as true that may be for any other perfectly flat HS, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus has grooves along the bottom and without sufficient thermal paste, they will prevent proper bloom of thermal paste upon application of HS. How do i know this? I own a Hyper 212 Plus, i had to pre apply it to the HS using a squeegee to wipe off the excess so that the paste on the CPU would spread evenly.

 

[Osoclocker69]

i use 100% isopropyl alcohol and a napkin to remove the thermal paste

 

[Osoclocker69]

that is too much thermal paste to be out on the cpu!

as true that may be for any other perfectly flat HS, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus has grooves along the bottom and without sufficient thermal paste, they will prevent proper bloom of thermal paste upon application of HS. How do i know this? I own a Hyper 212 Plus, i had to pre apply it to the HS using a squeegee to wipe off the excess so that the paste on the CPU would spread evenly.

I find cpu coolers like the one i recently bought (Deepcool Gammaxx 300) because it comes with pre-applied thermal paste and it is very nicely spread. A very even layer. And so far the top temp I get is 50 C while running a torture test in Prime95 (at stock cpu clocks)

 

[Nafryti]

that is too much thermal paste to be out on the cpu!

as true that may be for any other perfectly flat HS, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus has grooves along the bottom and without sufficient thermal paste, they will prevent proper bloom of thermal paste upon application of HS. How do i know this? I own a Hyper 212 Plus, i had to pre apply it to the HS using a squeegee to wipe off the excess so that the paste on the CPU would spread evenly.

I find cpu coolers like the one i recently bought (Deepcool Gammaxx 300) because it comes with pre-applied thermal paste and it is very nicely spread. A very even layer. And so far the top temp I get is 50 C while running a torture test in Prime95 (at stock cpu clocks)

here are some pros and cons

Pre applied thermal compound:.
Pro:
Pre applied thermal conductivity
no guess work or messy cleanup

Con:
risk for air pockets reducing overall thermal conductivity
faster dry out rate reducing overall life span of thermal bond
thicker pad of thermal compound

DIY thermal paste:
Pro:
no air pockets
even spread
longer life
thinner layer of thermal paste

Con:
some heatsinks have grooves reducing overall spread
readings can be misleading before thermal paste cures


Generally it is best to apply your own thermal paste and scrub off the pre applied compound, if you are unsure about application there are plenty of tutorials and directions on how to apply thermal paste with many different methods.

This may better help you understand what happens with thermal paste.

 

[Osoclocker69]

Ok.

 

[Osoclocker69]

that is too much thermal paste to be out on the cpu!

as true that may be for any other perfectly flat HS, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus has grooves along the bottom and without sufficient thermal paste, they will prevent proper bloom of thermal paste upon application of HS. How do i know this? I own a Hyper 212 Plus, i had to pre apply it to the HS using a squeegee to wipe off the excess so that the paste on the CPU would spread evenly.

I find cpu coolers like the one i recently bought (Deepcool Gammaxx 300) because it comes with pre-applied thermal paste and it is very nicely spread. A very even layer. And so far the top temp I get is 50 C while running a torture test in Prime95 (at stock cpu clocks)

here are some pros and cons

Pre applied thermal compound:.
Pro:
Pre applied thermal conductivity
no guess work or messy cleanup

Con:
risk for air pockets reducing overall thermal conductivity
faster dry out rate reducing overall life span of thermal bond
thicker pad of thermal compound

DIY thermal paste:
Pro:
no air pockets
even spread
longer life
thinner layer of thermal paste

Con:
some heatsinks have grooves reducing overall spread
readings can be misleading before thermal paste cures


Generally it is best to apply your own thermal paste and scrub off the pre applied compound, if you are unsure about application there are plenty of tutorials and directions on how to apply thermal paste with many different methods.

This may better help you understand what happens with thermal paste.

Hey I was wondering how you unparked the cores? And also do you get any BSOD? Because most people i know that unparked their cores get BSOD a few times

 

[Nafryti]

Hey I was wondering how you unparked the cores? And also do you get any BSOD? Because most people i know that unparked their cores get BSOD a few times

no BSOD for me, i did get some from my RAID setup but that was because the installer installed the wrong drivers, installed an XP 64 driver instead of the correct Win7 64 driver.

i hear there are two ways to unpark, there is the direct through registry, and a program, i hear the program is recommended. LINKED HERE is the better way to turn it on or off (idk why you would want it off)

I had some programs stop working a few times upon first launch with cores unparked, but nothing serious.

 

[dddingggiii]

What could you use if you couldn't get your hands on any Isopropyl Alcohol? Would say board cleaner with alcohol be a good substitute?

 

[Reynod]

Yep ... just don't slosh the stuff about all over the place.

ethanol / methanol / methylated spirit... but do not stoop to using petrol or other mixed longer chain hydrocarbon based solvents or fuels as they leave residue which interacts with the thermal grease.

I am also not keen on acetone / aldehydes / esthers / ketones.

Drill baby drill !!!

 

[dddingggiii]

Gotta love Tomshardware - thanks man

 

[Osoclocker69]

Yes this website is awesome and its community

 

[Reynod]

Thanks guys ... keep posting and helping out the other newcomers here too.

Our plan is plain world domination ... Geeks shall inherit the Earth !!!

Worship tom and you shall prosper ... well at least your PC will run those games a lot faster than your mates one !

 

[XCalinX]

Don't get those sh*tty alchool crap. I don't use any solutions and I get about 23C with my 212 evo and e8400