in my previous post i mentioned the arcticlean. if you can get it (or wait for it), i highly recommend it. the stuff is simply awesome.

the first solution takes paste and grease off like nothing i've tried but, step two is just as magical. since virtually all modern heatsinks have a base made of copper the material is subject to flash oxidation when you prepare the surface with a quickly evaporating liquid like alchohol or acetone.

are we talking green copper like an old penny? of course not but the tiny pits in the surface are why you use thermal paste in the first place. it's these tiny pits which can oxidize and are too small to see but do imo have an effect. the arcticlean is designed to combat this problem and is therefor the most ideal thing to use.

as solitary said there are other options but if you want the best, that's it.

lastly, when you do the final cleaning of your parts you want to use a totally lint free cloth. a common but overlooked good source for an extremely lint free towel is a paper coffee filter.

just my 2 green cents.

thanks for the help ;)

i picked up a zalman fan and im running 42c under load =D, turns out my HSF was a little convex (took a little piece of glass and it was making contact in the middle)

Silence!


i hate you!

I'm bored.

hijacked ;)