i'd clean the cpu pins each time you remove it though.here's a nice view of what i'm talking about (timestamp): That's some solid advice, thank you.

/r/buildapc is a community-driven subreddit dedicated to custom PC assembly. And when I say all over it, I mean all over it, everywhere. When you take these two uneven surfaces that have been scared from industrial machining they don’t connect well.

Do not use this anywhere near the CPU pins to avoid bending them. I'll keep this in mind for the future.The computer was working because he installed the CPU in the socket before putting the thermal paste on, so the pins were already contacting where they needed to. Let parts sit for a minimum of 40 min to 2 hours to ensure no liquid remains.Before replacing the CPU visually verify no remaining liquid is visible under the magnifying glass.

O the bright side I'm willing to bet you're now a pro at applying the exact required amount of thermal paste every time.TLDR: Clean up thermal paste with high proof isopropyl alcohol, use brush on socket and CPU pins, wipe down with microfiber cloth, inspect with magnifying glass using needle for missed specks, dry with compressed air, let sit for a while before powering on and most importantly enjoy a beer while you see if it worked.you probably could have done a slightly less thorough cleaning and gotten away with it. Leave it in a warm dry place for a minimum of 24 hours. Anyone is welcome to seek the input of our helpful community as they piece together their desktop.Press J to jump to the feed. After a few brush strokes wipe your brush down with the microfiber cloth to get the paste off.Using microfiber cloth wipe down the socket and or wipe down the back of the CPU.

If any thermal paste comes off on the Q-tip, stop and do Steps 4-6 again. For an LGA socket with pins, run the Q-tip in the direction of the pins, making sure you make contact but be gentle.

So long as the pins can make contact, that’s all that matters.

Make sure you apply enough cleaner to fill all the holes and the gaps between the pins. There should be no thermal paste left on the pin tips. These pads are placed between the CPU and Heatsink just like normal thermal paste. That seems immeasurably more difficult than cleaning the socket?I wish I had this guide before I fried my last build.Ah shite that blows. Change them when necessary.Turn off and unplug the computer if you haven't already. I recommend some smooth jazz or calming classical music.

In this process, I’ll touch on both types of CPU socket. In that case, start this process again.For those who’ve never used thermal paste before, let me give you an explanation of exactly what this grey sludge does. I know this may sound really obvious, but don’t use water, at all, ever, to clean your CPU socket. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. If you are cleaning a PGA socket with holes, apply the purification solution onto a q-tip and press it into each hole. But for your convenience, here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve learned: Main image: By Darkone – Darkone, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=236221 This is the place to ask! By now, the cleaning fluid should be saturated with thermal paste particles, there’s nothing more to do than mop up the rest of the Cleaning fluid.

Only the peaks of these valleys make contact with each other. Oh yes, to the naked eye and finger they masquerade as smooth and fissure-free. These types of sockets are generally used by AMD as part of the PGA or Pin Grid Array socket types for the Ryzen family of CPUs.These sockets have little pins arranged in an array on them. Dead to the world and in need of replacing… But, it turned out that wasn’t so…After doing a bit of research, and naivety fueled experimenting, I discovered it’s actually possible to clean thermal paste and remove it from a motherboard’s CPU socket.Ok, now you know what I’ll be talking about, I’ll start with an explanation of the different types of CPU socket as they need slightly different cleaning techniques and you don’t want to mix them up… There are two different socket types. Do not add too much as to saturate the entire CPU socket.

Repeat step 2 and 3 until it becomes difficult to see any remaining paste with the naked eye.Using the magnifying glass identify any areas you see tiny remaining specks, returning to earlier steps with the brush until the remnants no longer come out.Now carefully using the needle or toothpick, applying as little of pressure as possible to remove specks from the socket.