Cleaning Heatsink

Hi, what is a proper way to clean the bottom of a heatsink remove the old gunk remnants Thermal Compound it is the pinkish stuff.
prepare for new application.
thanks
hawk22

 

thanks, am I correct by assuming that I can use alcohol to finish off on the heatsink but not on the cpu. there are little traces of compound around the side of the cpu core, should I just leave them there.
thanks
hawk22

 

That "pink" stuff is usually from a thermal pad and Steve's recommendation is about the best because it will be harder and crustier than normal thermal paste. I often follow the credit card with a Q-Tip dipped in acetone, followed with another dipped in alcohol and finish it off with a lint free cloth. I've heard some lombast the use of acetone, but I've even used it on the die of CPU's, again followed by alcohol. One wants to avoid getting any acetone on the PCB itself but in response to your question, I've used alcohol to clean slop directly off of PCB's and am not aware of any negative consequences. If in doubt, err on the conservative side and take your time - there's no prize for speed.

Now, if you want to get into something tricky - we could talk about removing industrial epoxy that has been used to glue a bios chip into a surface mounted socket - hehehe ..........

 

thanks Rockster, but I think I give the industrial epoxy cleanup a miss
question though would it do any harm to leave that little bit of slop around the die there. The CPU is a AMD Athlon XP1900 Thoroughbred with a standard AMD cooler.

 

Quick followup re: your last question - its not going to matter as long as the top of the die (contact area) is clean. However, what you'll find on that pink stuff is that while crusty, its not too too hard and can be removed with a lightly dipped (in alcohol) Q-Tip and a little force along the sides of the die. The thing you want to be careful of is the pins on the bottom of the processor - don't bend them while focusing your attention on the top of the CPU.

If you have a steady hand(s), its pretty easy to remove every last bit of old thermal material. I have a big wall mount magnification lamp that makes this pretty easy to see what one is doing. You can also check your work with a regular magnifying glass. Again, the key is to get the top of the die clean and that credit card is going to remove the bulk of it as Steve suggested.

 

I started off by using acetone, but found on some types of compound it was not as effective as the alcohol (the pink type is quite hard to remove).

I went to a "rush job" for my friend (he never finds leisurely jobs ) and found my acetone had evaporated. I considered going to get more, then decided to try some Contact Cleaner. I only use contact cleaner now (the CO type), I don't bother with alcohol either. I found on some types, acetone would need "scrubbing" to remove all traces, C/C only needs some consistent "polishing action ". It dries off completely so I cannot see it as being harmful and the added bonus is that it can be used for cleaning contacts Heed any warnings about letting fumes dissipate.

Anyway, I have found it to be the perfect alternative to acetone and alcohol.

Matt

 

thanks guys, I like the blow torch bit I cleaned the heatsink base with the credit card trick and then polished it with bras and copper polish even though it only has a alloy bottom.
How much better is a copper base, is it worth to pay the extra??
The die of the CPU is clean exept for some little traces around the edges I cleaned it as much as I could with the corner of the card.
Matt what brand of contact cleaner do you use you seem to be happy with what you have.
If I can change the subject here, while I have your attention, that CPU and cooler AMD AthlonXP 1900+ (so I believe) will go onto a MSI MS-6340 -VER-5 Mobo.
On the CPU specs on the MSI Website it states:
CPU
* Athlon XP (Socket A) to 1900+
* Athlon (Socket A) to 1.4GHz
* Duron (Socket A) to 950MHz
how do I know if the CPU that I have is a Athlon XP or just plain Athlon.
The Marking on the chip reads:
AMD Athlon
AX1900DMT3C
AG0GA0202WPDW
Y7556830596
1999 AMD
The Seller told me it was Athlon XP but I don't know, what would happen if I installed it to the Mobo and boot up if it is only Athlon would it damage the mobo or CPU or both.
your advice would be as always much appreciated
hawk22

 

I hesitate to say it, but any type of cleaner that may potentially leave a lubricant, oil or olefin on the die or the heatsink is not good.

