Thermal grease 762

Ted Zieglar

Apply new and definitely remove the old (from both the CPU and the heatsinc!). You want to remove the old layer because if you leave it there the grease will have uneven pockets which will create hot spots. To remove the old grease, run the computer for a couple minutes (to heat up the CPU, it makes removing the heatsink from the processor a lot quicker), power down, remove the cpu and use a q-tip with rubbing alcohol. Apply the qtip to the back of the CPU and it should come off easily. Obviously let the CPU dry (I'd give it at least an hour) before you apply a new layer. Don't worry about hurting the CPU if you need to scratch off some of the grease, the back side is fairly thick. In fact, there's overclockers who actually sand down the back of the CPU so the heat can be transferred quicker. Check out most modder or overclocker forums for details and recommendations.