remove thermal paste from a CPU

[sujanne]

What is a safe way to remove thermal paste from a CPU? I got a new CPU fan for my desktop and I am afraid to scrape the old thermal paste off. I have killed a few computers in the past, so thats why I don't want to mess this one up because I depend on it so much.

[Reedbeta]

I use rubbing alcohol and q-tips to get it off. The alcohol dissolves the stuff very readily.

[Hertta]

You can not really kill the CPU as long as you keep the golden contact pins(or pads, if using newer Intel CPU) clean and don't damage them.

Just use some alcohol based mix. The actual CPU core is under the copper heat spreader, so you can't really do any harm to it as long as you dry off the CPU afterwards.

Whatever you do, keep the pins from bending.

[alphadog]

Scrape most of it off with a blade (as Hertta says the CPU has a "shell" on it, so don't worry), and use rubbing alcohol with a foam makeup pad to remove the rest. (Cotton balls leaves "micro hairs" on it.) Let it evaporate for an hour, then re-apply new compound (Artic Silver).