For general maintenance, compressed air on the cooler fans and some on the CPU will suffice. If the CPU fan is extremely dirty, or you need to clean thermal paste off the CPU or the socket pins, this will require some deeper cleaning.
How to Clean Thermal Paste Off The CPU?
Using Isopropanol or a thermal paste cleaner and a microfiber cloth, you can gently rub and clean the thermal paste off the CPU. Here are the complete steps to do so:
How to Clean A CPU Fan / Cooler?
Light cleaning with a can of compressed air is generally enough for the CPU fan. But in cases where that’s not sufficient, here’s how you can deep clean the CPU Fan:
How to Clean CPU Pins / Socket?
People sometimes apply too much thermal paste on the CPU, and when they install the cooler, it ends up leaking onto the pins. This is a common issue that, fortunately, isn’t a big deal most of the time as most thermal pastes these days are not electro-conductive. The CPU pins are very fragile, though, so you still have to be very careful when dealing with them. With all that said, here are the necessary steps: If you’re trying to clean the gold-plated contact points on the CPU, we recommend using an alcohol pad/wipe. Don’t forget to dry the CPU afterward. AMD mostly uses PGA sockets where the pins are on the CPU, and they line up with holes in the socket. If you’re trying to clean thermal paste off such sockets, we recommend wiping in a straight line using an isopropyl wipe. For deeper cleaning, you can pour some isopropanol into the socket holes, gently stroke using a brush to remove as much paste as you can, then use compressed air to blow out all the Isopropanol along with the paste. Once again, remember to let the motherboard completely dry before reseating the CPU.