As to your processor - you have stumbled into a home run. Thats a 1900+ Palamino (Athlon XP variety) with an AGOGA core - a coveted rare and very overclockable (on the right motherboard and with chip modification) processor. Congratulations.

 

ATM, I think all high-end heatsinks have copper bases as they must conduct heat better but there's more to consider. I always buy HSFs based on reviews/testimonials/reputation/price.

I've heard negative things about using it but I always use 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean up my cpus. I've also heard that AMD officially states that you should never use Arctic Silver on cpu cores! Um...yeah, right. Sometimes you just gotta take stuff with a grain of NaCl.

BTW, if anyone's looking for an awesome yet very cheap HSF for Socket 939, check this one out. I use them on both my rigs one of which has a 2.4Ghz chip overclocked to 3.0Ghz. Either the A64 cpus run extremely cool or this is one heck of an HSF!

AGOGA! AGOGA! AGOGA! That's actually a warning in Hawaiian that means "keep your eye on man who dances in grass skirt ".

 

Ditto on that - I always use isopropanol as the last step before the Artic Silver goes on. Nice looking HSF and price on that link. Although it references X2, can I assume your 2.4 O/C'ed to 3.0 is that 4000+ San Diego you referenced a while back?

 

Yes, though I don't remember talking about it here. When it hit $80, I had to make up a quick excuse to buy it!

I have it clocked at 3.01 Ghz and it "passes" Prime95, 3DMark05/06 and OCCT. If I bump it up one point more on the HTT bus, Prime95 reports the occasional error.

While sitting in the bios, the cpu temp reads 32C. As I said, either the chips are cool or the HSF is great. What's also "cool" is that you don't have to raise the voltage to overclock them. Actually, my Asrock 939Dual-Sata2 doesn't even let me overvolt the cpu by more than .05v which is like nothing.

That HSF, from what I hear, is the stock heatsink for a dual core Athlon 64. Simply means it's beefed up more than the typical AMD stock heatsink - note the heatpipes. At $12, it's a steal!

 

Nice .......

 

Thank you guy’s, but I am not finished with you yet , if I could I would prefer to test that Athlon XP Palomino 1900+ on that MSI 6340 Ver 5 board before I pull my old Duron 800 on its IWill 266R board out. I have one of the old IBM Net Vista Cases but I am a bit concerned about the PSU it is only 150W max.
Output
+12V 4.2A Max
+5V 15A Max
+3.3V 12A Max
-12V 0.4A Max
+5V SB 2A Max
TOTAL POWER ON +3.3V & +5V IS 100W MAX

Can I risk testing on that or should I just hang a Pentium 4 (430 Watt) PSU on to the case. As I bought the CPU and Board separately (second hand) I really don’t know if it is all working (pleasures of buying second hand stuff).
Your comments as always will be much appreciated
Hawk22
maybe I will try on that Gras Skirt

 

I think you'd be hard pressed (very hard pressed) to run that with a 150W PSU. In as much as it only takes a couple of minutes to switch out a PSU, I wouldn't even attempt it - go with the 430W and don't look back.



edit: I always used a minimum 350W PSU for Socket A CPU's of that era.

 

Thanks Rockster
hawk22

 

You are most welcome - let us know how the dance goes when you get that Grass Skirt fitted.

 

One more thing, sorry guy's I just got myself a new HSF as I was not all that keen on the original AMD cooler. I have T.I.T.I. Dr.Thermal it has a Copper Core it is for Athlon XP 1900+ Designed for Overclocking.
It also has a handle on the side to lock the heat sink onto the CPU, I have never had one like this, any good??. Now my real question is, it comes with it's own ( they call it Grease), and request a very thin layer over the CPU core (die), this is white stuff and much thinner than the Arctic Silver that I have and therefore easier to apply a very thin layer, what would you experts recommend I have only done it 2 times and have used the Arctic but found it hard to apply very lightly but the PC’s are running cool no heat problems. Yes……..No……..
Thanks
Hawk22