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Is leaving thermal paste exposed OK?

Lemonpearl
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I was rehousing my PC but ran into a problem. I cut into the insulation of my CPU cooler wires when removing cable ties. No big deal as I have a spare. The problem is as I removed my CPU cooler to make the switch I realised I have no thermal paste remover. My CPU is now exposed with only thermal paste. Can I leave it like this while I wait for my order of thermal paste remover?

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1 minute ago, Lemonpearl said:

I was rehousing my PC but ran into a problem. I cut into the insulation of my CPU cooler wires when removing cable ties. No big deal as I have a spare. The problem is as I removed my CPU cooler to make the switch I realised I have no thermal paste remover. My CPU is now exposed with only thermal paste. Can I leave it like this while I wait for my order of thermal paste remover?

thermal paste remover? some paper towels should be good and make sure to have them clean for every wipe you do

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Just now, ExozeGD said:

thermal paste remover? some paper towels should be good and make sure to have them clean for every wipe you do

use some rubbing alcohol and a face cloth

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Just now, ExozeGD said:

thermal paste remover? some paper towels should be good and make sure to have them clean for every wipe you do

How do I use paper towels exactly?

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Just now, Lemonpearl said:

How do I use paper towels exactly?

you basicly just wipe it off without making all the paste go on the motherboard pcb

Main build
CPU: i7 5820k  MotherBoard: Gigabyte x99 UD4  RAM: corsair ballistix 2400mhz 4x4gb  GPU: Asus GTX 970  PSU: corsair rm1000  SSD 1: Samsung 840evo 500gb  SSD 2: Samsung 850evo 500gb  HDD: Western Digital red 3tb  Case: Phanteks Enthoo pro M  CPU cooler: corsair h80i

 

Second build
CPU: i7 5820k  MotherBoard: Gigabyte x99 UD5 WIFI  RAM: G.skill 2666mhz 4x4gb  GPU: Nvidia GTS 450 (soon to be upgraded)  PSU: corsair HX650  SSD: Samsung 850evo 250gb  Case: Cooler Master 430 elite  CPU cooler: Cooler Master hyper 212 evo

 

Third build

CPU: xeon x5690  MotherBoard: Evga x58 classified 4way-sli  Ram: Patriot 1600mhz 4x3gb  GPU: Asus HD6970  PSU: fractal newton r2 1000w  SSD: crucial m500 240gb  Case: Cooler Master Haf X  CPU cooler: Mega Shadow

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Though the thermal paste will be as hard as stone, you can leave it exposed.

 

BTW Why don't you just use some alcohol? The thermal paste remover is probably a scam

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I've used all sorts to remove thermal paste before, ranging from Vodka to WD40 and petrol. But just use some kitchen paper to carefully clean it and your good to go!

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2 minutes ago, ExozeGD said:
2 minutes ago, KE2012 said:

I've used all sorts to remove thermal paste before, ranging from petrol to WD40. But just use some kitchen paper to clean it and your good to go!

you basicly just wipe it off without making all the paste go on the motherboard pcb

Not working that well just smudging if anything.

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1 minute ago, Lemonpearl said:

Not working that well just smudging if anything.

It will do. Just wipe it, use a clean bit of paper and wipe it again, and repeat.

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Just use isopropyl alcohol everything above 90% should be fine

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