CPU Cooler Cleaning Guide

👤by Michael Pabia Comments 📅26-06-20
Polishing the CPU Cooler
If simply removing dirt and fingerprints from your CPU cooler is not enough, you can use metal polish to create a shiny finish which is ideal for nickel-plated CPU coolers. However, this may not apply to some CPU coolers like certain be quiet! cooler models and Noctua’s chromax.black edition CPU coolers that has a black coating.

Disclaimer:
Some brands like Noctua and be quiet! does not recommend using metal polish in cleaning CPU coolers. Also, make sure you read the instructions provided with your metal polish of choice.


Materials Needed
- Clean cloth or tissue paper
- Metal polish

Step 1: Metal Polish Application

Put small amounts of metal polish to a clean piece of cloth or tissue paper and apply it to the CPU cooler’s accessible fins and heat pipes.



Step 2: Buffing

Using a clean piece of cloth or tissue paper, polish the surfaces until shiny. The black stuff that you’d get from the cooler is a layer of oxidized metal. The CPU cooler’s metal components naturally react to the natural elements like the oxygen present in the air thus resulting in oxidation which is a form of corrosion. This is why CPU coolers naturally lose its shine after some period of time.



Compared to using isopropyl alcohol, the metal polish will help you remove that oxidized layer better and restore the shiny finish on your CPU cooler like it was new.

Comparison

The Noctua NH-D15S has two towers of fins and heat pipes. We cleaned one side with isopropyl alcohol, as recommended by Noctua, and the other side with metal polish. See the images below for comparison.

Before Cleaning


Side cleaned using isopropyl alcohol


Side cleaned using metal polish


Side by Side Comparison

Left side using metal polish, right side using isopropyl alcohol



Left side using metal polish, right side using isopropyl alcohol



Left side using isopropyl alcohol, right side using metal polish



Left side using isopropyl alcohol, right side using metal polish


Metal polish can help you restore a shinier finish to your CPU cooler particularly the nickel-plated components.




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