Thermal Paste?

foomonkey

foomonkey

foomonkey

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Joined
27 Oct 2009
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96
i managed to stick my finger in the thermal paste that is supplied on the bottom of the cooler for my i7 920 processor.

since i done that i cleaned off the remaining paste with a cloth as i dont trust using it as i suspect it is more likely now to overheat since there is less paste now.

could anyone recommend me some top notch thermal paste as i might try overclocking the processor later on?

also, was it alright to just use a cloth to clean off the remaining paste or am i meant to use some sort of fluid to do it??
 
Buy either AC5 or MX2/3 – for the thermal paste's replacement.

To clean the residual paste off the HS you can use: IPA (ideally), meths, watered down pure lemon juice (but wash off residue with clean water.) or ArctiClean Thermal Material Remover (or similar). But make sure you use a lint free cloth/kitchen towel to clean the HS base with which ever mixture you use.

EDIT: see RJC's links for an alternative thermal compound cleaner.
 
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I use coffee filters to clean the surfaces. Unused obviously :)

I just fold up each new filter a few times to ensure my finger oils don't leak through it.

Put a few drops of cleaner on the filter (not the component) and give a good clean. Repeat with new filter as necessary till surfaces good and clean.

Then a squirt or two of IPA on another coffee filter and give surfaces a good rub. Repeat. This stuff evaporates fast.

I'm getting nice results with MX3 but in all honesty there are only a few degrees difference between most thermal compunds. The important benefit is gained from ditching the (adequate) stock cooler for a third party one. I note you are using an i7 920 - a third party cooler can make a heck of a difference to temperatures compared to the stock retail supplied jobbie.
 
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when i cleaned the compound off with a paper kitchen towel i noticed a small scratch on the copper plate area of the heatsink/fan.

have i damaged it at all or will it be fine when i reapply more thermal paste?
 
foomonkey said:
have i damaged it at all or will it be fine when i reapply more thermal paste?
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No, those scratches were made during the manufacturing process - breathe easy it was not your fault. ;)

Apply which ever paste you decide on, after cleaning, with confidence... unless you want to learn the art of lapping?..
 
I have used Arctic Silver 5 before but I have heard people saying it's not the best. I, personally think it's great. It worked wonders at reducing my temps.
 
foomonkey said:
what would happen if i just added my new thermal paste over the cloth cleaned surface without using a cleaning solution first?
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You would have small amounts of the generic paste mixing with the newly applied 'performance' paste and this would cause a chemical reaction that would eat through the silicon of the chip and render your CPU useless...

...or it would slightly inhibit the optimum efficiency of the newly applied paste resulting in slightly higher temps. ;)
 
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citycm said:
I have used Arctic Silver 5 before but I have heard people saying it's not the best. I, personally think it's great. It worked wonders at reducing my temps.
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I have always used Arctic Cooling MX-2, slightly edges the AS5 but both pretty much the best choice around, theres also the new MX-3 but havnt tested that yet.
 
i've been told that a small amount of nail polish remover (as its made of acetone) on a lint free cloth would be an good household choice for removing/cleaning the excess thermal compound off my heatsink.

is this true?
 
Nail polish remover should be ok, personally i use cd cleaning fluid that contains isopropyl alcohol, has worked flawlessly for me plus its pretty cheap.
 
nail polish remover leaves residue, so needs cleaning off as well. The only adverse affect is slightly worse performance from the TIM though so its up to you if a few degrees mean that much, but thats the whole point of buying TIM isnt it?

OCZ Freeze
MX-2
MX-3
AS5

are the 4 best performing TIM's i know of, and are the only ones i buy, depending on availability and price etc. MX-3 is the best one though.
 
ended up stealing some alcohol whipes from the 1st aid box at my work to clean the residue and its worked a treate :)

just gotta wait on the MX-2 turning up along with my gx card so i can finish building this pc.

heres hoping it wont be too long! :)
 
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