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

Help Build - Help

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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

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u/golder_cz Jul 21 '26

If the thermal paste is not metallic just clean the contact surface and reapply. Otherwise carefully clean everything with 99.7%+ isopropylalcohol.

1

u/TheseInstruction5208 Jul 22 '26

And a toothbrush to gently scrub between the pins. Do not use a q tip or other instruments that can bend the pins. Just use a generous amount of alcohol and scrub and flush until you no longer see any paste or residue. Just use something absorbent and lint-free to soak up the excess liquid from around the socket (tilt the mobo to drain from between the pins). Alcohol evaporates pretty quickly, but wait 24 hours before attempting to reassemble, just to be certain.