How do I remove thermal paste from small spaces?

[FAQBytes]

Recently I acquired a super cheap Radeon HD7850, mostly because it was broken. I am trying my luck with it. So, here's the problem: there was thermal paste everywhere. Total horror fest. I've gotten rid of most of it, but now there are residual amounts of it left over.

 

Most of it are right at the corner of tiny resisters/capacitors on the top of the GPU creating a bridge, I don't have my test equipment here with me to test it at the moment. (Working on getting a photo up)

 

Any idea on how to get rid of it?

[Mauricio G. B.]

3 minutes ago, FAQBytes said:

Recently I acquired a super cheap Radeon HD7850, mostly because it was broken. I am trying my luck with it. So, here's the problem: there was thermal paste everywhere. Total horror fest. I've gotten rid of most of it, but now there are residual amounts of it left over.

 

Most of it are right at the corner of tiny resisters/capacitors on the top of the GPU creating a bridge, I don't have my test equipment here with me to test it at the moment. (Working on getting a photo up)

 

Any idea on how to get rid of it?

Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

[FirstArmada]

Buy a new GPU cough sig cough

 

Jk

 

Do you have an anti static tweezers? use the back end of em

[FAQBytes]

Just now, Mauricio G. B. said:

Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

I won't have access to isopropyl alcohol until Thursday. I've tried dry ones and that had gotten me rather close.

[Enderman]

is it on the PCB or on the square that is the GPU die

 

 

this entire square is the GPU die

its fine to get thermal paste on the tiny chips on it

 

[FAQBytes]

Just now, FirstArmada said:

Buy a new GPU cough sig cough

Nah, it's been working fine for me. Maybe once the 480 gets benchmarked a little more I'll think about it.

 

Back to the topic at hand.

[FAQBytes]

Just now, Enderman said:

is it on the PCB or on the square that is the GPU die

 

Quote

 

It's on the 'small chips' as you would put it. As far as I can tell, the compound that was used was a conductive tim, meaning those chips are effectively shorts. While it probably won't kill it, it isn't healthy for it and it will force it to not run. 

[FAQBytes]

While this isn't the greatest photo, it does show the problem I am having.

 

[Enderman]

2 minutes ago, FAQBytes said:

It's on the 'small chips' as you would put it. As far as I can tell, the compound that was used was a conductive tim, meaning those chips are effectively shorts. While it probably won't kill it, it isn't healthy for it and it will force it to not run. 

how do you know it was conductive

nobody uses conductive thermal paste these days, especially not GPU manufacturers

[SageOfSpice]

Toothpick?

 

Honestly, if it's a conductive TIM and it's everywhere, you want to deep clean that thing.

Either wait for the alcohol, or just give the card a bath and scrub it with an extremely soft bristled brush. in circular patterns while it's submerged.

 

Using water is going to take a very long time though, as you'll have to let the card sit and discharge for a period of time before washing it, and it's going to take about a week to actually fully dry in rice.

 

So.... Probably go with the alcohol.

[FAQBytes]

Just now, Enderman said:

how do you know it was conductive

nobody uses conductive thermal paste these days, especially not GPU manufacturers

Well, GPU manufacturers also don't get thermal paste all over the GPU or use (what seemed to be) 2-part thermal paste and leave half of it unmixed on the side. I know I left these details out but still. 

Just now, SageOfSpice said:

Toothpick?

 

Honestly, if it's a conductive TIM and it's everywhere, you want to deep clean that thing.

Either wait for the alcohol, or just give the card a bath and scrub it with an extremely soft bristled brush. in circular patterns while it's submerged.

Thank you. I don't think I'm going to give it a full bath, but Thursday I will be thoroughly cleaning it. I just wanted to get suggestions in the meantime.

[Enderman]

5 minutes ago, FAQBytes said:

Well, GPU manufacturers also don't get thermal paste all over the GPU or use (what seemed to be) 2-part thermal paste and leave half of it unmixed on the side. I know I left these details out but still. 

this is what it manufacturer applied thermal paste looks like most of the time

and its perfectly fine

[ItsMinJunLol]

I'm not too sure if it's conductive or not but see one of linustechtips GPU waterblock or something guides to see how much thermal paste is in there. If you want to clean it out, how about a cotton bud?

[FAQBytes]

I'd like to point out how goopy and inconsistent this stuff is compared to yours. If you zoom in close to the edge, you can see it was also quite runny as well. The stuff on the edge and those lines are not from me removing it either. There was also a drop on a transistor/mosfet on the front and a drop on the back. Also looking at the tim that Sapphire used at the time it isn't consistent with what is here.

 

To me those seem like it was a careless person doing this.

[SageOfSpice]

2 minutes ago, FAQBytes said:

I'd like to point out how goopy and inconsistent this stuff is compared to yours. If you zoom in close to the edge, you can see it was also quite runny as well. The stuff on the edge and those lines are not from me removing it either. There was also a drop on a transistor/mosfet on the front and a drop on the back. Also looking at the tim that Sapphire used at the time it isn't consistent with what is here.

 

To me those seem like it was a careless person doing this.

Spoiler

Oh wow, that's disgusting. That looks more like toothpaste. 

[FAQBytes]

Just now, SageOfSpice said:

Oh wow, that's disgusting. That looks more like toothpaste. 

Luckily it wasn't, but at this point I think it almost would have been better if it was.