Thermal paste on pins

[Mikey925]

I was going to install a new cpu cooler and after wiping off the paste on the broad side of the cpu I saw some paste on the pins. I cleaned them as good as I could but I can't get a little of the paste at the base of the pin.

There's no paste in between or connecting the pins, just a rid bit at the base of a couple of them.

Will that cause any problems?

Should I soak my cpu in isopropyl for 10 minutes or continue picking at the paste?

[techguru]

better clean that stuff..its conductive

might fry the cpu otherwise

I would use carburetor cleaner on a qtip

[_hunter]

Try a vibrating tooth brush and a little rubbing alchol.

[Interfectorem]

better clean that stuff..its conductive

might fry the cpu otherwise

I would use carburetor cleaner on a qtip

Not all thermal paste is electrically conductive.

 

I was going to install a new cpu cooler and after wiping off the paste on the broad side of the cpu I saw some paste on the pins. I cleaned them as good as I could but I can't get a little of the paste at the base of the pin.

There's no paste in between or connecting the pins, just a rid bit at the base of a couple of them.

Will that cause any problems?

Should I soak my cpu in isopropyl for 10 minutes or continue picking at the paste?

What thermal paste is it specifically? What you could do is just make sure that all the paste is wiped off the top of the pins where they make contact with the CPU and try using it that way. If it is a electrically conductive thermal paste, such as Arctic Silver 5, then make sure to clean it all off. You're talking about an AMD CPU, alright. Get something small like a toothpick and it should be pretty easy to "push" the paste off, since from my experience, it tends to stay in small clumps, that way you can rid of all of it.

[Hans Christian | Teri]

This is for an AMD CPU yeah?. Toothpick, isopropyl alcohol and TP should get it off for you.

[Mikey925]

Not all thermal paste is electrically conductive.

 

What thermal paste is it specifically? What you could do is just make sure that all the paste is wiped off the top of the pins where they make contact with the CPU and try using it that way, but if it a electrically conductive thermal paste, such as Arctic Silver 5, then make sure to clean it all off.

It's Insignia. Bought it at best buy a while back

[Interfectorem]

It's Insignia. Bought it at best buy a while back

From a quick Google search, it appears that the Insignia paste is silver-based, so if it's anything like Arctic Silver 5 (Which is also silver-based), then it is most likely electrically conductive, so what I would do is dip some toothpicks in some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and pick at the thermal paste on the CPU. Better safe than sorry.

[Moose347]

Toothbrush and alcohol ,  it also depends on the thermal paste 

[TechFun]

you can use a playing card to push the paste off the pins, but like mentioned above if it is electrically conductive paste like Arctic Silver then you will want to clean with alcohol based remover, I have seen a few AMD CPU's short/fry due to people applying to much paste it overflows in to the socket/pins and its bye CPU