got thermal paste on the back of my 6600k idk what to do now.

[nickjort]

Hello, as i was taking the cpu out of its socket so i could swap it in my new msi z170a gaming m5 mobo, some thermal paste got on the back of it and partially on the middle. im not sure what to do here besides clean the gold parts with 90%+ iso rubbing alcohol. am i screwed? should i just buy a new cpu or am i ok? serious answers only please.

[CallMeMysterious]

I am not a pro but I'd say get some isopropyl alcohol (90% or more ideally) and some paper towel

Dampen the paper towel by putting it over the top and turning it over then wipe it off

 

[CallMeMysterious]

Just now, CallMeMysterious said:

I am not a pro but I'd say get some isopropyl alcohol (90% or more ideally) and some paper towel

Dampen the paper towel by putting it over the top and turning it over then wipe it off

 

Then let it dry for a little bit. I take no responsibility for any damage.

[rn8686]

Just wipe it off with Alcohol, it should be fine. 

[SpaceGhostC2C]

Carefully lick it till is gone.

 

 

No, seriously now: clean with alcohol sounds good, but very important question: Is it a conductive or a non-conductive thermal paste?

[Billy_Mays]

Get some lint free cloths and try to wipe it off and pray you don't kill your cpu

[nickjort]

2 minutes ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Carefully lick it till is gone.

 

 

No, seriously now: clean with alcohol sounds good, but very important question: Is it a conductive or a non-conductive thermal paste?

im not sure, it came with my 212 evo cooler

[SpaceGhostC2C]

10 minutes ago, nickjort said:

im not sure, it came with my 212 evo cooler

I'm 99% sure it's not conductive then. The CM forum seems to agree  

You'll still want to clean it so it doesn't mess with the contact between CPU and motherboard, but as long as it's non-conductive you don't have to worry about getting it 101% clean.

[nickjort]

5 minutes ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

I'm 99% sure it's not conductive then. The CM forum seems to agree  

You'll still want to clean it so it doesn't mess with the contact between CPU and motherboard, but as long as it's non-conductive you don't have to worry about getting it 101% clean.

any idea on what i should do for the middle? cleaning the gold pads shouldnt be a problem. 

[Windows7ge]

Just get some isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips or paper towels. Be gentle, take your time and it should turn out fine.

 

You should consider yourself lucky. The last person I saw on the forum who did this did it to an AMD CPU so they had to clean it out of 10's of pins without bending them.

[nickjort]

Update: got everything off on the pads now i just dont know how to approach the center

[-rascal-]

45 minutes ago, nickjort said:

Update: got everything off on the pads now i just dont know how to approach the center

 

Get some Q-tips, and soak the ends into the alcohol. Then gently message it around the small bits and pieces, so it soak up / cleans off the thermal paste. Repeat above steps until you do not see anymore thermal paste on the CPU, and the alcohol dipped Q-tip is clean (e.g. not grey from the thermal paste).

 

The surface mount resistors and capacitors there are soldered on pretty securely; you'd need to be really rough to knock them loose.

 

These things happen...and are MUCH easier to deal with compared to...bent or broken pins on the motherboard socket.

[nickjort]

1 hour ago, -rascal- said:

 

Get some Q-tips, and soak the ends into the alcohol. Then gently message it around the small bits and pieces, so it soak up / cleans off the thermal paste. Repeat above steps until you do not see anymore thermal paste on the CPU, and the alcohol dipped Q-tip is clean (e.g. not grey from the thermal paste).

 

The surface mount resistors and capacitors there are soldered on pretty securely; you'd need to be really rough to knock them loose.

 

These things happen...and are MUCH easier to deal with compared to...bent or broken pins on the motherboard socket.

How would i go about getting in between the resistors and capacitors. This is what i have so far

[Imakuni]

11 hours ago, nickjort said:

How would i go about getting in between the resistors and capacitors. This is what i have so far

If Q-Tips aren't doing it, toothpicks are worth a shot. Just don't apply too much pressure.

[maartendc]

16 hours ago, Windows7ge said:

Just get some isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips or paper towels. Be genital, take your time and it should turn out fine.

 

You should consider yourself lucky. The last person I saw on the forum who did this did it to an AMD CPU so they had to clean it out of 10's of pins without bending them.

 

Yeah I think this is good advice. Except for I would be gentle with it, not genital LOL.

 

Take your time, and try not to put too much pressure on the capacitors, so as not to damage or break them off. Not sure how fragile those are, but better safe than sorry. With patience and rubbing alcohol + Q tips, you should be fine.

 

Which thermal paste is it? Unless it is conductive thermal paste, it might not even be that big of a deal that some residue remains near those capacitors. As long as the pins can make contact with the gold contacts on the CPU, should be fine... so air on the side of caution when cleaning it.

[Windows7ge]

@maartendc Oops, well now that's gonna be on the internet forever. Lol.