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Removing Thermal Paste Help

HummusCake
By HummusCake
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So i have an Alienware 15 r2 and i havent changed the thermal paste for over 2 years and i dont have any of that alcohol to remove the thermal paste, will it be ok to use a: tissues, cotton swabs or micro fibre cloth.

If none of these are options, can i just put thermal paste on top of the old one. because gtx 970m isn't that great anymore

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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cotton with a very small amount of water (or dry if oyu don't feel comfortable), also if you have cleaning alcohol, use that

Main PC [The Rig of Theseus]:

CPU: i5-8600K @ 5.0 GHz | GPU: GTX 1660 | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3000 MHz | Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic | PSU: Corsair RM 650i | SSD: Corsair MP510 480 GB |  HDD: 2x 6 TB WD Red| Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro | OS: Windows 11 Pro for Workstations

 

Secondary PC [Why did I bother]:

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G | GPU: Vega 3 iGPU | RAM: 8 GB DDR4 3000 MHz | Case: Corsair 88R | PSU: Corsair VS 650 | SSD: WD Green M.2 SATA 120 GB | Motherboard: MSI A320M-A PRO MAX | OS: Windows 11 Pro for Workstations

 

Server [Solution in search of a problem]:

Model: HP DL360e Gen8 | CPU: 1x Xeon E5-2430L v1 | RAM: 12 GB DDR3 1066 MHz | SSD: Kingston A400 120 GB | OS: VMware ESXi 7

 

Server 2 electric boogaloo [A waste of electricity]:

Model: intel NUC NUC5CPYH | CPU: Celeron N3050 | RAM: 2GB DDR3L 1600 MHz | SSD: Kingston UV400 120 GB | OS: Debian Bullseye

 

Laptop:

Model: ThinkBook 14 Gen 2 AMD | CPU: Ryzen 7 4700U | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz | OS: Windows 11 Pro

 

Photography:

 

Cameras:

Full Frame digital: Sony α7

APS-C digital: Sony α100

Medium Format Film: Kodak Junior SIX-20

35mm Film:

 

Lenses:

Sony SAL-1870 18-70mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 

Sony SAL-75300 75-300mm ƒ/4.5-5.6

Meike MK-50mm ƒ/1.7

 

PSA: No, I didn't waste all that money on computers, (except the main one) my server cost $40, the intel NUC was my old PC (although then it had 8GB of ram, I gave the bigger stick of ram to a person who really needed it), my laptop is used and the second PC is really cheap.

I like tinkering with computers and have a personal hatred towards phones and everything they represent (I daily drive an iPhone 7, or a 6, depends on which one works that day)

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Just now, mbntr said:

cotton with a very small amount of water (or dry if oyu don't feel comfortable), also if you have cleaning alcohol, use that

i havent got any cleaning alcohol, so it'd be safe to use cotton swab for gpu and cpu and the heatsink?

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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4 minutes ago, linusfanboi_skrub1 said:

So i have an Alienware 15 r2 and i havent changed the thermal paste for over 2 years and i dont have any of that alcohol to remove the thermal paste, will it be ok to use a: tissues, cotton swabs or micro fibre cloth.

If none of these are options, can i just put thermal paste on top of the old one. because gtx 970m isn't that great anymore

you can use goo gone, alchol based hand sanitizer or nail polish remover. wipe it a few times with a paper towel or something like that, then wipe with a coffee filter to completely remove it. ltt did a video on it

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Just now, piratemonkey said:

you can use goo gone, alchol based hand sanitizer or nail polish remover. wipe it a few times with a paper towel or something like that, then wipe with a coffee filter to completely remove it. ltt did a video on it

Alright thank you alot :D

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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When dry all these methods will leave some residue, so try to remove that after removing the thermal paste...

Maybe a tissue will leave less crap behind

Main PC [The Rig of Theseus]:

CPU: i5-8600K @ 5.0 GHz | GPU: GTX 1660 | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3000 MHz | Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic | PSU: Corsair RM 650i | SSD: Corsair MP510 480 GB |  HDD: 2x 6 TB WD Red| Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro | OS: Windows 11 Pro for Workstations

 

Secondary PC [Why did I bother]:

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G | GPU: Vega 3 iGPU | RAM: 8 GB DDR4 3000 MHz | Case: Corsair 88R | PSU: Corsair VS 650 | SSD: WD Green M.2 SATA 120 GB | Motherboard: MSI A320M-A PRO MAX | OS: Windows 11 Pro for Workstations

 

Server [Solution in search of a problem]:

Model: HP DL360e Gen8 | CPU: 1x Xeon E5-2430L v1 | RAM: 12 GB DDR3 1066 MHz | SSD: Kingston A400 120 GB | OS: VMware ESXi 7

 

Server 2 electric boogaloo [A waste of electricity]:

Model: intel NUC NUC5CPYH | CPU: Celeron N3050 | RAM: 2GB DDR3L 1600 MHz | SSD: Kingston UV400 120 GB | OS: Debian Bullseye

 

Laptop:

Model: ThinkBook 14 Gen 2 AMD | CPU: Ryzen 7 4700U | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz | OS: Windows 11 Pro

 

Photography:

 

Cameras:

Full Frame digital: Sony α7

APS-C digital: Sony α100

Medium Format Film: Kodak Junior SIX-20

35mm Film:

 

Lenses:

Sony SAL-1870 18-70mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 

Sony SAL-75300 75-300mm ƒ/4.5-5.6

Meike MK-50mm ƒ/1.7

 

PSA: No, I didn't waste all that money on computers, (except the main one) my server cost $40, the intel NUC was my old PC (although then it had 8GB of ram, I gave the bigger stick of ram to a person who really needed it), my laptop is used and the second PC is really cheap.

