Question 1

Can you put drops of the Thermal Material Remover directly on the CPU? or do you recommend putting the drops on a cleaning cloth THEN wiping it on the CPU? I don't want to leak any on the motherboard

Accepted Answer

You can apply it either way but if your hands are shaky you may want to apply it to the cloth and then wipe both surfaces, the cpu and the cooler plate, clean.  There are several videos on YouTube giving you a step by step example of applying the thermal paste - they include the cleaning of the surfaces before applying the paste.  I would suggest viewing several of the different videos as each one is a bit different.   The first time you do it is the most worrisome.  Good luck.

Question 2

Let's say I bought a CPU and did not put a stock cooler on it and I am about to use an aftermarket cooler. Will I only have to use the surface purifier or do I have to use both the material remover and surface purifier? Or should I not even have to use this?

Accepted Answer

If the heat sink or CPU have never had any paste on it, you should be fine. It wouldn't hurt to purify the surface, but should not be necessary. If you do apply the purifier, be sure to put it on a tissue/paper towel and not on the actual CPU and rub it on the CPU.

Question 3

Does this have an expiration date?

Accepted Answer

I just called the support line. Their official timeframe is 3 years/36 months however the rep said as long as there is liquid in the bottle it should be effective.

Question 4

Is this non-harmful to circuitry?  Someone brought a component to me that has compound under a chip.  Would this be safe to use on compound that is stuck in the pins of a GPU, for example?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you should be able to remove thermal compound from sensitive components. Do not use it on any hardware that has power applied, be careful around any hardware that could retain a charge, and allow the cleanser to evaporate before using the hardware. Do not use if the hardware has any holes or crevasses into which the cleaner could get trapped and not evaporate.

Question 5

Can i use this too claen my laptop fans?

Accepted Answer

I would not recommend it for that purpose, it can and will remove any thermal paste, tape or other such item from the computer system board.

Question 6

Do I really need this? Is it really necessary if I need to reapply thermal compound?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Hardened thermal paste will prevent a flush contact between the cpu and cpu cooler thereby impeding the effectiveness of the cpu cooler.

Question 7

Can i use this too claen my laptop fans?

Accepted Answer

No, this product is designed to only remove Thermal Paste from a CPU, not to clean fans.  For cleaning fans, I would recommend a simple wet cloth.

Questions & Answers