I recently bought a pre-owned Corsair NAUTILUS 240 RS Liquid CPU Cooler. The seller claimed it was only used for about a month and even showed proof of purchase from Amazon. They upgraded to a larger case and sold it to me at a great price. My question is, since this cooler has pre-applied thermal paste but has already been used, do I need to clean and reapply thermal paste before I attach it to my CPU? Thanks!
2 Answers
You'll want to clean off the old paste from the cooler first. Use isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth or a coffee filter for that. When you reapply, put a small dot of fresh thermal paste in the center of the CPU and then mount the cooler. Thermal Grizzly Duronaut is a great choice, but any reputable brand will do. If you need a visual, check out this quick guide on thermal paste application!
Yeah, it's a good idea to apply new thermal paste. Even though it has pre-applied paste, it's best to start fresh after it's been removed from a CPU.
Thanks for the tip! Do you think alcohol wipes would be safe for cleaning, as recommended by Corsair?