How to clean up old thermal paste?

[Leito]

Hello!

The question is simple, as in title - How to clean up old thermal paste?
I know, that isopropyl alcohol is the best for it, but of course in my small town I can not find it anywhere... I am wondering, is a denaturant good for cleaning up a GPU from thermal paste?

Here is "my story" in details - for brave ones in reading

Because my GPU - Asus Radeon HD5750 Formula is overheating in my opinion (On stock clocks 50*C on Idle, 80-90 while gaming and even over 100 on Furmark test).

Maybe my case is not a good one and it is badly ventilated, but even when i open the case the temps are not getting any lower (for CPU it helped , but GPU is still 50*C and more ).

The room temps are around 20*C. I've tried to set PC to sleep mode and then after 3-4 hours start it again - it takes less time than normal boot up. The temps on GPU are around 36*C . On the CPU at this same time is something around 20*C on cores...

I've tried to give it back on a warranty, but they said, that everything is fine till there are no any issues with display .

The warranty ended up and i want to give there some new thermal paste - maybe its wrongly aplied? On reviews this same GPU has lower temps .

I've already bought some compressed air, Artic cooling MX-4 thermal paste and some aluminum heatsinks for CPU power section for my motherboard (There is no heatsinks in stock ). But i can not find an isopropyl alcohol anywhere . Buying in the net and paying as much again for delivery is not profitable for me

With regards,
Leito

 

[SMOKEU]

I use homebrew spirit which comes out of the still at 89% ABV. Failing that, any neutral spirit such as vodka will do, but don't use too much of it. You don't want the chip dripping wet, just a damp cloth is all you need.

 

[EarthDog]

How does your small town not have rubbing alcohol? Seriously. No walmart in another town? Walgreen's? Rite aide?

 

[m715]

How does your small town not have rubbing alcohol? Seriously. No walmart in another town? Walgreen's? Rite aide?

I agree take a 2nd look you can find it just about any where, grocery store, pharmacy, corner store, walmart, target, CVS...

I've also found if the paste is really put on heavy that a plastic razor blade is nice to scrape off the 1st round of old gunk (old CC/pre-paid card works too).

 

[Leito]

Heh. Everyday I'm noticing how my english level is low.

I'm a beginner in aplying thermal paste and the only think good for cleaning I've found out is an isopropyl alcohol. I couldn't buy it so I figured out an denaturant which is an ethyl alcohol - good for cleaning and removing fat. (from label )

In Poland there is only 40% vodka .

Of course I don't want to pour this on a graphic card. Just a little bit on a paper towel and clean this up with it.

I'll still try to look for that isopropyl alcohol. There is 1 pharmacy left .

So the denaturant is no good?

Regards,
Leito

 

[m715]

Heh. Everyday I'm noticing how my english level is low.

I'm a beginner in aplying thermal paste and the only think good for cleaning I've found out is an isopropyl alcohol. I couldn't buy it so I figured out an denaturant which is an ethyl alcohol - good for cleaning and removing fat. (from label )

In Poland there is only 40% vodka .

Of course I don't want to pour this on a graphic card. Just a little bit on a paper towel and clean this up with it.

I'll still try to look for that isopropyl alcohol. There is 1 pharmacy left .

So the denaturant is no good?

Regards,
Leito

Yes, denatured alcohol, or ethyl alcohol will work fine. In the US isopropyl alcohol is very common. I would have thought you would easily be able to get high prof alcohol in Poland like 150 or 190 proof (75-95%)...

Yep, just use a paper towel or q-tip (ear cleaner) with a little alcohol and rub it off. Some people like to use coffee filters because they are lint free and will leave the CPU slightly cleaner.

Instead of typing up an explanation, here's a good one off tomshardware:
Using ethanol to clean thermal sink on heatsink.

Ethanol is alcohol, just that it is made from grain (suitable for drinkin) vs Isopropanol and Methanol which is derived from wood (NOT suitable for drinking). Methanol and Isopropanol are commonly used to wipe down equipmant that is taken into a cleanroom enviorment.

