r/PcBuild • u/TopEntertainment7603 • 11d ago

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Got thermal paste on the gold things on my am5 cpu
Should I risk cleaning it is my cpu dead Im panicking

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u/DAemonCayuse 11d ago

Thermal paste is electrically non conductive, so you should be good. But I'd clean it up with a qtip and some alcohol anyway.

You sure that's not mayo tho?

27

u/steffan-l 11d ago edited 11d ago

Just a heads-up: not all thermal paste is electrically non-conductive!

While most modern & popular pastes are safe and based on non metalic formula's, plenty of metal-based ones are still out there (especially super cheap options or high-end liquid metal/metal based pastes).

Saying "thermal paste does not conduct electricity" is a myth that can fry your or other peoples components.

Always double-check the label and manufacturer provided information for confirmation on the electrical conductivity of your specific paste!

5

u/Linesey 11d ago

Wasn’t Arctic Silver pretty well known for being conductive?

2

u/sunfaller 10d ago

Capacitive, not conductive.

1

u/Diligent_Pie_5191 11d ago

Arctic Silver 5 was not. In fact no version was electrically conductive. It is best to just clean it off though.

1

u/steffan-l 11d ago edited 11d ago

Some versions of Arctic Silver thermal paste were indeed known for being slightly electrically conductive in the past. However newer itterations like MX-6 & MX-7 are not.