How to Remove and Clean CPU

Your CPU sits in what can be considered the “core” of your computer, so you might think it doesn’t need to be cleaned. Not so. A computer is not simply a static piece of technology. The more it works, the more the heat, dust, and other elements move into and around it. Unless you have it set up in a perfect vacuum, you’ll need to clean it once in a while to ensure it stays at top performance. Not to mention replacing your thermal paste.

Cleaning the CPU can be a daunting task – especially if you bought your computer prebuilt or had a friend build it for you. You may be worried about damaging the technology or cleaning it wrong.

Not to worry. Kooling Monster is here to show you the exact steps to take to ensure a safe and clean process. Keep reading for more.

Why do we need to clean a CPU

You might be arguing against your own fears or laziness about opening up the PC and scrubbing it down (metaphorically). You might be thinking “it’s not really that necessary, is it?”

It is.

The two major reasons to clean CPU is because of dust buildup and to replace your thermal paste – both of which can have a significant impact on the speed of your PC.

Firstly, dust buildup is extremely common even if your computer’s environment is spotless. A PC is essentially a vacuum that sucks in cool air and pumps out hot air. If you don’t have a dust filter installed on the spaces where air is being pulled in, chances are you’re going to pull in a lot of dust. And even if you do, dust can also creep into the spaces between your case’s plating.

Dust and hair can clog up your fans, cake onto your CPU and motherboard, and act as a blanket, preventing the heat from escaping. Usually, the heat from your CPU and surrounding components would be dissipated by your cooling system, but if met with dust, it has no choice but to travel backwards and heat up your PC. This means a greater chance of overheating and a higher likelihood that your PC will gradually decrease in function simply due to the electrical components being interfered with.

Secondly, thermal paste. No matter how good your thermal paste is, all thermal pastes eventually dry and begin to crack. When this happens, they lose their ability to transfer heat (we call this heat transfer efficiency) which is a major part of your computer’s cooling. When the CPU is unable to transfer heat out to the heatsink efficiently, the heat has no choice but to – you guessed it – go back into the CPU and the motherboard. This could mean overheating, abnormal slowdowns, and – in extreme cases – permanent damage to components.

Cleaning your PC of dust and replacing your thermal paste will likely provide a nice boost to your PC’s speed. For maximum efficacy, we also recommend taking the opportunity to clean out your fans, heatsink, and the crevices between your motherboard, case, and hard drives of dust.

What exactly are you cleaning on a CPU? What do you need to clean a CPU? 

In most of the space, you’re going to be cleaning out the dust, but on the CPU you’ll be cleaning out dust and old thermal paste. The CPU is the heart of your computer, and just like all the blood in your body runs through your heart at some point, so does all the air in the case run through the CPU and the heatsink. The CPU is also one of the few places in your PC that uses thermal paste, so you’ll want to check whether or not the thermal paste is dry and cracked and clean that as well.  (Learn more about How to clean thermal paste off CPU [2022 beginner guide])

Additionally, you’ll want to take the opportunity of opening up your PC to clean not only the CPU and the heatsink, but other important components that are a part of your cooling system like your fans. For this, you can use a compressed oxygen spray like Dust-Off.

Keep reading for more detailed instructions on how to get started.

How do I remove a processor? 

Taking out a CPU can be a nerve-wracking process if you’ve never done it before – or if you have and are still having flashbacks. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the process.

1.     Prepare a piece of carboard or another non-conductive surface in case you need to lay down your CPU

2.     Take your motherboard out of the case. If you can’t, place the computer on its side

3.     Unscrew the 4 screws holding your cooler in place

4.     With a gentle back-and-forth twisting motion, remove your cooler from the top of your CPU (if the thermal paste is dry, it may take a little bit of twisting)

5.     Check the top of the CPU for signs of spillage; if there’s no spillage, the CPU does not need to be removed from its socket

If your CPU does need to be removed, follow the additional steps below:

6.     Locate the small lever at the side of the CPU cover and push it down gently and to the side to release the cover

7.     Swing the cover up, and with your thumb and forefinger, gentle grip and left the CPU by its edges

8.     Place the CPU upside down on your cardboard or non-conductive surface and place the cover back down to ensure you don’t accidentally damage any pins

For more information on how to clean thermal paste that has leaked into the pins, check out our guide here - Thermal paste on CPU pin? How to remove thermal paste from CPU socket?.

Cleaning a Processor 

To clean thermal paste off your CPU, you can use paper towels and isopropyl alcohol (anything above 91%) or you can save yourself the hassle and use Kooling Monster KLEAN-01 – our specialized thermal cleaning wipe which is specially-designed to easily wipe off thermal gunk.

Steps:

1.     Carefully uninstall the cooler and remove it from the top of the CPU (you can also clean this of thermal paste later)

2.     If you’re using paper towels and alcohol, fold the paper towel a few times and dip it in the alcohol. Otherwise, just open up our KLEAN-01 thermal paste wipe.

3.     Gently wipe the old thermal paste off the side of the CPU

4.     Use a new paper towel or thermal paste wipe to wipe the thermal paste off the underside of the heatsink

5.     Use another new thermal wipe to polish the CPU and heatsink and ensure there aren’t any leftover pieces of thermal paste

6.     Wait for 2 minutes for your components to dry before reapplying new thermal paste

For additional information, check out our Beginner’s Guide.

At this point, you can also use some pressurized air (like Dust-Off) to clean the dust from your CPU and fans. Point the nozzle tip into the fan and apply a few short bursts until you see the dust escape. For other components, like the CPU, heatsink, and surrounding parts, use similar short bursts in small crevices until you see dust fly out.

If you follow all the steps accordingly, your PC should be clean, dust-free and ready to go.