Need assistance with thermal paste for AM4 socket?
Need assistance with thermal paste for AM4 socket?
I took out my CPU to clean it and fit a new cooler, but there was a lot of thermal paste on it. The PC was made by a tech store, so I won’t visit again. When I removed the CPU, some paste ended up inside the motherboard socket. It’s a B450 type. The paste is silver MX4, which is metal-free and not conductive. Is it okay to use it this way? Should I apply isopropyl alcohol and let it dry first? (I have 99.5% of it) Can I insert it straight into the socket?
It's okay to use that kind of alcohol if you apply it carefully to surfaces like paper or cloth. Assuming each hole stands alone, it shouldn't block your pins or cause too much overflow. It's better to clean as much as possible without pouring too much liquid in. Also, was the store responsible for this? This is one reason why liquid metal isn't recommended.
I handled the cleaning mostly with 99.5 alcohol using a very soft toothbrush and moved slowly. Now I plan to test tomorrow. Could there be a risk of damaging my CPU or preventing boot if any issues exist on the motherboard? I have an old Ryzen in my collection, so I might try running the test on it to protect my current one.
Great work overall. The cleanup was solid. The thermal paste looks familiar—it reminds me of Neversieze. If it ends up on something unnoticed, it tends to spread everywhere.