Hi, I’m new to the message boards. I made an account because this is my first time disassembling my laptop (which I’ve had for 4 years now). As you might imagine, there is a lot of dust buildup in there (the temperatures were getting so bad I was seeing thermal throttling in games from 2009, and I have a GTX 1060!) and the thermal paste has never been changed since I bought it.
Anyway, I know that isopropyl alcohol is commonly recommended for wiping off old thermal paste/grease from CPU and GPU. I am also aware that 90% and above, preferably 99% is recommended.
However, I do not have this at home currently. What I do have are wipes for cleaning glasses lenses, and these contain isopropyl alcohol as one of their key ingredients, BUT they also contain detergent. Is it safe to use for cleaning old thermal paste, or would I be better off just buying a bottle of isopropyl alcohol (with nothing else in it) and some coffee filter papers? Right now I’m leaning toward the latter just to be on the safe side.
Additionally, what is the safest way to remove dust from the internal components? Obviously I will unscrew the fans/heat sink and clean them separately, but some dust has also accumulated elsewhere. I did buy a pc repair kit recently that came with a static-free nylon brush, but that may not be sufficient, as like I said, the computer is very dusty. Any suggestions?
Anyway, I know that isopropyl alcohol is commonly recommended for wiping off old thermal paste/grease from CPU and GPU. I am also aware that 90% and above, preferably 99% is recommended.
However, I do not have this at home currently. What I do have are wipes for cleaning glasses lenses, and these contain isopropyl alcohol as one of their key ingredients, BUT they also contain detergent. Is it safe to use for cleaning old thermal paste, or would I be better off just buying a bottle of isopropyl alcohol (with nothing else in it) and some coffee filter papers? Right now I’m leaning toward the latter just to be on the safe side.
Additionally, what is the safest way to remove dust from the internal components? Obviously I will unscrew the fans/heat sink and clean them separately, but some dust has also accumulated elsewhere. I did buy a pc repair kit recently that came with a static-free nylon brush, but that may not be sufficient, as like I said, the computer is very dusty. Any suggestions?
