Question about cleaning thermal paste off a customer's CPU

Had a client bring in a rig last Tuesday where someone used WD-40 to clean old paste off an i7. It left a film that made the new paste slide around and temps hit 95C under load. I use 99% isopropyl and a coffee filter now, but has anyone else seen weird DIY solvents ruin a socket?

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riley5815d ago

WD-40 on a CPU is a new one to me, but I had a guy once use brake cleaner on a board and it ate the plastic around the socket. Left a sticky mess that took forever to get off with alcohol and a soft brush. The film part is the real killer though, it just sits there and never dries out right. I always tell people to stick with the 99% alcohol and check the socket pins with a magnifier before they put new paste down, because that stuff can get into the little crevices and cause shorts later.