Arctic Silver 5 and SXPS 1645

When replacing the standard thermal solution, what is the recommended procedure for applying AS5? I noticed there are several thermal pads over the RAM and what I think is the chipset, can AS5 be used there as well? And on the CPU and GPU, it's necessary to completely remove the old thermal compound? I want to get everything perfect and optimal in one go. This will be my second time ever applying thermal compound, and my tools are eye glass cloth for removal and cleaning the old compound, applying some AS5 and covering the component with an equal layer using a clean credit card. How thick should my layer be, and can I just reuse the old thermal pads that are used for the GPU RAM etc?

 

Everything needs to be cleaned before applying the AS5. I am not sure about the AS5 being conductive due to the silver included. So be careful!!!

You can use the AS5 instead of the thermal pads. When applying it do not use too much. A thin layer must only cover the die oder chip surface.

Removing the pads can be done with lighter fuel or something else that removes the glue completely. You should not reuse the pads. The AS5 will result in a better connection.

Thermal compound is only used to establish a thermal connection between the cooling device and the chip. Only a thin layer is required. It should never touch or even interconnect other devices or electronics surrounding the chip.