Advice needed, GPU full of white rust???

abdulwahidkhan · 4 Oct 2019 at 15:12

Hi all,
Need some advice/help if you can. I have a GPU that I was using and then left it in the shed in the garden, sadly exposed to the air as I had the window slightly left open since I have been away for a few months on work. I have back to seeing some white crusty stuff that has accumulated on the GPU fins (please see pictures attached on the link from different angles).
I have tried to use an ear bud with nail varnish remover to take it off but it doesn't seem to go away and can't get the buds in to the fins properly.
Can anyone suggest what I can do to remove this and what it potentially is?
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks

https://ibb.co/vdkLXdV
https://ibb.co/zxwGVG5
https://ibb.co/XLVM5GT
https://ibb.co/jg2mMHm

Space Monkey · 4 Oct 2019 at 15:16

Looks like mould?

Get yourself some pure Isopropyl alcohol from eBay and a soft hobby brush, take the card apart and give it a good clean, once clean and fully dry, reassemble and see if it still works?

Space Monkey · 4 Oct 2019 at 15:18

Also if you remove the metal heatsink from any electrics/fans and cables then you can soak it in something?

F1aw1ess · 4 Oct 2019 at 15:54

ive seen similar build up on customers machines who are smokers, the tar sticks on the outer edges of heatsinks and fans then then dust get stuck to it and goes a similar colour overtime, your not a smoker are you?

Bluntwrapped · 4 Oct 2019 at 16:26

It was a spooky ghost!

abdulwahidkhan · 4 Oct 2019 at 16:36

Not a smoker, but will order Isopropyl alcohol and hobby brush and see what happens. Will try and soak it too.

red eye · 4 Oct 2019 at 17:27

Space Monkey said:
Looks like mould?

Get yourself some pure Isopropyl alcohol from eBay and a soft hobby brush, take the card apart and give it a good clean, once clean and fully dry, reassemble and see if it still works?

It’s mould, would alcohol remove it?

Op do not use any type of mould killer or cillit bang. it’ll strip the anodizing, a new layer of oxide will form but it will look crusty. Unless you want to diy anodize it

Space Monkey · 4 Oct 2019 at 17:29

red eye said:
It’s mould, would alcohol remove it?

Op do not use any type of mould killer or cillit bang. it’ll strip the anodizing, a new layer of oxide will form but it will look crusty. Unless you want to diy anodize it

Should do, plus it dries almost instantly.

Panos · 4 Oct 2019 at 17:31

Bluntwrapped said:
It was a spooky ghost!

Thought a dead one also. That cooler is from 10+ year old card.

Panos · 4 Oct 2019 at 17:34

abdulwahidkhan said:
Hi all,
Need some advice/help if you can. I have a GPU that I was using and then left it in the shed in the garden, sadly exposed to the air as I had the window slightly left open since I have been away for a few months on work. I have back to seeing some white crusty stuff that has accumulated on the GPU fins (please see pictures attached on the link from different angles).
I have tried to use an ear bud with nail varnish remover to take it off but it doesn't seem to go away and can't get the buds in to the fins properly.
Can anyone suggest what I can do to remove this and what it potentially is?
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks

Dust mixed with dew. Just clean it up. Also what the GPU was doing in the garden shed?

red eye · 4 Oct 2019 at 17:39

Panos said:
Also what the GPU was doing in the garden shed?

He just spent 500 on a gpu so he’s hiding it from the Mrs

Panos · 4 Oct 2019 at 17:47

red eye said:
He just spent 500 on a gpu so he’s hiding it from the Mrs

LOL

Why not hide it inside the PC case?

red eye · 4 Oct 2019 at 19:20

Panos said:
LOL

Why not hide it inside the PC case?

You have to move it in stages.
From delivery to pc, to avoid suspicion it has to hide in at least 5 places before ending up in the pc

red eye · 4 Oct 2019 at 19:23

Iv already planned my stages.
Delivery, behind the sofa, under dining table, in a bag on the coat peg, under bed then finally in pc.
Just hope the box isn’t too big

abdulwahidkhan · 4 Oct 2019 at 19:24

hahaha.... something like that.
Would it be ok if I let it be soaked in Isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes and then try and scrub it off? Or don't soak it all but try and scrub it with a brush that I dip in the Isopropyl solution?

Flake87 · 4 Oct 2019 at 20:34

Looks like Aluminium oxide to me. There are several remedies available including nylon brush with some vinegar! Autosol polishes any tarnished areas should they need it.

Aluminium is a really good heat conductor so it makes sense to either make or plate heatsinks from it.

Here's a blast from the past!

https://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/740073-Heatsink-corroded-BADLY-after-washing

Quartz · 4 Oct 2019 at 21:10

Dismount the heatsink from the GPU and remove the fan before you try anything.

I'd dunk the heatsink in water and attack it with something like a toothbrush. If that doesn't work then use a weak acid like spirit vinegar. Once clean, rinse the heatsink in isopropyl alcohol to displace the water and dry. Aluminium shouldn't require 'sealing' or anything as it forms a self-insulating layer of aluminium oxide on contact with air.

Flake87 · 4 Oct 2019 at 21:38

Quartz said:
Aluminium shouldn't require 'sealing' or anything as it forms a self-insulating layer of aluminium oxide on contact with air.

In normal use this might be true, and the process is called anodising, but it isn't thick enough to resist the hostile environment this card has been stored in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing

If you use water then boiled (and cooled) de-ionised or distilled water and look up all the sites in cleaning these things before you do.

Rofflay · 4 Oct 2019 at 22:09

I soaked aluminium in iso once, It stained it white i threw it out because i was not sure what i done but before it went in the iso long term it never had the white stains hmm.

red eye · 5 Oct 2019 at 16:09

abdulwahidkhan said:
hahaha.... something like that.
Would it be ok if I let it be soaked in Isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes and then try and scrub it off? Or don't soak it all but try and scrub it with a brush that I dip in the Isopropyl solution?

Test it first I don’t know if alcohol will strip the anodizing. I haven’t tried it so I don’t know, I do know that cillit bang will strip anodizing so don’t use that.