How to clean thermal paste off cpu

Now they can leave it alone to run in peace, yes? Well… yes, but also no. You can definitely be comfortable with a newly-built or even a not newly-built computer for several months, but there will come a point where it starts slowing down -- that may be the time to replace your thermal paste. They may also be confused as to what the exact reason is.

And if your machine has been running hot or the fans are constantly whirring loudly, which often means the system is toasty , a fresh application of thermal paste can improve performance while dropping your temperatures for improved component longevity. This tiny box lives under a television, providing a Chrome OS Flex desktop in the living room. However, the steps would be the same if we were doing this with a custom-built PC see how to build a PC. Turn on the PC and let it run for a few minutes before shutting down and unplugging. Take your time and loosen the screws to ensure that even pressure is released.

How to clean thermal paste off cpu

So you've recently decided to peel back your CPU cooler and look at the thermally-conductive paste, or what's left of it, stuck beneath. You brave PC builder, you. And now you want it gone. Since you might be reading this with a phone in one hand and a messy CPU in the other, I'm going to cut to the chase: The easiest way to clean up old thermal paste is a paper towel. Now some may say that near-infinitesimally small fibres from the paper towel will stick to the heat spreader and prevent adequate cooling, but so long as you're not rubbing the paper towel to tatters, you'll probably be just fine. We do it all the time at PC Gamer towers when we're switching chips and have never run into any trouble. That said, when we really want to ensure a completely clean contact point, for thermal testing, we use a microfibre cloth to remove all the gunk with the minimal chance of leaving anything else behind. And when we really want to go the extra mile, we use a CPU cleaning solution or wipe. One part clears away the old thermal paste, and the other "purifies" the surface. Essentially you give the heat spreader a good spring cleaning. A microfibre cloth also works well here. The key to any CPU cleaning, especially once removed from the motherboard, is to hold only it by the edges and avoid touching any of the contact pads or pins on the underside of the chip. It's pretty unlikely you'll do any damage to your chip being even moderately careful about it, especially when it comes to CPUs with pads rather than pins, such as Intel's and AMD's upcoming Zen 4 chips. But it pays to take things a little slower when you're dealing with expensive and sensitive PC parts. Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.

Thanks all for the replies. Put the heatsink back on.

Last Updated: January 8, Fact Checked. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed , times. Thermal paste is used to conduct heat from your computer's Central Processing Unit CPU to the heatsink, which prevents it from overheating. This paste can dry out over time, and it must be replaced periodically to maintain your computer's condition.

Besides cleaning your rig , removing junk files, and defragmenting drives , you can fine tune your system by reapplying the thermal paste on the CPU. Over time, the thermal paste between your processor and the heatsink can dry out and lead to high temperatures in addition to causing stability issues when you attempt to overclock the CPU. So, we've compiled a guide detailing all the safety precautions and the steps you should take to clean the thermal paste from your CPU! Finally, you should get some high-quality thermal paste if you plan to put your system back together after removing the remains of the old thermal paste. Before you start disassembling your PC, you should run some CPU-intensive games or benchmarks to heat up the processor and the thermal paste. Should you attempt to unmount the CPU cooler when the thermal paste is cold, it will act as a glue to bind the processor to the heatsink, and, in the worst-case scenario, you could end up ripping the CPU out of its socket. Also, be sure to unplug your system and hold the power button for 30 seconds to get rid of the residual charge stored in the capacitors. Once you unmount the cooler, you'll be able to see a layer of thermal paste on the processor and the heatsink.

How to clean thermal paste off cpu

If you're building a computer , you need thermal paste, or heat paste, to ensure that your computer's processor doesn't overheat. It's a gloopy, silvery material that you squirt between the processor and the cooler to fill in all the micro cavities in their surfaces, enabling a more efficient transfer of heat from the processor to the cooler. The best heatpastes work so well they let your processor run harder and faster, at lower temperatures, making your PC quieter in turn. You need to replace the thermal interface material every few years, too, so if you haven't opened up your PC in a while, it might be time to give it a spring clean. If your CPU and cooler are clean and ready to go, we can jump right in to applying new heat paste. If they aren't clean, and have old hea tpaste on them, scroll down to the section on how to clean your CPU first. The key to applying thermal paste is not to overdo it; you only need to use a small, pea-sized bit of paste — anything more would be excessive.

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Les Pounder is an associate editor at Tom's Hardware. The key to any CPU cleaning, especially once removed from the motherboard, is to hold only it by the edges and avoid touching any of the contact pads or pins on the underside of the chip. Though in rare cases people do use distilled water for deep-cleaning, rubbing alcohol is a much better substitute. What to clean thermal paste with? Sist redigert av OldMemes. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Step 3: Once the cooler is installed, check the CPU's edges to see if any excess thermal paste has spilled over, and, if needed, wipe it away with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. Here's how to check your CPU temperature. See comments. Nederlands: Koelpasta vervangen. When applying the paste, I use arctic silver 5 with a small ball in the center. He has worked with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to write and deliver their teacher training program "Picademy". For this reason, we personally recommend using specialized thermal paste cleaning wipe. If you already have a working machine that needs thermal paste to be reapplied, you'll first need to clean off the old thermal paste. They don't tend to offer as strong performance as the best heat pastes , but for peace of mind and ease of use, they win hands down.

So you've recently decided to peel back your CPU cooler and look at the thermally-conductive paste, or what's left of it, stuck beneath. You brave PC builder, you. And now you want it gone.

I personally activity 12 degrees lowered temperature compared to standard thermal. Step 3: Repeat the above process to remove any old thermal paste that may be stuck to the underside of your CPU cooler. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. Though in rare cases people do use distilled water for deep-cleaning, rubbing alcohol is a much better substitute. Once this step is complete, use a wet cloth to remove the old paste. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Since you might be reading this with a phone in one hand and a messy CPU in the other, I'm going to cut to the chase: The easiest way to clean up old thermal paste is a paper towel. What to clean thermal paste with? About This Article. Be careful not to scratch the base of the heatsink. More about thermal paste.