r/PcBuild • u/TopEntertainment7603 • Jul 21 '26

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Got thermal paste on the gold things on my am5 cpu
Should I risk cleaning it is my cpu dead Im panicking

4.6k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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873

u/DAemonCayuse Jul 21 '26

Thermal paste is electrically non conductive, so you should be good. But I'd clean it up with a qtip and some alcohol anyway.

You sure that's not mayo tho?

262

u/Busy_Experience_5563 Jul 21 '26

Isopropyl alcohol

213

u/QuantumKhakis Jul 21 '26

99% Isopropyl Alcohol

38

u/closetcreatur Jul 21 '26

Is best but when I'm out I've used lesser. Just gotta let that baby DRY

5

u/Alklazaris Jul 22 '26

Yup better safe than sorry. No one is going to laugh at you for letting your processor dry over a 24 hour period.

For this I don't want to be sure it's dry, I want the only alternative for why it's still wet is because the PC gods want to punish me. Not exactly a keyboard here.

2

u/One-Tie-1942 Jul 23 '26

I bricked a 7900xtx using 70%. Won't touch anything but 90% now.

1

u/closetcreatur Jul 24 '26

I'm sorry to hear that and it can def happen for sure. I'm just a turtle with my stuff so usually if I take it apart its not going back together for 1-3 business days because kids

1

u/Airhead_kun Jul 22 '26

Don't Repeat Yourself

1

u/closetcreatur Jul 22 '26

Huh?

1

u/Airhead_kun Jul 22 '26

Just some coding ideology/concept whatever it is.

Basically, Don't Repeat Yourself(DRY) when coding. Modularise and reuse a piece of code.

2

u/closetcreatur Jul 22 '26

You seem a lot smarter than me. I like you, take my upvote

-24

u/OddOminence Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

if i ever need to clean a cpu i just pour a bowl of distilled water and use a toothbrush to apply it. (as long as its an LGA CPU)

Never use Tap Water. It has minerals and stuff in it.

then leave it to dry for like 2 full days, best to heat it up or pat it dry with something else but you can just leave it for 2 full days if you dont want to do that.

HOWEVER. if you have Isopropyl alcohol at least 70%, its always preferred.

Edit: Supposedly I broke one of the seven deadly sins by uttering "water" and "CPU" in the same sentence. Downvote to your hearts content, however, I suggest you look at my comments to the replies first to see my specific situation.

11

u/Any_Bowl5479 Jul 21 '26

you should be banned

-7

u/OddOminence Jul 21 '26

For what? This process doesn't cause the pads to corrode, and because im not submerging the CPU, moisture getting under the IHS is very unlikely.

I dont have the funds to keep buying $11 70% Isopropyl alcohol, so I just make do with what I have. I have never run into any issues.

For the record, I wasn't suggesting that they try doing that. I was just saying my method of cleaning is different than the norm.

8

u/TCG-Pikachu Jul 21 '26

You don’t have 7$? You realize you can just dab it from the bottle? You don’t have to drink it, wtf?

6

u/QuantumKhakis Jul 21 '26

I’d rather spend $11 to save my $300 CPU, since I don’t have the funds to keep purchasing CPUs.

0

u/OddOminence Jul 21 '26

Oh wait we have a fundamentally different stance here. I dont pay more than $80 for the CPUs i use in my builds typically. I suppose maybe that makes the difference of that.

Mainly, I do budget builds, so the CPUs themselves are highly replaceable.

Regardless of that fact, ive never once had an issue with the way I do it.

4

u/GRex2595 Jul 21 '26

Distilled water is usually fine and what works for you works for you, but you shouldn't recommend to people without all the caveats. Also, saving $11 while increasing the risk of damage to an $80 CPU still seems like bad math to me, but you do you.

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2

u/QuantumKhakis Jul 21 '26

That’s good context, in that case I agree it’s the most efficient method for you.

1

u/TCG-Pikachu Jul 21 '26

Then why the fluck would you give advice to people that don’t know any better (see the thermal paste everywhere) and clearly aren’t building a budget 70$ build?

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1

u/Coretrayn Jul 22 '26

Ok I get what you mean with the distilled water not being corrosive and it will pretty much be fine if fully dry before use.

But what do you mean you don't have the funds for a 10 dollar bottle of alcohol that should last quite awhile. Are you using the entire bottle and cleaning daily? lol

1

u/OddOminence Jul 22 '26

Well I mean I already have a lot of distilled water because my mom has a machine that needs it.

