That's what I did. 1500 bucks later and IM GOLDEN YO!

Really, I wish I had spent the time, but.. I really don't have any.

LoL this was so wrong that I can't stop thinking how it went so wrong - probably all people involved in this video haven't had any clue what are they doing...

The first question I have is "isn't a toothpaste tube a little overkill?"

But how else you would see the BIG MSI Mainboard label otherwise ?!?

Can I use high purity ethyl alcohol (>90%) for the cleaning of thermal paste instead of isopropyl alcohol? Will it damage the metal cap of the CPU and will evaporate equally fast without causing subsequent problems, like bursting in fire when turned on (I'll wait till evaporates 1-2 hours, but still its qualified as "highly flammable")?

One burned 50-cent PWM chip later....

Ethanol may contain some oil.
Look for 99% denaturated ethanol, not only because its cheaper, but also because it contains no water - as such - no drying time necessary. Still, it may contain a thin oil film, hence why isopropyl is a better option. Methanol is free from film, but its extremely toxic.

Some use lightener gasoline to clean electronics parts (PCB etc) and report for it to work wonders after spilled beer mess or equal.

I usually use Taerosol Kontakt PRF 6-68, 7-78 or HFE Precision for cleaning of motherboards, PCB-s and CPU-s, it almost instantly dissolves into air and it can be used to clean almost anything.

PDF reveals its:
50% petroleum, 50% butan/propan mix (spraying gas)

Thanks!

I always use method number 4. Works great for me! The heatshield of CPUs generally spreads the heat pretty evenly, so the center of the heatshield is a fine place to put the thermal paste and the amount you mention is enough to cover the surface pretty much completely when the heatsink is pressed on and tightened.

When I worked in a computer shop, the most experienced techs swore by this method.

I'm using jam and I just throw it from distance while my eyes are closed.... always works, trust me.

Found a good explanation why isopropyl alcohol is recommended everywhere. As I see it from other forums in the rest of the world it's even cheaper than ethanol, unfortunately, as with other things, I'm afraid here will be opposite :(

Thanks for the points Lin! I think around here in every pharmacy there is 95% Ethanol, that 100ml bottle should contain 95ml Ethanol + 5ml purified water, we do have the "oil ones" for example with added 1% lavender oil, but those are specifically called lavender spirt(ethanol). I do however have to check if it has some anti-evaporation protective oil film though, I hope it will be listed on the contents.

Sure!

It breaks down like this:

1. Ethanol=Ethyl alcohol = its a regular "consumable" alcohol in beverages
Its a booze. Primarily produced by food/corn industry. Can be consumed.

Cost: It costs A LOT because of the % TAX, which is taken by STATE.
Leaves a slight film and may attack plastic. Can be up to 99,9%.

60% Water+40% Ethanol = Vodka
20% Water + 80% Ethanol = Medical alcohol (disinfection against bacteria/but not viruses)

2. Ethanol denaturated = denaturate = Ethyl alcohol denaturated = regular alcohol(ethanol) + special bitter chemical.
Used anywhere, where Ethanol is used, the denaturation by bitter chemical allows the state to remove the alcohol % tax. Special chemical is added to prevent people mixing it with water to make beverages. Can be consumed but extremely bad in taste (on purpose).
Cost: Already costs much much less than regular ethanol.
Same characteristics as Ethanol.
This form is often used/sold as a window cleaner or as a fluid for making/starting/ fires.
80% Water + 20% denaturated ethanol + additives (soup, tensides etc) = glass cleaner

3. Isopropyl = Isopropanol = technical alcohol.
Used for technical purposes, its like (2.) but is toxic when consumed.
Contains much less oils, hence often used for electronics.
Cost: Very cheap, even cheaper than (2.)
Used like (2.), plus (1.) with exception for any beverages. Its "mildly" but strongly toxic when consumed.

20% Water + 80% Isopropyl = Medical alcohol (disinfection against bacteria/but not viruses)
80% Water + 20% Isopropyl + additives (soup, tensides etc) = glass cleaner
10% Isopropyl(99,999% pure only) + 90% colophony/rosin = liquid colophony (good cheap flux for soldering purposes)

4. Methanol = Methyl alcohol = technical alcohol for very specific uses.
Extremely toxic when inhaled or drunk/consumed, very restricted use (not without reason).
Like (3.), but contains even less traces of oils.

I know that its sometimes used to clean lenses and sensors of cameras and its sold in milliliters after clearance.
In Russia it was once discovered in some windscreen wiper fluids and immediately confiscated (not without reason).

That's my limited knowledge of alcohols.
Also, I hope you haven't overlooked my response about thermal grease in its post #19, with links to actual testing.

its like schmearing a bagel, the more you smear the better it gets :)

Wait, wasn't this solved?
Then, another method could be to bathe the entire pc with case in liquid thermal paste. 100% works.