Can i use 70% isopropyl alchohol to clean the Arctic Alumina off my AMD?

ssgohan434 · Jul 20, 2003

it says to use high purity isoprpyl alchohol on their website but is 70% ok? and what is the difference? It also has water in the 70% isopropyl alchohol.

BTW what is the precedure for cleaning the chip?

edit: the reason i need to do this is so i can put on Arctic Ceramique that i just ordered.

edit: here is a link to the website

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_instructions.htm

go down for removal instructions

crull · Jul 20, 2003

ssgohan434 said:
it says to use high purity isoprpyl alchohol on their website but is 70% ok? and what is the difference? It also has water in the 70% isopropyl alchohol.

BTW what is the precedure for cleaning the chip?

edit: the reason i need to do this is so i can put on Arctic Ceramique that i just ordered.

edit: here is a link to the website

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_instructions.htm

go down for removal instructions

Yes you can use that, they only mention high % alcohol because it evaporates quickly and will clean it off easier. You can also use acetone(Finger nail polish remover). Be carefull with the acetone, it can ruin certain materials like plastic, but using it on a cpu core is fine. If you have any goofoff that also works good with cleaning the core. Don't use any oil based products and use alcohol last to wipe the core.

crull · Jul 20, 2003

Use what ever you have to clean the core(alcohol, acetone, goofoff, etc.) with a lint free cloth. You only need to use the alcohol, unless there is something on the core that alcohol alone can't remove. Just always use the alcohol as the last cleaning solution. I use cutips with alcohol they seem to work pretty well. Wipe the heat sink, and core really well with the alcohol. Blow off any dust. Then put a tiny bit of thermal compound on the bottom of the heatsink, put your hand in a plastic sandwich bag and using your finger rub it really well into the base of the heatsink. You just want a slight film of the compund on the heatsink, use the bag to get off as much as possible so the heatsink is left with a slight haze. Put a tiny drop of the compound on the core of the cpu, and spread it as thin and evenly as possible using a credit card, razor blade, your finger in a plastic bag....etc. Now just attach the heatsink, try not to twist the heat sink when you attach it if possible. You want it to go straight down with pressure, because any twisting will create hills and valleys in the compound. Good Luck

ssgohan434 · Jul 21, 2003

yeah i know how apply the darn thing, but never cleaned it b4. will it damage the processor if i dip it in 70% isopropyl alcohol??? also if isopropyl gets on the bridges will that also damage the processor??? also how long should i wait after cleaning the processor for it to dry and then i can put on the ceramique and power the system????

thnx for the help

emericanchaos · Jul 21, 2003

any time you submerge electronics in liquid you take the risk of damaging it. if you must submerge it than use the purest isopropyl you can get. usually 90% or greater. then be sure to let it dry very well.

ssgohan434 · Jul 21, 2003

im not gonna submerge it, i just wanted to know if it is possible to get isopropyl alchohol everywhere on it without any damage. also if i just dip a Q-tip into some 70% isopropyl alchohol and clean off the core withit how long should i wait before applying another type of thermal goop and using the chip??

Jaster · Jul 21, 2003

I SOAKED an old geforce 2 ultra in rubbing alcohol overnight once and it worked fine afterwords, haha.

z1bluecat · Jul 21, 2003

I think the general rule of thumb is as long as your carefull and focus on just cleaning the core off you'll be ok. Now if you wanted to light the 70% isop on fire while it was siting on the chip or something that could cause problems =).

fafnir · Jul 21, 2003

wtf, u're all a bunch of little girls except for you Jaster,....

everytime i remount any of my cpu's ever since the socket days, i always take a tooshbrush, and scrub the thing VERY VERY THORUGHLY with SOAP AND WATER....

just remember to let it DRY FULLY THOUGH... e.g. leave it in a well ventilated place like under a fan for like a full day or something.... DON'T USE A HAIRDRYER....

and once its fully dry, use some scotch tape and tape the core, remove, tape again, remove,... the tape can remove the last bits of dust that gets on the surface of the chip..... scotch tape can remove weak glue left by stickers this way too....

see? this couldn't possibly work if cpu's weren't waterproof....

