Whilst installing my CPU I accidentally touched the top (silver) part

[bb2013]

Hi guys,

This particular thread is about trying to establish some peace of mind lol.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma because of ^^^. I didn't really read that much into it as I'm new to the PC building scene so I went ahead and installed my CPU along with the cooler but after a few hours after the installation I began to think would it affect performance/damage the CPU if it wasn't cleaned so I ordered some Arctic Silver Articlean CPU & IC Chip Cleaner & microfiber cloth to clean the CPU and reinstall. I haven't finished the build yet so it hasn't been turned on yet. Am I doing the right thing?

Thanks for reading

 

[lantrich]

Your cpu was shipped in a clean environment. I have never cleaned a cpu before installing it. When you put on the thermal paste you would have noticed any grit if there was some. You shouldn't have any problems.

 

[synphul]

If you touched the metal part (integrated heat spreader) with your finger before applying thermal paste while installing it wouldn't be a bad idea to wipe it clean. Only because your fingers/skin have natural oils. It's not going to mean the difference between a cpu working or not working even if you didn't.

Articlean is fine but expensive, in the future you can just use isopropyl rubbing alcohol. It's safe and a lot cheaper. Try to use a lint free cloth if possible, even papertowels leave behind little bits of lint/material. You did the right thing, yes.

 

[bb2013]

Hi Synphul thanks for the information & reassurance 😀 the arcticlean isn't that expensive, I live in the UK and got it for £6.20 inc shipping which I thought was quite good 😉