How to remove thermal compound

[entropy]

So, my slk-947 should be here tonight .. and i need to remove the thermal paste on the cpu now in order to put some AS5 on it. How should i go about doing this? Just take a cloth and wipe? also, for the Smart fan 2...for the thermistor ... that should be touching the edge of the IHS, right? well, how do i keep it from moving away from there so it doesn't get innaccurate readings?

[csimon]

use a soft cloth or cotton ball and dab it with fingernail polish remover or rubbing alcohol ...then rub it off.
Make sure you don't get it all over the bridges and stuff ...if you do you can use the same solution and a q-tip.
Good luck!

[entropy]

ok, thanks, now how do i keep the thermistor in place? or will the pressure from the heatsink do that just fine? (note: this case will be moved around a fair bit)

[csimon]

idunno ...I don't use the thermistors! sorry!

[TheGr81]

I'd much rather use the manual controller for fan speed.

Most people recommend high purity isopropyl (i think that's right) stuff, rubbing alcohol. The only stuff we have here is 70% by volume, but it worked ok. It took a bit of work, but I managed to get the stuff off. I thought I would need more AS5 than they recommended in the instructions on the website, but it seems to be working fine. I'm still testing though. I like it! This sp-94 owns!

[entropy]

:) yep, i plan on using some 70% rubbing alcohol as well. now as the time approaches where i'm actually gonna need to do this, i'm getting nervous lol. figures thermalright's site is absolute TRASH for instructions which i forgot about lol. i guess you get a bit of tape to keep the thermistor where it belongs. i'm using the auto, because this thing CAN get pretty loud when it gets moving. like, close to tornado loud. and i don't want that lol

[csimon]

well if you do decide to use the thermistor make sure you don't cause any interference ...especially with the hsf/ccore contact ...but also any small components on the cpu.
Maybe just mount it to the side of the sink near the bottom ...shouldn't be a problem there.
I"m sure geeky1 or thrax can help you with that.
Just so you know ...I use one of these noise isolators (http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?p=146706#post146706).
About the same price you pay for a TT SF2.

[KingFish]

You mean the licking method isn't recommended? ;D

KF

[entropy]

recommened? dunno. works, yep, and you get a nice flavorful bonus ... was rather tasty i must admit

[csimon]

*bump* while lurking about I stumbled across pics of how NOT to apply thermal paste. Oh yeah ...this guy could really use tips on applying & removing this stuff!

enjoy!!! ;D

[entropy]

lmao, i didn't quite pull that stupid of a move :p however, i do think i put way too much as5 on lol ... i had a layer on cpu & heatsink thick enough that i couldn't see through them ... but eh ... i would think it's ok, right? i am idling at 21*C with 1300 rpm on that sf2 lol

[shwaip]

/me wonders if that was condensation prevention for some hardcore cooling or something else.

[Missileman]

You do have to cool the bottom of the processor don't you ? :rolleyes:

[csimon]

lmao, i didn't quite pull that stupid of a move :p however, i do think i put way too much as5 on lol ... i had a layer on cpu & heatsink thick enough that i couldn't see through them ... but eh ... i would think it's ok, right? i am idling at 21*C with 1300 rpm on that sf2 lol
I usually just put a thin even layer across the top of the core and that is it ...I cover the core completely like grey paint.

[entropy]

yeah that's what i did :) and did the same to the heatsink though lol... slightly less but eh. i'm getting wonderful temps and noise balancing so i'm happy and not about to yank it off and start over again

[muddocktor]

I always put it on a little thicker than what Arctic Silver recommends myself. Any extra will just squish out to the side of the IHS or processor core, no problem. I try to put a little thinner coat on P4's due to the big heat spreader, but I can't see through the layer I put on it too. If your temps look good, then don't worry about it.

[csimon]

yeah ...like mudd says.
from the school of hard knocks

learn to leave well enough alone

if it ain't broke ...don't fix it!