100% (200 proof) Ethanol is hard to come by and usally has a tax sticker on it.
"rubbing Alcohol" up to 91% (9% is water) is common and cheap ar a drugstore. I have a source for 100% Isopropanol which is what I use.

Any of the 3 evaporates quicky with no residue

Quote
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a solvent, and as a fuel. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as alcohol or spirits.

Isopropyl alcohol (also isopropanol, propan-2-ol, 2-propanol, rubbing alcohol or the abbreviation IPA) is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor. It is the simplest example of a secondary alcohol, where the alcohol carbon is attached to two other carbons sometimes shown as (CH3)2CHOH. It is a structural isomer of propanol.

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH (often abbreviated MeOH). It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol

 

[idkfa]

I'll still try to look for that isopropyl alcohol. There is 1 pharmacy left .

So the denaturant is no good?

Ispropyl alcohol ethanol is denat. too, basically they add residues (like Methylethylketone or Isopropyl Alcohol) which are hard to remove from the alcohol so you can't drink it. This has tax reasons because if it is non drinkable you won't have to pay taxes.
So far for the terminology, or correct me if Im wrong and you are able to buy pure alcohol in the USA.
So it doesn't really matter what kind of alcohol you use, although I'd prefer industrial purpose alcohols over wodka

m715 was faster and more detailed by the way

 

[Johan45]

The isopropyl alchohol we get in a pharmacy usually 90% also know as rubbing alchohol you don't drink this stuff. And I have always used coffee filters they're tough and lint free.

 

[Mandrake4565]

And I have always used coffee filters they're tough and lint free.

+1

 

[Leito]

I was in the pharmacy and the pharmacist said, that they've never sold an isopropyl alcohol.

So I'll use a denaturant.

Thanks for so many replays and advices. I'll post the results.

Regards,
Leito

 

[larrymoencurly]

Kerosene, mineral spirits, and brake parts cleaner will remove silicone grease, but try not to get much of these on plastics. Much worse for plastics are lacquer thinner and enamel reducer.

Diluted alcohol works OK, like window cleaner, mouth wash, or car windshield washer fluid.

 

[Leito]

Hi. Yesterday I've turned on a Heaven Benchmark and made a test. Temperature on GPU raised up to 90*C. Then turned PC off and unpluged a video card. Then the "heatsink" easy went off. Then i saw how the original thermal paste looks like:

Sorry for bad quality, somebodys took my camera

I thought, that the thermal paste should be only on this smaller part with ATI logo, not on whole chip with this little transistors etc. What do You think?

Here is a edited photo for better look. Thermal paste should be spreaded on the red area or on the whole chip - yellow area? I was thinkink only about a red, but it is better to ask

Anyway now I'm trying to clean up the chip from it. There are sereval smal transistors or somethink like that there and I have to be very carefull

Regards,
Leito

 

[Johan45]

You're correct Leito the paste should only be on the chip.(the black part in the center) That is a terribly messy job someone did on that card could even be part of the heat issue.

 

[Leito]

It is funny, because I bought it brand new...

I have made mistake when I let them build that pc... Now I dont know if is that ASUS job or the shop sold me some card, that they were "fixing".

It is hard to clean up that mess. I will upload a photo and show You how is it going.

 

[Mandrake4565]

That is a mess of a paste job. If it hasn't been suggested already, try using coffee filters to clean it. They don't leave lint behind.

 

[Leito]

This is it. The chip was very easy to clean up, but that little things around chip are a nightmare. Please look at the photo and tell me, will it be enaugh? I don't want to damage them.

Regards,
Leito

PS:
It's already cleaned up from dust by compressed air.

 

[briansun1]

I can't see thought pics can you host them on this website?

 

[m715]

I can't see thought pics can you host them on this website?

Hmm, I can see them, here they are...

That really was a ton of paste they slopped on.

 

[briansun1]

yea for some resone my I cant see some of the pictures on this site

 

[Leito]

briansun1 pictures are uploaded on the imageshack. I'm always doing it to not overload a server. Try to click on a direct link - http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/84/dsc0172bl.jpg

That's how it looks right now. I think, that I can start to mounting it back toogether.