<though the resisters around the core aren't.... you could nail polish them to make them waterproof....>

hope this helps

stan03 · Jul 21, 2003

fafnir said:
wtf, u're all a bunch of little girls except for you Jaster,....

everytime i remount any of my cpu's ever since the socket days, i always take a tooshbrush, and scrub the thing VERY VERY THORUGHLY with SOAP AND WATER....

just remember to let it DRY FULLY THOUGH... e.g. leave it in a well ventilated place like under a fan for like a full day or something.... DON'T USE A HAIRDRYER....

and once its fully dry, use some scotch tape and tape the core, remove, tape again, remove,... the tape can remove the last bits of dust that gets on the surface of the chip..... scotch tape can remove weak glue left by stickers this way too....

see? this couldn't possibly work if cpu's weren't waterproof....

<though the resisters around the core aren't.... you could nail polish them to make them waterproof....>

hope this helps

you are very brave

]Originally posted by ssgohan434
also how long should i wait after cleaning the processor for it to dry and then i can put on the ceramique and power the system????

Alcohol evaporates very fast, i think one day would be way more than enough.

Neco · Jul 21, 2003

boooo I'm gonna go cry on my panties

....right

stan03 · Jul 21, 2003

Neco said:
boooo I'm gonna go cry on my panties

....right

huh?

Neco · Jul 21, 2003

Well he insisted we were all girls

wtf, u're all a bunch of little girls except for you Jaster,....

-fafnir

Big_Baller · Jul 21, 2003

Yup soaking your computer parts in alcohol is a great way to clean em. Just leave a fan on them for several hours, turning them over a few time. Water is fine but it takes longer to evaporate. My personal exp with 70% iso and the higher stuff is this: 70% dosn't take as much off. Like out of the cracks and stuff. Use the highest you can get. Denaturated alcohol is awsome. You can get it at a hardware store.

JKeefe · Jul 21, 2003

stan03 said:
Alcohol evaporates very fast, i think one day would be way more than enough.

One day? Way less than that. The idea is to clean the chip and then cover it with the heatsink before it can get dirty again. Leaving it laying around for the day does not do this.

I use 100% IPA to clean my heatsinks and processors and you can literally see the alcohol evaporate before your eyes - it is gone in less than two minutes. With lower concentrations it will take longer, but still, it is nowhere near a day.

Wait until you can't see any more alcohol on the chip, then wait a few more minutes, and you're good to go.

stan03 · Jul 21, 2003

that is true, but when you see the alcohol evaporate there is still some left when its 70%... trust me on that one. and i said one day was way more than enough becuase fafnir said he left it around for one day... and i was saying 1 day is too long... can you tell me where you get 100 percent IPA?

crull · Jul 21, 2003

You don't need to dip the cpu to remove the old compound, your not removing dried paint. If you had a short and thought it was because of Arctic Silver 3 then it might help to dip it, but your just changing compound no need to go crazy. Once the alcohol has dried which you can tell by looking at it apply the new compound and thats it. This isnt rocket science, maybe if you painted the core then you might want to give it a couple of hours to dry.

tbates757 · Jul 21, 2003

Sure, I suppose you could use 70%, it will just take longer to dry than say 91% isopropyl alcohol. Keep in mind the remaining percentage is distilled water, and give it enough time to evaporate under a fan or something so you don't fry your components *raises hand* I fried a CPU because I used 70% and apparently didn't give it enough time to dry, and learned the hard way. Good thing it was only a $50 1600+

Big_Baller · Jul 21, 2003

tbates757 said:
Sure, I suppose you could use 70%, it will just take longer to dry than say 91% isopropyl alcohol. Keep in mind the remaining percentage is distilled water, and give it enough time to evaporate under a fan or something so you don't fry your components *raises hand* I fried a CPU because I used 70% and apparently didn't give it enough time to dry, and learned the hard way. Good thing it was only a $50 1600+

hehe its a hard lesson to learn, sometimes expensive.

JKeefe · Jul 21, 2003

stan03 said:
can you tell me where you get 100 percent IPA?

Any chemistry lab will have lots of 100% solvents, including IPA.

Can i use 70% isopropyl alchohol to clean the Arctic Alumina off my AMD?

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Registered

Registered

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

New Member

Member

Member

Similar threads