Replacing heat sink after repair

LFCJohnSmith · 08-29-2009, 01:35 PM

A while back I broke the fan on my new CPU while installing it so only 3 of the 4 legs would fit in the board, but just now I was about to throw it away but before I actually got around to throwing it away I tried to unjam the broken leg and without trying to hard at all and without realising I actuall got the leg to work properly and now I can not tell which one was broke and which one's where working. What I need to know though is should I clean the old theremal paste of both the fan / heatsink and the cpu or will it be alright to just replenish the paste with a top up? Also if i have to clean the old paste off how is the best and easiest way to do it, should I just give it a quick wipe with some tissue or something?

Slaymate · 08-29-2009, 01:47 PM

Clean it off with alcohol or nail polish remover, something that will evaporate quickly. Use a soft, clean, lint free piece of cloth if possible. Some of the guys here swear by coffee filters.

What type of thermal paste are you planning on using? There are several methods of applying the paste depending upon what type of paste is used.

b1gapl · 08-29-2009, 01:48 PM

You can either get this cleaning kit:
Newegg.com - Arctic Silver ACN-60ML (2-PC-SET) Thermal material Remover & Surface Purifier - Thermal Compound / Grease

or use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). The higher percentage of the isopropyl, the better. This will help break the paste down so it's easy to wipe clean. You should wipe it up with a lint free cloth of some sort. I usually use coffee filter, or you can use q-tips.

It's not recommended to just do a "top up", because you should not mix different pastes together. Plus, it won't be as efficient at dissipating heat as cleaning it up and adding a fresh new application of thermal paste. And yes, you should clean both the heatsink and cpu of thermal paste residue before applying new paste.

LFCJohnSmith · 08-29-2009, 02:34 PM

I just ended up wiping the back with some kitchen paper until there was none left on, and I have now replced my heatsink with the one that I thought was broken and is a bit quieter. The paste I used was just some silver one that come with my cpu when I bought it.

yzmxer608 · 08-29-2009, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaymate

Clean it off with alcohol or nail polish remover, something that will evaporate quickly. Use a soft, clean, lint free piece of cloth if possible. Some of the guys here swear by coffee filters.

What type of thermal paste are you planning on using? There are several methods of applying the paste depending upon what type of paste is used.

Nail polish remover works pretty good? Would be a good choice for me because my mom and sister have a bunch of that stuff

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Slaymate · 08-29-2009, 02:42 PM

Nail Polish Remover is just Acetone with a scent added

yzmxer608 · 08-29-2009, 02:47 PM

Really? The scent isn't working too well in my opinion

. Always wondered why it smelled like something that should be used in the garage rather than on someone's nails haha.

Thanks, next time I need to take my heat sink off I'll use some nail polish remover and a coffee filter

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