Cleaned a GPU with a damp (with water) coffee filter.

[pantsaregood]

Any chance I damaged it? If I'm not mistaken (I may be), the water should evaporate off pretty quickly. The fact I nuked the GPU with a hairdryer probably helped that, too.

That said, water isn't conductive. The core is covered by a heatspreader, so I can't see any direct effect on it. I didn't dump water on it or anything, of course.

 

[busydude]

How do you know that the water you used isn't conductive?

 

[Seero]

If it is dried completely, than it is fine, but don't use water again as water isn't conductive by itself, but water does get ionized and become conductive. This isn't the reason why you shouldn't use water to clean it. The reason is oxidation, which cause corrosion. Make sure it is completely dried.

 

[pantsaregood]

How do you know that the water you used isn't conductive?

Water isn't conductive.

Ions in water are conductive. Even after drying, the salts from said tap water could be left on the GPU.

 

[Idontcare]

Water isn't conductive.

Ions in water are conductive. Even after drying, the salts from said tap water could be left on the GPU.

Pure water, in the absence of all impurities, contains ions by virtue of a process called "self-ionization" and is conductive (the resistance is not infinite), albeit not by very much.

In practice though the bigger issue is certainly with the salt impurities that remain after the water itself has evaporated, as you noted. You can start with ultra pure water and still end up with salt deposits by virtue of the water absorbing/dissolving CO2 from exposure to the atmosphere, the CO2 converts to carbonate ions (CO3).

CO2 + H2O

H2CO3

Once the carbonate ions form they will then bind with other impurities and form preciptates that you and I see as "drying residues".

 

[Arkadrel]

Why would you peel off the cooler and clean the GPU with a wet coffe filter?

Re-applying new thermal grease?

Any chance I damaged it?

Chance yes, but really if all you did was just remove old thermal grease and apply new stuff, even if you used a wet coffee filter to do it, I doubt you seriously damaged the gpu by doing so.

Still... wet coffee filter? really?

 

[busydude]

Using coffee filter is fine.. and from next time on please use >90% Isopropyl[rubbing] alcohol for wiping off thermal compounds.

 

[pantsaregood]

Why would you peel off the cooler and clean the GPU with a wet coffe filter?

Re-applying new thermal grease?




Chance yes, but really if all you did was just remove old thermal grease and apply new stuff, even if you used a wet coffee filter to do it, I doubt you seriously damaged the gpu by doing so.

Still... wet coffee filter? really?

Coffee filters don't leave behind any residue or lint. A coffee filter and acetone is a very effective way to clean thermal paste. Things like qtips tend to leave behind lint.

 

[Jionix]

Coffee filters don't leave behind any residue or lint. A coffee filter and acetone is a very effective way to clean thermal paste. Things like qtips tend to leave behind lint.

I would avoid using acetone. It leaves behind residue itself, and I have attributed a dead card to my using acetone (like 10 years ago).

I only use 90% rubbing alcohol now. It's not conductive, evaporates quickly and cleanly, and is just as good at removing grease and grime.

 

[Phynaz]

Using coffee filter is fine.. and from next time on please use >90% Isopropyl[rubbing] alcohol for wiping off thermal compounds.

No! Isopropyl alcohol that you buy at a corner drugstore is full of impurities. They put things like skin conditioner in it.

Stick with 100% methanol, available at your local hobby shop.

 

[busydude]

No! Isopropyl alcohol that you buy at a corner drugstore is full of impurities. They put things like skin conditioner in it.

Dang!.. I didn't know that. Thanks.. will keep that in mind.

 

[Meghan54]

Dang!.. I didn't know that. Thanks.. will keep that in mind.

You wouldn't know that because Phynaz is being an alarmist. No one was talking about buying that 50-70% IPA crap that does typically contain conditioners, etc.

What was being talked about was buying IPA that's >90% concentration, which never contains conditioners, etc. The only other ingredient in those concentrations is water, which is kept in suspension by the IPA....one if its characteristics. IPA attracts water and suspends it, making it invaluable in drying water off electronic components along with its property of being almost completely inert when used in this fashion.

Methanol, on the other hand, is a known corrosive to some metals, esp. aluminum.

Wouldn't pour methanol on any electronic circuit boards I cared about. And methanol's corrosive properties is why you don't find methanol being sold in electronics supply houses as a cleaner while IPA is.

 

[Jionix]

I've never had any issues using 90% alcohol, and use it to clean everything from lenses to LCDs.

 

[busydude]

Wow, I just read up on methanol, and I would not touch it with a ten foot pole. I'll stick with rubbing alcohol.

 

[Dark Shroud]

90%+ alcohol you can buy at the drug store is perfectly fine & cheap.

 

[Avalon]

What was being talked about was buying IPA that's >90% concentration

Is it bad that I saw IPA and thought India Pale Ale? Hah.

Anyway...in all likelihood there's no damage to your GPU. In the future, though, definitely use 90%+ alcohol. I have a bottle of 91% sitting under my sink just for my PC.