Thermal paste, also known as thermal grease, CPU paste, thermal gel, heat paste, or TIM (Thermal Interface Material). Whatever you know it as the correct application of it is an important part of ensuring your CPU performance. It is a conductive material that ensures contact between the heated CPU and the cooler. Processors are the most common part of a computer CPU. To operate at peak efficiency, most computer processors need to apply some sort of thermal solution. If you are already using a CPU that needs thermal paste to be applied over and over again, you’ll need to remove the old thermal paste. Before starting to remove the old thermal paste from your CPU, you need to know how to remove the thermal paste from the CPU.
How to Remove Thermal Paste from CPU – Steps showing Clean off Thermal Paste
Necessary Instruments
Some instruments are needed to remove the thermal paste from your CPU. Some pieces of soft microfiber cloth, Rubbing Alcohol, and cotton buds are needed to clean off the old thermal paste from your CPU.
Steps of Cleaning off Thermal Paste
After arranging the necessary instruments (soft microfiber cloth, rubbing alcohol, and cotton buds), you can now start to remove the thermal paste. Here are the steps to remove the thermal paste from your CPU.
Step-1; Wiping the Top Surface of Your CPU
Take the soft microfiber cloth piece and start wiping old thermal paste from your CPU’s top surface. You have to wipe old thermal paste from your CPU surface as much as possible.
Step-2; Cleaning off the Hardened Thermal Paste
To clean off the hardened thermal paste from your CPU’s top surface, you have to dip the end of a cotton bud into rubbing alcohol. Now, you have to rasp gently to wipe the top surface of your CPU. By rasping gently with rubbing alcohol in the cotton bud, you can also be able to clean off any stubborn paste from the surface.
Step-3; Removing the Remaining Thermal Paste
After cleaning off the hardened thermal paste, you have to use a piece of clean microfiber cloth to remove the remaining thermal paste. The used Alcohol will vanish immediately. Repeat this step to completely remove the old thermal paste from your CPU surface.
Precautions
For safety, disengage all the power cables and shut down your PC before starting to remove the old thermal paste from your CPU surface. Also, remove the heatsink(IHS) and cooler.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
Can I use paper towel instead of soft cloths to remove old thermal paste from CPU?
Yes, you can use paper towels instead of soft cloths to remove the old thermal paste from your CPU, but paper towels can cause scratches on your CPU surface. So, it is better to use a soft and clean cloth.
Which Alcohol is better to rubbing the surface?
Rubbing Alcohol that contains 90-95% Alcohol is better used for rubbing the surface of your CPU. This type of Alcohol can easily clean and disappear immediately.
What does thermal paste do?
The thermal paste helps to transfer heat from the CPU and eliminate air gaps between two surfaces to facilitate a better transfer.
Conclusion
Now, you already know, how to clean off your CPU’s old thermal paste. The cooling performance of the heatsink and cooler can be affected by old thermal paste. You must need to remove the old thermal paste from your CPU before applying the new thermal paste.
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