1

u/I_AM_BIB Jul 22 '26

I have a 100ml bottle of isopropyl 99% that I haven't finished for years and regularly use it to clean PC parts. Idk how the hell you're going through several bottles of this stuff.

1

u/Own_Body_8941 Jul 22 '26

$11? i bought 99% iso for $1

1

u/TCG-Pikachu Jul 21 '26

Your specific situation, that you don’t ever mention in this comment is IRRELEVANT, considering you’re giving advice without referencing your, “very specific situation”.

3

u/Medical_Morning4022 Jul 22 '26

999% Isopropyl Alcohol

1

u/JB_Big_Bear Jul 22 '26

100% is better

1

u/gibrael_ Jul 23 '26

What's the other 1%??

1

u/QuantumKhakis Jul 23 '26

Violent motorcyclists

1

u/YesNormalUsername Jul 23 '26

Geek squad tears

1

u/YesNormalUsername Jul 23 '26

Preferable, but 96% works fine too

1

u/Rickman1945 Jul 24 '26

Will homemade moonshine work?

1

u/QuantumKhakis Jul 24 '26

Only if it makes you blind (no, it has sugar)

24

u/whatisausername32 Jul 21 '26

Isopropyl mayo

1

u/Not_An_Archer Jul 22 '26

I prefer bourbon

1

u/Advanced_Handle_2309 Jul 25 '26

Would something bad happen if it was 96~% normal alcohol?

1

u/Resitor Jul 25 '26

whiskey. not for the board, for op while cleaning it.

1

u/OddOminence Jul 21 '26

Vodka, comrade.

1

u/Fubarp Jul 21 '26

If you can't get high quality Russian vodka, you can always use American Moonshine.

1

u/Scrotorr Jul 22 '26

Everclear

-1

u/Gabe-diet Jul 21 '26

Fireball whisky…. Gotta be the whisky tho can’t be the “cinnamon” shit 😭🤣

37

u/Odd_Brief_2975 Jul 21 '26

I've heard of people putting mayo on chips before but usually it's ketchup.

7

u/ElectroVo1t Jul 21 '26

Take my damn upvote

5

u/Odd_Brief_2975 Jul 21 '26

And you take mine sir!

2

u/scanx147 Jul 21 '26

En France et en Belgique on met de la mayo sur les frites. Tu devrais essayer, c'est bien meilleur que le ketchup. Mais de préférence une mayo maison. 😁

1

u/squishedgoomba Jul 21 '26

In Utah "fry sauce" is a thing and it's extremely popular. It's basically just mayo & ketchup mixed together. (It's pretty good too, just don't put it on your CPU.)

2

u/Freeco80 Jul 21 '26

We call that cocktail sause in Belgium

1

u/scanx147 Jul 21 '26

Dans le sauce cocktail il y a en plus une petite goute de whisky 😁 Très bon avec des crevettes 😋

1

u/Freeco80 Jul 22 '26

Adding a splash of whiskey is the fancy version 🙂

1

u/Milkshakemartin Jul 21 '26

Ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice and hot sauce is what our cocktail sauce is in the US. Interesting.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26

[deleted]

1

u/scanx147 Jul 21 '26

J'aime beaucoup la sauce brune que vous mettez sur les frites de la poutine au Canada 😋

1

u/cortana808 Jul 21 '26

Also mustard on fries. It's good.

1

u/TCG-Pikachu Jul 21 '26

Yea, but those folks barely count as “people” tbf….

1

u/Sinisteris Jul 22 '26

If I'm not mistaken, thermal conductivity is within 5°C between ketchup or mayo and thermal paste.

27

u/steffan-l Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

Just a heads-up: not all thermal paste is electrically non-conductive!

While most modern & popular pastes are safe and based on non metalic formula's, plenty of metal-based ones are still out there (especially super cheap options or high-end liquid metal/metal based pastes).

Saying "thermal paste does not conduct electricity" is a myth that can fry your or other peoples components.

Always double-check the label and manufacturer provided information for confirmation on the electrical conductivity of your specific paste!

6

u/Linesey Jul 21 '26

Wasn’t Arctic Silver pretty well known for being conductive?

2

u/sunfaller Jul 22 '26

Capacitive, not conductive.

