I recently noticed that the previous person who applied thermal paste on my GPU went a bit overboard, and now there's a mess with excess paste seeping into the capacitors. It looks pretty risky to attempt to clean it up. Is it worth it to try and remove the old paste, or can I just apply new paste over what's there? Any tips for handling this situation?
3 Answers
When reapplying thermal paste, just remember to make sure the GPU die is fully covered. Even if you go a bit overboard like the last person did, it's better than not enough. Also, try using either a Q-tip or a plastic spudger to get in there and clean around the die carefully.
Don't worry too much about making it perfect! As long as you've tidied up what you can around the die, you're doing fine. Just ensure that the new paste gets a good seal. That image is a bit messy but you can still make it work!
You should definitely clean up as much of the old paste as you can around the GPU die. If the excess paste is really stuck or dangerous to remove, just leave it be. Making sure the GPU receives a good layer of fresh paste is what really matters—don't stress too much about the leftover stuff as long as the die is covered well.
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