Reddit mentions: The best oil cleanup absorbers

I used artic mx4 too, seems to be working well, might want to get some thermal paste remover too to get the factory stuff they use off. Make sure to post what Lenovo says for your country too so other people can have another reference on this, the entire viability of repasting is going on the word of just one lenovo support person so far.

XTU does indeed work perfectly, not sure how they decide what laptops it works on. Being able to use it to undervolt is super useful though I haven't figured out how to get a persistent profile working.

It only works for the CPU though, I have no clue how you would undervolt or downclock the GPU though I'd be quite interested in knowing as well.

I'm so grateful for pop os, I wish there was a way for me to donate money to them without having to buy a system76 laptop, where did you see the info on nvidia optimus? That would be useful, till now I've just consoled myself with knowing that if I wanted to do something with the GPU I'd just restart into windows anyways generally.

Also, a few more things since I'm just sitting around anyway :)

• You might want to consider removing the HDD cage for better airflow. You can buy a cheap and simple bracket to mount the HDD in the top 5.25" bays. Added bonus is you won't have that extra length of wire running all the way down from the optical drive to the HDD.
  
• I don't see it in your case, but in your parts list you listed a Noctua NF-F12 fan. This fan is meant for high static pressure (like in liquid cooled setups), and may not really be right for you. Check out Noctua's page on the matter. The NF-S12A may be better for your push-pull configuration.
  
• It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like you've bunched up the PCI-E power connectors in the front of the case just before the GPU. It could look better if you bunched them up in the back instead!

> Compaq Presario CQ5320Y

Ok, perfect. So your motherboard is a M2N68-LA. Here's the page I just looked at to find out this.

Per the HP site, that board supports up to 95 watt CPUs which means the Phenom II X6 1065T is the best CPU for your motherboard. You can probably (I'm 99% sure) put 2 8GB sticks of PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333) RAM in there as well.

But to your other questions. For installing a new CPU, or just cleaning an old one, I like this product. And this is my go to thermal paste. Lastly, just to dust a computer, I use canned compressed air. I think most of us on here do. Also, I personally will wipe down almost any part of my case with windex and a paper towel. Obviously don't get windex on any electrical component, and if you do, let it fully dry.

Well, it covers the center part, which emits most of the heat, but overall its purpose is to fill all the tiny gaps between the surface of the CPU and the surface of the cooler block. Your TIM looks really thick and did not spread very well.

 


I would strongly suggest that you replace it in the near future.

 

Get something like this to clean off the CPU and the Cooler block, and then apply a good Thermal Paste like this one. Keep an eye on which one you buy though, some of them conduct electricity. You don't want to apply to much of these ones, since they can short your board if not applied correctly.

1. Im not sure i would use nail polish remover, 90%+ purity rubbing alcohol would probably be more suitable, or get something like this Amazon Link which ive used before and it works very well for removing thermal paste.
   
   
2. Thats a good thermal paste.

Oil Dri. No guarantees on any stains the oil may leave, but this has always been the most successful for me. Any variation of that. We usually get it in a bag.

I got them for free, so it's what I use.

https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Arcticlean-Material-Purifier/dp/B0087X738E

Good to check =D.

I used this to clean my CPU when I swapped out my case. Makes it easy, but other ways to do it too: https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Arcticlean-Material-Purifier/dp/B0087X738E

Yes, leave it for a day. You can grind the granules in with your heel to powder it and it will soak up quicker. Grind it in, come back in a couple hours, rearrange it with a wire brush, grind it in again and give it more time. Repeat as necessary, change when completely oily.

Or if you can find rice hull ash, that stuff is the shit! Use the same method above. A bag will last forever, I reuse it till it's saturated. http://smile.amazon.com/Greasweep-Multi-purpose-Premium-Oil-Absorbent/dp/B00MT3W29S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419232618&sr=8-1&keywords=greasweep

If you've power washed all the oil out and just have a stain, the litter/ash won't work. This will sound crazy but pour some transmission fluid on it and use the litter or ash. Transmission fluid has detergent in it and will float out the stain, the litter/ash will draw it out of the concrete.

Source: Veteran Mechanic with OCD.

This stuff is magic it softens and removed the oldest and driest thermal paste with ease.

I would try something like this oil absorbing powder..... Gets used in automotive situations frequently, so you may know someone who has some.

https://www.amazon.com/ESP-MM503-Universal-Absorbent-Absorbency/dp/B00BFIR9NC/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1475239568&sr=1-3&keywords=oil+absorbing+powder

Lmao, did the same thing with some .45 handloads a few years ago. Next time you accidentally use too much case lube just wipe the cartridges down between a couple of sheets of pig-mat

Using Articlean with coffee filters. One or two drops of each bottle is enough for removing completly thermal compound.

https://smile.amazon.com/New-Pig-25201-Universal-Light-Weight/dp/B005CVXKK4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522170299&sr=8-4&keywords=oil+absorbent+mat

Either the 40 lb bags of oil dry or use pig mat. gotta be careful with kitty litter, use the wrong type and you'll have a gooey mess instead of dry oil filled litter

OP, there's a polymer that absorbs 100x its weight in liquids and it's used in haz mat products and many other products today.

• Here is a water absorbing snake to use as an alternative.
  It's reusable. This one absorbs 10x its weight in water.
  
• It appears each one of these snakes absorbs 52 gallons of water. Or maybe the whole box absorbs 52 gal of water.
  
• You can get it as "fake snow" in hobby shops but it's in small amounts and is somewhat pricey.
  
• And here it is! Sodium polyacrylate. It's a loose powder and turns into a gel but absorbs 500x its weight in water. $4.25usd. 1 lb for $20usd. This might be the same stuff that is in granule form (which you can put in a sock) used to keep your plants damp, found in the garden center.
  
• Here are the crystals you can put in a sock! Only $20usd. Reusable. Dry out in your oven at about 150F.