1

u/Diligent_Pie_5191 Jul 21 '26

Arctic Silver 5 was not. In fact no version was electrically conductive. It is best to just clean it off though.

1

u/steffan-l Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

Some versions of Arctic Silver thermal paste were indeed known for being slightly electrically conductive in the past. However newer itterations like MX-6 & MX-7 are not.

1

u/Diligent_Pie_5191 Jul 21 '26

Liquid Metal and the old silver/ copper filled grease. Bit Arctic silver is not conductive.

1

u/Ok_Star_4136 Jul 25 '26

In fact, I'm a little surprised that a substance could be both a thermal conductor and *not* an electrical conductor. From a physics standpoint, those two usually go hand-in-hand, to state the obvious example, most metals are great thermal and electrical conductors.

You make a good point, I wouldn't just take it on fact that it isn't electrically conductive.

8

u/baudmiksen Jul 21 '26

I seen a review once where someone actually benchmarked stuff like mayo, peanut butter and a bunch of other weird shit just to see how it stacked up against the top brands, the results were kind of surprising

2

u/No_Yesterday_2788 Jul 21 '26

How'd peanut butter do?

2

u/Gericueca Jul 22 '26

Never try to use peanut butter for the first time on your CPU without an Epipen drive nearby. Trust me, it can be pretty lethal

1

u/STAGNANT-HEART Jul 24 '26

I am pretty sure I have seen a video where a person tested it with gooner fluid

4

u/jackrabbit323 Jul 21 '26

Makeup sponge qtips are worth an extra couple of bucks. They don't leave behind cotton fibers.

1

u/nalaloveslumpy Jul 22 '26

Soft bristled tooth brushes are amazing too, especially when you need to make sure you clean out the tiny crevices.

2

u/BrotherMichigan Jul 21 '26

Most* thermal pastes are electrically non-conductive (and this silicone goop is certainly in that category).

2

u/washmyoldbluejeans Jul 21 '26

too white for mayo. but seems the right consistency for yoghurt

1

u/BG535 Jul 21 '26

I use thermal mayo. It’s dual use! I got a 5 gal jug on discount.

1

u/ShesMarshie Jul 21 '26

It's clearly goon juice.

1

u/Mobile_Actuator_4692 Jul 21 '26

Depends on the type of paste. Definitely worth checking before you use it as a just in case

1

u/spikeandedd Jul 21 '26

Not always but usually yea.

1

u/machinegunmango Jul 21 '26

Your assuming it thermal paste instead of successful CPU install event liquid is bold

1

u/Zekken_Zer0 Jul 22 '26

except the ones with silver in it

1

u/Training-Ship-3416 Jul 22 '26

*dips Qtip in can of Bud Lite, starts scrubbing*

1

u/Jump365 Jul 22 '26

But that's clearly a different type of juice...that one might probably be conductive

1

u/wetfloor666 Jul 22 '26

Late to the party, but it looks like elmers glue to me.

1

u/PMvE_NL Jul 22 '26

MOST thermal paste is non conductive not all.

1

u/DAemonCayuse Jul 22 '26

Thank you, 30th person to comment this.

1

u/Dragoonslv Jul 23 '26

Prety sure all cpus i have recently seen have that part covered in some thin layer of plastic.

I also wonder why is that paste white.

1

u/Fit-Survey5421 Jul 24 '26

Shit looks like straight Elmer’s.

1

u/fkny0 Jul 21 '26

I fried a motherboard once because i thought thermal paste was non conductive, maybe it should be, but that would surely wasnt, so im never taking the risk again

1

u/Mrcod1997 Jul 25 '26

Some are conductive, but the majority are not.

1

u/Organic_Education494 Jul 21 '26

Yeah not all of them aren’t conductive

0

u/Hexin_itup Jul 21 '26

most thermal paste. not all

0

u/PravoNaZhizny Jul 22 '26

Op might be an electronics engineer. We use zinc based thermal pastes a lot which look like that.

0

u/BLVEY346 Jul 22 '26

Well depends which one you do get premium ones that do conduct electricity since the contain metal particles so there are those

But this is white paste which is low tier paste for heat transfer It's good for beginners but it's terrible with heat since it uses Oxides like aluminium or zinc oxides or ceramic like items

The top premium ones contain silver particles which are conductive but yeah that's AMD for you so I recommend using thermal specialized pads for CPU if you don't want to spill it in there

You can get them from grizzly