Noob Question on thermal pads...

[ilkramil]

Hello, I would like to upgrade my current heatsink and I believe I have a thermal pad right now. Is this pad permanently stuck to the proccessor and heatsink...or will it come off so I can attach a Volcano 7+ with thermal grease? Anyone have a walkthrough or site for this situation? Thanks!

[RoboTech]

Hey ilkramil,

Welcome to the forum... :)

No, the thermal pad is not permanently stuck. You can use Goof-Off (Xylene) or fingernali polish remover (acetone) followed by a cleanup with isopropyl alcohol. Be very careful when working on the CPU die - just use a little solvent on the end of a Q-tip swap. Do not get on other things like the CPU package, socket or motherboard.

Clean the bottom of your new heatsink the same way before applying a thin, even layer of thermal compound. Good luck,

[Arcturius]

I second the welcome to the forums, and suggest that it is possible to do this without acetone or xylene (or toluene, etc, etc).

If your current heatsink has anything but a super-weak clip, you should have very little of the TIM on the top of your CPU (the layer should be so thin as to be little more than a discoloration), and just a little squished over the edges of the die.


You should be able to get the edges clean with a toothpick or a dry q-tip, and followed by cleanup with isopropyl.

As for the rest of the TIM on the heatsink, just use a pen cap and some patience, followed by more isopropyl.

If you're in a big hurry, brake cleaner or WD-40 will knock the TIM right off of the heatsink. Be careful, though--they leave an oily residue that can be a pain to clean off later, especially from between the fins of your heatsink.