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Cleaning the CPU paste with acetone

Eerazer

Eerazer

Eerazer

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Joined
23 Dec 2010
Posts
130
I have been reading around to either use isopropyl alcohol or acetone

so i went to my local chemist and all they had was acetone, so i got some ready for tomorrow when i have to swap out my heatsink.

acetone is good to use isnt it? provided i do not get any on the plastic areas.

anyone know for sure?
 
yeah i got pure acetone, 100ml or something and some cotton buds on sticks :P

if i am careful i think a tiny dab in the centre of the steel and carefully remove the paste i think that will be fine, right?

i read that it melts through plastic but its good with alu and steel. it clears off the paste completely and evaporates too.

just wanted to know about acetone specifically :)


im asking because i see posts like this everyhwere so i dont know what to think!

Cleaning cpu with acetone?
Acetone is fine, just don't immerse it.
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Just be careful not to spill it near your computer. Acetone will melt plastic.
I personally prefer to use isopropyl alcohol as a cleaner.
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acetone should never be used anywhere on a computer
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Yeah acetone's OK. I still prefer isopropyl alcohol though; it's much less dense and seems to be a little 'cleaner' (pardon the pun). That said acetone is perfectly adequate.
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Acetone is okay if you're using it on a CPU. Just like the post above, acetone will go through ANY finish,paint on the surface. I've used acetone on cleaing up cores (CPU and GPU) when I ran out of alcohol. Just don't use it too often and when using it be very careful.
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see what i mean? i suppose i just want someone to come in here who has used it and tells me that its ok lol. i dont want to risk using it until im reassured a little, i dont want to 'melt' anything :P
 
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Acetone will be fine imo, I've used it in the past, and most cpu pastes won't have set solidly. Being honest, I tend to use tissue paper then alcohol, or another cleaning fluid afterwards and haven't had any problems ever.
 
alright, it might sound crazy but what about those bottles of spray LCD cleaners that you wipe your screen with?

similar stuff to isopropyl alcohol in those? would that work on the cpu instead?
 
The screen cleaner is mostly distilled water with Isopropyl alcohol added at a low concentration. Not enough to shift thermal grease.

Acetone will leave a slight residue on the metal surface, and as you are aware, will melt most plastics. It will be fine to use as long as you apply it to the cloth and then wipe with that. Personally, I would use IPA.

You could use Acetone, and then clean with the screen cleaner. This will remove residual traces of the acetone.
 
I use Servisol IPA 170. Brilliant stuff. I've used acetone as well though, no problems. Also use lens cleaning cloth from any High Street optician, after first doing the rough cleaning with kitchen roll.
 
I am a PC hardware reviewer and am constantly swapping out CPU coolers for testing. To start with I used that Arctic Silver cleaning stuff but I soon realised that nail vanish remover works just as well and has no impact on cooling whatsoever. I must have used it 15-20 times on my current CPU with no ill-effects whatsoever!
 
yeup +1 on nail varnish remover its what i use. no ill effects and seems to completely evaporate. i wouldnt use alcohol gel as it will leave a residue
 
I use good old bog roll. A few repeated wipes and clean as your backside, unless you are a poo bottom type.

For those hard to reach places cotton wool buds help a lot, or just twist and fold said roll to get into those nooks and crannies (I said CRannies!).

If you are worried about bogetta roll scratching your mirror surfaces, which I've found it doesn't, then cotton wool pads are for you. The girly flat round ones work well half-inched out of your partners makeup bag, but be prepared to remove a few danglers afterwards with a soft brush or something.

Does the job very well and I'd be willing to bet anyone doing the same will end up with temps the same as anyone using a cleaning fluid. A good tip is to run Prime95 first so the paste is nice and soft for easier removal and wipe-age.
 
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spirits247 said:
I use good old bog roll. A few repeated wipes and clean as your backside, unless you are a poo bottom type.

For those hard to reach places cotton wool buds help a lot, or just twist and fold said roll to get into those nooks and crannies (I said CRannies!).

If you are worried about bogetta roll scratching your mirror surfaces, which I've found it doesn't, then cotton wool pads are for you. The girly flat round ones work well half-inched out of your partners makeup bag, but be prepared to remove a few danglers afterwards with a soft brush or something.

Does the job very well and I'd be willing to bet anyone doing the same will end up with temps the same as anyone using a cleaning fluid. A good tip is to run Prime95 first so the paste is nice and soft for easier removal and wipe-age.
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has to be the funniest post ive read in ages :P
 
Nail vanish remover is good, too - but you have to read what it contains first - if there are parfums, or nails "enhancers" - don't use it.
 
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