Cleaning Thermal Paste

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 11:08

Hi.

My https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ther...20-se-black-cpu-air-cooler-coo-tlr-03291.html has arrived (that was quick!).

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE Black CPU Air Cooler

I have some Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% due to be delivered next week.

However, would like to get on with this today.

Question, would white spirit be okay to use or should I wait it out?

Cheers

HACO · 24 Aug 2025 at 11:30

You can pop into the chemist and buy a few pre-injection isopropyl wipes. They work like a charm. They might even give them to you for free.

dave28 · 24 Aug 2025 at 11:43

I have never used alcohol or spirits, it always wipes off fairly easy with plain dry kitchen roll

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 13:36

Sorted

Temps have dropped LOADS and the thing is silent!

ED209 · 24 Aug 2025 at 14:48

dave28 said:
I have never used alcohol or spirits, it always wipes off fairly easy with plain dry kitchen roll

Exactly what I do when I need to clean off any thermal paste

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 14:53

ED209 said:
Exactly what I do when I need to clean off any thermal paste

Used some screen clean wipes I had in the end as lint free.

All sorted and really happy with this cooler.

Idle has dropped 20-30 degrees. Not tested any games yet but on boot it was hitting 90 before settling down, hits 50 now.

Hence I needed a new cooler...

ED209 · 24 Aug 2025 at 14:56

Nate75 said:
Used some screen clean wipes I had in the end as lint free.

All sorted and really happy with this cooler.

Idle has dropped 20-30 degrees. Not tested any games yet but on boot it was hitting 90 before settling down, hits 50 now.

Hence I needed a new cooler...

What processor is it cooling?

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 15:03

Only a 5600.

I was using the Wraith cooler that was supplied with the CPU.

I did clean it out and re-pasted with Grizzly which helped a tad about 6 months ago. But really, it's never been right for intensive games.

On buying a new GPU I had to get a decent solution.

Raz · 24 Aug 2025 at 16:38

dave28 said:
I have never used alcohol or spirits, it always wipes off fairly easy with plain dry kitchen roll

that's what I started doing after a while and it does the job fine.

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 16:40

Raz said:
Exact what I started doing after a while and it does the job fine.

Yeh I used the "kit" 6 months ago.

As long as it's clean and not wet when assembling, not much of an issue, as I have found.

mattyfez · 24 Aug 2025 at 17:15

I used to use IPA ... I just rub clean with a decent kitchen towel these days... doesn't make any difference IMO and its faster and less messing about.

RSR · 24 Aug 2025 at 18:36

WD40 Contact Cleaner

I use that stuff everywhere for cleaning

deviation · 24 Aug 2025 at 18:40

Another vote for kitchen roll.
I think you used a bit too much paste though, but that's a topic for another discussion lol.

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 18:42

deviation said:
Another vote for kitchen roll.
I think you used a bit too much paste though, but that's a topic for another discussion lol.

Well you need to use a "pea" shaped size.

And it came out as a stream.

Did what I could do!

deviation · 24 Aug 2025 at 18:51

Nate75 said:
Well you need to use a "pea" shaped size.

And it came out as a stream.

Did what I could do!

When I've used as much as you did, on AM4, it's ended up welding itself to the HS whenever I goto remove it - even if i've ran the PC for awhile to warm up the paste, then it rips it out of it's socket risking damaging the pins on the CPU, all whilst still attached to the HS.
You'll find a load of paste will have gone over the edges to the socket, when you eventually remove it.

Next time you remove it, have a look and see if it has overlapped the edges of the socket, my moneys on that it has. Hopefully it doesn't get stuck to the HS when you do.

FWIW, I'm not trolling you, it just scared me a lot when it happened to me, as the socket was still locked shut, and the CPU would not let go of the HS, and this wasn't a one off occasion.

These days I just use a credit card and smooth over it evenly - I found a significant difference in temps, IIRC around 6-7C when I last did a repaste that way versus a pea or smaller; as I did a back to back test one day, and was glad that I did.

throwaway4372 · 24 Aug 2025 at 19:12

The pea thing is out of date advice, you want a thin layer spread over the CPU. I also thought it looked a bit much but hard to tell from a photo.

mattyfez · 24 Aug 2025 at 19:18

Its a very easy thing to over think.

You need enough paste to cover the surface adequately but not so much it oozes out the sides when you clamp it down.

Thats it. That is really it... everything else is just snake oil.

deviation · 24 Aug 2025 at 19:22

mattyfez said:
Its a very easy thing to over think.

You need enough paste to cover the surface adequately but not so much it oozes out the sides when you clamp it down.

Thats it. That is really it... everything else is just snake oil.

Yep, less is definitely more.
I've always got better results smoothing it across with a credit card, but I have tried the pea etc, and it's always either missed the corners or been too much and gone over the edges and been a waste, with worse temps.
Years ago on Socket A I used to use a Stanley blade, and spread it very thin, but covering the IHS, again worked perfectly, versus a blob in the centre, which went everywhere over the sides of the IHS.

Nate75 · 24 Aug 2025 at 22:06

Look.

The "pea" thing worked.

All good.

darael · 25 Aug 2025 at 10:18

I like to use Akasa TIM first, then finish off with alcohol. It's probably overkill, but it works best for me.

I did also think you put too much thermal compound on, which can actually increase your temperatures if you're not careful. I've used the grain of rice size for quite a while now and it's never given me a single problem.