I like tinkering with computers and have a personal hatred towards phones and everything they represent (I daily drive an iPhone 7, or a 6, depends on which one works that day)

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1 minute ago, mbntr said:

When dry all these methods will leave some residue, so try to remove that after removing the thermal paste...

Maybe a tissue will leave less crap behind

micro fibre cloth might be more useful than a tissue

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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Just now, UltraMagnus69r said:

Vodka and micro fiber worked like a charm for me once lol

Lmao can i do it without vodka?

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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16 minutes ago, linusfanboi_skrub1 said:

Lmao can i do it without vodka?

Obviously make sure its out of the socket. I like microfiber that doesn't leave fuzz. The video above shows some pretty good alternatives. Just make sure that any liquid or cleaning pad doesn't leave anything on the CPU after cleaning

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8 minutes ago, UltraMagnus69r said:

Obviously make sure its out of the socket. I like microfiber that doesn't leave fuzz. The video above shows some pretty good alternatives. Just make sure that any liquid or cleaning pad doesn't leave anything on the CPU after cleaning

Noted, thanks!

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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11 hours ago, linusfanboi_skrub1 said:

micro fibre cloth might be more useful than a tissue

it may be but you will have a hell of a time cleaning it, thermal paste is some nasty stuff

Main PC [The Rig of Theseus]:

CPU: i5-8600K @ 5.0 GHz | GPU: GTX 1660 | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3000 MHz | Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic | PSU: Corsair RM 650i | SSD: Corsair MP510 480 GB |  HDD: 2x 6 TB WD Red| Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro | OS: Windows 11 Pro for Workstations

 

Secondary PC [Why did I bother]:

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G | GPU: Vega 3 iGPU | RAM: 8 GB DDR4 3000 MHz | Case: Corsair 88R | PSU: Corsair VS 650 | SSD: WD Green M.2 SATA 120 GB | Motherboard: MSI A320M-A PRO MAX | OS: Windows 11 Pro for Workstations

 

Server [Solution in search of a problem]:

Model: HP DL360e Gen8 | CPU: 1x Xeon E5-2430L v1 | RAM: 12 GB DDR3 1066 MHz | SSD: Kingston A400 120 GB | OS: VMware ESXi 7

 

Server 2 electric boogaloo [A waste of electricity]:

Model: intel NUC NUC5CPYH | CPU: Celeron N3050 | RAM: 2GB DDR3L 1600 MHz | SSD: Kingston UV400 120 GB | OS: Debian Bullseye

 

Laptop:

Model: ThinkBook 14 Gen 2 AMD | CPU: Ryzen 7 4700U | RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz | OS: Windows 11 Pro

 

Photography:

 

Cameras:

Full Frame digital: Sony α7

APS-C digital: Sony α100

Medium Format Film: Kodak Junior SIX-20

35mm Film:

 

Lenses:

Sony SAL-1870 18-70mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 

Sony SAL-75300 75-300mm ƒ/4.5-5.6

Meike MK-50mm ƒ/1.7

 

PSA: No, I didn't waste all that money on computers, (except the main one) my server cost $40, the intel NUC was my old PC (although then it had 8GB of ram, I gave the bigger stick of ram to a person who really needed it), my laptop is used and the second PC is really cheap.

I like tinkering with computers and have a personal hatred towards phones and everything they represent (I daily drive an iPhone 7, or a 6, depends on which one works that day)

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Toilet paper ;) You really don't need anything else. Except when its hardened.

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You should really invest in isopropyl alcohol. The higher the % the better.

AMD R7 5800X3D | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, 1x T30

Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero | 32GB G.Skill Trident Z @ 3733C14

Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC @ 3060/1495 | WD SN850, SN850X, SN770

Seasonic Vertex GX-1000 | Fractal Torrent Compact RGB, Many CFM's

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19 hours ago, freeagent said:

You should really invest in isopropyl alcohol. The higher the % the better.

in the current state of time it's really hard to get isopropyl alcohol, i'll check with my local shops incase they sell them. Also what do the percentages mean? do i get 70%, 90% 99% 91% etc

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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Higher 90s would be best, it cleans better and leaves less residue.

AMD R7 5800X3D | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, 1x T30

Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero | 32GB G.Skill Trident Z @ 3733C14

Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC @ 3060/1495 | WD SN850, SN850X, SN770

Seasonic Vertex GX-1000 | Fractal Torrent Compact RGB, Many CFM's

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Just now, freeagent said:

Higher 90s would be best, it cleans better and leaves less residue.

Alright thanks

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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I personally use a napkin or paper towel. Isopropyl alcohol helps if it's caked on and cleans better but isn't usually necessary. 

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
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It satisfies my ocd 👌🏻

AMD R7 5800X3D | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, 1x T30

Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero | 32GB G.Skill Trident Z @ 3733C14

Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC @ 3060/1495 | WD SN850, SN850X, SN770

Seasonic Vertex GX-1000 | Fractal Torrent Compact RGB, Many CFM's

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Im gonna order 99.9% isopropyl alcohol, i read that is the best one to use

Pc value: 9999999$. Alienware 15 r2: 16GB Ram ddr3, Intel Core i-7 4110HQ @ 3.5ghz, gtx 970m, 1 TB HDD *for games*, 120GB SSD *for windows*.

fastest boot time, 6.5 seconds

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