10 réponses
With a paper towel, without any product, ...never.
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Euskadi Ta Askatasuna
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To misname things is to add to the misery of the world (Albert Camus)
Would a paper towel alone be sufficient to clean the thermal paste properly?
You don't do that while there is electricity, and ideally, you remove the CPU beforehand or don't spill.
Would a paper towel alone be enough to properly clean the thermal paste?
If you rub to the point of polishing, it should be fine.
Regarding the conductivity of the alcohol, I wanted to know, after it has dried, won't the remaining minerals on the CPU interfere with the functioning of the new thermal paste I'm going to apply? That's why I want to use distilled water to remove those residues.
A last little drying time allows the alcohol to evaporate quickly, leaving no significant amount behind to interact with the new paste.
If distilled water were effective for thermal paste, we would say to clean with distilled water, but we do not say that. However, if well wiped and well evaporated, your distilled water during a final wipe of a surface already cleaned with alcohol should not cause major issues. Just make sure not to let it overflow where it could cause oxidation!
1- Paper towel to remove the paste.
2- Surgical alcohol to thoroughly wipe the surfaces of the CPU and the heatsink.
3- One last wipe with a paper towel (maybe a cotton swab) slightly moistened with distilled water to properly clean these two surfaces.
4- Let dry for about twenty to 30 minutes.
These are the most commonly offered products by professionals, of course.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thermal+paste+cleaner&adgrpid=1356798285708680&hvadid=84800314735854&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=127086&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84800421816673%3Aloc-66&hydadcr=27740_2264549&tag=hydfrmsn-21&ref=pd_sl_7p66a9518p_e
Surgical alcohol is often recommended, particularly because the product is available over the counter and is often already present in households. It is not pure and not entirely safe nor intended for this use, thus it contains some disinfectant ingredients unnecessary for the PC. It is a good degreaser.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dangers+surgical+alcohol&t=newext&atb=v253-1&ia=web
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dangers+isopropyl+alcohol&t=newext&atb=v253-1&ia=web
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dangers+acetone&t=newext&atb=v253-1&ia=web
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dangers+citrus+juices&t=newext&atb=v253-1&ia=web
Disinfectant alcohol, except for some colored models that have added other products, consists of 70% alcohol and 30% water and is well-refined. Instead of buying unnecessary products, household alcohol, which is made up of 90% alcohol (ethanol) and 10% water, is more than sufficient to clean thermal paste. It is rather more dangerous for humans than household alcohol, unless you intend to consume it as a beverage.
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Mislabeling things is adding to the world's misery (Albert Camus)
I completely agree with epango:
There is no need to use pharmaceutical grade alcohol. Household alcohol will work just fine.
Try using household alcohol.
If the result is not satisfactory, then move on to isopropyl alcohol.
Another option, with some reservations: white spirit.
It's a good solvent and many people recommend it for cleaning thermal paste. The problem is that it's a mixture of hydrocarbons that is not very well defined. In principle, there are no risks for the equipment, but it's hard to be 100% sure. If you try it, work with soaked pads and avoid spilling it everywhere. Wear nitrile gloves because white spirit can contain carcinogenic aromatic compounds.
And above all, never use acetone! It is a very aggressive solvent, and using it leads to disasters.
Acetone that attacks plastic while it is packaged in plastic bottles. To remove thermal paste, you put the solvent on varnish! Where is it found?
There are thousands of plastics. Some are particularly inert and are not affected by acetone: for example, polypropylene and high-density polyethylene. Therefore, they can be used to make the containers holding acetone.
As for varnish, there is obviously none on the heatsink, but there is plenty around on the circuit boards. So, just a little excess acetone can lead to disaster.
Other than that, we are on a public forum. So we avoid suggesting risky solutions, especially when there are safer alternatives. We keep that kind of solutions to ourselves if we are sure we can handle the situation.
Hello again
There are protective varnishes about which we don't know much at first glance on the cards, as well as various paints and materials in the PC or around it. A drop of acetone due to carelessness at the time when it was used without too much caution indeed left me with a bad memory.
Even nail polish removers today proudly claim to be free of it.
"To purchase this product, you must fill out a declaration of use and permanence."
"Professional users are supposed to be able to read and understand the technical data sheet and safety information."
It's the same for white spirit; even though I still have some, I avoid recommending it.
Reserved for professional users! This is becoming increasingly common, and it generally means buy more, touch more, breathe more, mix more, do more nothing, we can agree on that.
Even an injured person in their car has to wait until they smell the grilled flesh before being pulled out; it's too risky for them—I'm not exaggerating much.
Yes.
Since no product is perfect and universal, all these products have a valid argument in their favor and a disadvantage to minimize in use; I can't eliminate one definitively, and precautions are always necessary. We're not close to putting this debate—one as old as thermal paste—to rest.
As fabul said, it takes elbow grease ;-)