Installing used CPU

[R2_]

Ok guys so i'm just building a new rig for my father, he'll be using my CPU (Phenom II X4 945) and i'll be getting a new Phenom II X4 955 BE

My main question is about the Thermal Paste...
When I installed mt Phenom II X4 945 there was this per-applied thermal adhesive, so I simply didn't worried about (no overclocking anyway) but I did accidentally touch the paste with the tip of my finger... it was almost impossible to see any marks so i barely touched.
Well the CPU runs fine since that day (2009)! I guess it might be getting hotter then it should, and I'm sure this kind of imperfections show their face in a long run...

Question: When installed my Phenom II X4 945 on the new motherboard is it necessary/recommended/optional to remove the original pre-applied thermal and apply a new one?

If yes, then I would ask for advices on how to remove that crap, and how to apply. I remember saw some article explaining the different ways to apply and witch was more efficient, but can't remember where was it.

I have available on my town (this would be first option as it's fast way) is an Akasa AK-455, but by the price I'm sure it's not the best...
On online brazilian stores I found: AKASA AK450, Thermaltake TG1, Arctic Ceramique, Arctic Silver 5, Noctua NT-H1 and ZALMAN STG1

I did some googling about and seems like Arctic Silver is very well reviewd, same to Arctic Ceramique. Noctua says "no long cure time" witch sounds very nice for me.

So this new rig won't be going any hardcore nor overcloking too, but i feel like pre-applied thermal might be aged.

It's fun to see how some companies display very detailed information, while other just bloat with empty adjectives... As materials science&engineering I get very curios about "whats made", thermaltake simply hides this information.

I promise pics of the new rig and the upgrade of mine, witch will include removal of plastic grill and 3 Scythe S-Flex.

[idale]

Question: When installed my Phenom II X4 945 on the new motherboard is it necessary/recommended/optional to remove the original pre-applied thermal and apply a new one?

If yes, then I would ask for advices on how to remove that crap, and how to apply. I remember saw some article explaining the different ways to apply and witch was more efficient, but can't remember where was it.

Any time the heatsink and CPU are separated, you need to clean off the old and apply new. Cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol has worked well for me, just try not to make a mess with it. (Dip the cotton swab into some alcohol, gently rub, usually takes just a couple of swabs to get it looking clean.)

As for how to apply, everyone has their favorite, but generally I go with the recommendation Artic Silver has (which varies by CPU, but for modern AMD processors is the "put an amount about the size of a grain of rice in the middle of the CPU" method).

[ces]

When installed my Phenom II X4 945 on the new motherboard is it necessary/recommended/optional to remove the original pre-applied thermal and apply a new one?

Arctic Silver has two special removers applied in a 1 2 step.

Artic cooling TIM is reputedly the easiest to apply and is almost as good as the Arctic Silver tim.

[R2_]

I see, first, many thanks for reply.

idale, wouldn't be possible to remover the CPU with heatsink all together ?

ces, you referring to the ArctiClean right? Hmm that seems to be hard to find around here, so i guess I'll go with isopropyl alcohol.

[quest_for_silence]

idale, wouldn't be possible to remover the CPU with heatsink all together ?

Yes, AMD sockets are such loose things, and sometimes it happens that an heatsink pull off the whole CPU (without unlocking priorly the socket lever), but why do you want to do so? Just to not reapply TIM? I would not recommend to do deliberately so, due to the actual risk of breaking/bending some CPU pins (which moreover may remain inside the socket itself, and then you could lose either the CPU and the mobo).

Be calm: cleaning a CPU heatspreader (and also the CPU heatsink) with a common tissue makeup remover and some alchool, and then reapply TIM, it is one of the easiest things to do, nowadays.
The only thing you have not to do is to spread some of the old mud off the heatspreader itself (on the socket or the mobo), and to avoid it you need just to be gentle and calm, as there's nothing to spread, the heatsink will do for you (and for free).

[R2_]

Thanks quest_for_silence, I think I got the idea now, just put a little drop and the heatsink will spread when mounted.
But I wonder how deep in the surface will alcohol clean off the old paste. Many thanks everyone, I hope to post some pics very soon