Cleaning off green part of i7 4700MQ with alcohol

Hello folks. I'm in need of some some help. I just recently upgraded my i7 4700MQ on my AW 14 to an i7 4930MX and I'm wanting to sell my i7 4700MQ. Unfortunately, Dell did a bad paste job on the i7 4700MQ and some paste got onto the green part. I got most of the paste out with a microfiber cloth and looks good except on the green part with those tiny dots. Is it safe to clean with 90% alcohol dabbed on microfiber cloth on that last remaining part with the paste? The brand of the paste is the Shin Etsu 1234. Here is a pic below for reference. Appreciate any suggestions I can get. Thanks in advance.

 

Yes, it is 100% safe.

 

So just to be sure it is okay to clean the paste from the area with those little tiny gold connector dots (not talking about the gold pins below but those tiny gold things near the CPU die as shown in picture) just below the CPU die? Thanks for chiming in. Any other things I need to know?

 

Yes, it is perfectly safe to clean the entire processor. You have no need to worry.

 

It's almost impossible to get the VRM area entirely clean, there will always be some residual paste stuck there. Unless I guess you went through each gap with a toothpick carefully.

This is the one thing I like about Haswell, you can tell at first glance if that "new" processor you just bought has been used.

 

I see. I'm guessing it just needs a little 90% alcohol to loosen it. Do you agree with the other poster that it is safe to you alcohol to loosen it?

How long should I wait for the 90% alcohol to dry before putting my CPU back in and powering it on? Don't want to cause any shorts due to it still being wet.

What about the underside of the processor with those gold pins (on the opposite side of the die)? Is it okay to clean those too?

 

The pins shouldn't need cleaning, those things shouldn't oxidize and since they're in the socket most of the time, I don't see how they could get dirty in the first place.

 

Just wondering in the case it gets paste on it by accident.

 

Alcohol won't do anything to metals, so pins are ok for cleaning, although as someone else said, you shouldn't ever have to clean them.

 

I see. Judging by the picture is it okay to clean that strip just below the die covered with paste with alcohol and microfibre cloth? Just want to get more affirmative answers that it is safe.

 

Thank god for non conductive paste huh?

ArctiClean works wonder on hard-to-reach places like that. Just put a few dabs of the solution on and the paste will dissolve and come easily off.

 

Yes.

10 char

 

Shouldn't the alcohol be good enough? Not sure if the shin etsu paste is non conductive.

 

Apart from Liquid Ultra, none of the pastes are conductive. (Arctic Silver 5 is slightly capacitive but not conductive)

Alcohol doesn't dissolve the paste, merely forms a suspension that's easier to wipe off.

 

Use a clean unused (i.e. new) soft bristled toothbrush and dip it in alcohol to clean it off in the area with all the little nubs.

 

90+% rubbing alcohol dries very quickly. You can sit there watching it dry in seconds. You can put the processor into a bowl of alcohol and it won't do anything.

For cleaning I prefer to use disposable cotton pads. Little bits of cotton get left behind, but you can blow or brush whatever tiny fibers are left quite easily.

 

Thanks bro. Appreciate it.