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That know-it-all at the shop who swore thermal paste doesn't expire
I replaced a CPU cooler on a 6 year old Dell last week and the stock paste was basically dust. Took me 30 extra minutes cleaning it off. Anyone else run into old paste that looked like dried clay?
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casey3423mo ago
Oh man my buddy had paste on a ten year old Dell that literally crumbled into powder when he touched it.
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angelamurphy3mo ago
I picked up a used Optiplex at auction once and the paste was so brittle it fell off in a single sheet like a cracker. A dab of isopropyl alcohol (91% or higher, not the wimpy 70% stuff) and some patience is usually enough to soften it up. Just don't use a metal scraper or you'll gouge the heatspreader, a plastic spudger or an old gift card works way better.
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kimblack3mo ago
You ever scrape off thermal paste that was so crusty it felt like scraping off old drywall mud? I've had that happen on forgotten office machines too and it's honestly the worst part of the whole upgrade. The guy at the shop probably hasn't worked on anything older than a year.
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