Damage to pci-e pins

[mfg_lv]

Hello Anandtech.
I've been dealing with this problem for months now and I can't seem to figure out anything. I've asked in a few other places and nobody has any idea what is going on. It appears that I'm the first person on the internet with that problem.
Basically, the pins on my pci-e devices are slowly getting destroyed. I don't know whether it's corrosion or some sort of burn-in, but it's happening constantly.
For example, a sound card that I've had for 2 years:

A graphics card I've had about a year:

I've noticed that it's mostly the same 2 pins on the two devices, even though they are on different slots.
I did clean them a bit, and basically the gold is gone and only the copper is left, but I think the copper is getting damaged too.
All of the devices work perfectly but I'm not sure for how long. I really want to upgrade the graphics cards but I don't want the new one to be destroyed because of this. I also can't afford to guess and replace random components in hope that they are the problem.
I really want to understand what is happening, can you help me ?

 

[denis280]

this is a bad contact from the pci e on the mobo,in most case this is caused by dust or from the begining dirt got stuck in this area.inspect the mobo

 

[mfg_lv]

Then why the exact same ports on the 2 slots ? Some other pins are also damaged but very slightly.
However, any idea how to clean it without breaking the motherboard if this is the case ?

 

[Fardringle]

It could be a manufacturing defect in the PCI slots, causing the same problem in the same location in both slots.

 

[mfg_lv]

The area where I live is extremely prone to dust, I have to clean the case once a month at least, even with dust filters.
If we assume it's bad contact due to dust, how to clean the ports ? Would canned air work ?

 

[XavierMace]

That first picture looks more like burn marks to me. Is it possible the cards aren't seated all the way? I had a case where the slots on the bottom of the case that PCI cards stick into to weren't cut properly so the card couldn't be inserted all of the way.

 

[pcgeek11]

Appears to be burning from a loose connection in the slots.

 

[mfg_lv]

I'm posting pictures of one of the slots:

As you can see, 2 of the pins are havily deteriorated, but the pins around them are ok.
There is a good amount of dust around the slots but I still think it may be corrision of some sort. I still need to find the source of the problem before doing anything.
Another problem is, how to clean the pins ? I tried with canned air, did nothing.
Tried with a needle, and I seem to be able to scrape some of it, but I'm afraid I might damage something.

 

[Ketchup]

Is the computer exposed to high temperatures and/or high humidity?

 

[mfg_lv]

Normal temperature, normal humidity, nothing unusual.
Just a higher amount of dust due to me living near a big street. Although I clean the dust filters and the dust inside the case at least once a month.

 

[cdebbie]

This seem be have two possible reasons, one could be related to the power supply unit that may be burning the gold out of them or may be related to malfunctioning slots on the motherboard. I'm more inclined to the motherboard since has happened to you and 2 different slots.

 

[Ketchup]

Normal temperature, normal humidity, nothing unusual.
Just a higher amount of dust due to me living near a big street. Although I clean the dust filters and the dust inside the case at least once a month.

OK, cool. Next time you have a chance, go into your BIOS and see what voltage the +3.3v, +5v, and +12v rails are running.

What power supply do you have?

 

[mfg_lv]

Seasonic S12 520W Bronze.
Voltages are nearly perfect:
3.3V: 3.305V
5V: 5.010V
12V:12.145V
However, I can't really measure accurately the ripple and the real voltages because I don't have the necessary equipment.
The main problem is that I have to understand what component is doing this and why. If I replace the motherboard and it turns out to be the PSU, I've spent money on a new motherboard and I not only have to replace the PSU, but the new motherboard is also damaged and has to be replaced too.

 

[Ketchup]

I would think a utility like CPUID hardware monitor would help here. Although it doesn't pull numbers every millisecond, if you leave it running long enough (several hours) it should catch something drastic.

Since we don't know where the deterioration is coming from, I would suggest replacing the board if you can't find any spikes in psu voltage. Just my take though. Definitely is an odd issue.

 

[Burpo]

I'm posting pictures of one of the slots:

As you can see, 2 of the pins are havily deteriorated, but the pins around them are ok.
There is a good amount of dust around the slots but I still think it may be corrision of some sort. I still need to find the source of the problem before doing anything.
Another problem is, how to clean the pins ? I tried with canned air, did nothing.
Tried with a needle, and I seem to be able to scrape some of it, but I'm afraid I might damage something.

I've used a toothbrush and WD 40 in PCI slots such as yours. It prevents corrosion and is thin enough to get into cracks & crevices and is dielectric. It will impede any further corrosion and is completely safe to use. I'd also treat the card contacts.

 

[mfg_lv]

Voltage with a 2 hour test is quite stable, here is the system at max possible load:
3,27 4,98 12,01
I like the toothbrush idea, but I'm not sure about the WD40, I just don't like spraying liquids on electronics. If it's a dielectric, what if it actually stops the connection between the pins and the slot ?

 

[Burpo]

You spray the WD40 on the toothbrush, and don't worry, it stops corrosion & displaces water, but doesn't change connectivity. Read up on WD40 if you want, but it works. I would also do the edge/contacts of the cards.

 

[mfg_lv]

I haven't bought WD40 yet, but I tried to clean it with a toothbrush and I can't.
This is really frustrating to me. I've been delaing with this problem for over 6 months now. Nobody knows why and how this is happening. Nobody can tell me a sure way to identify the problematic component. I really can't afford to gamble and replace something without knowing the reason why, because if the problem presists, it will destroy the new parts.
If the motherboard is doing this, how ? How can a seemingly normal pci-e connection corrode and destroy the gold coating and damage the pci-e pins in the slot ?

 

[Burpo]

Looks like simple corrosion to me. The toothbrush with WD40 on it will stop the corrosion and guarantee a better connection, if applied correctly. I've saved laptop & desktop boards that had liquid spills, with WD40 and a toothbrush

 

[mfg_lv]

Yes but how is it corroding ? Surely this is not something that happens often.
And how to clean it ? I want to remove it from the pins and the toothbrush doesn't seem to do anything.

 

[Burpo]

I explained what to do. It's up to you to try it. A toothbrush does nothing but reach the area. WD does the rest. Good luck!

 

[Oyeve]

Looks like its a very cheap mobo with cheap crap metal pins. When cheap metal (mobo pins) meet good metal (PC cards) bad stuff happens.

 

[mfg_lv]

I really don't think this is the case. I've had maybe over 10 different mobos and this is the first one doing this. And although the mobo is not terribly expensive ($80), I don't think ASUS would intentionally do that. There must be some standard in which all of the PCI-E ports are made.

 

[Ketchup]

I think it's safe to say that Asus is notorious for having the best and the worst boards one would ever own. Fortunately the good boards far outweigh the bad, but most people I read about with a bad board would have been better off just cutting their losses IMO.

How is the WD-40 working out?

 

[mfg_lv]

Haven't gotten a WD40 yet. Are you sure the WD40 won't burn the motherboard or cause any damage ?
Also, let's say I decide to buy a new board. What are the chances that with the gold coating destroyed, the pins on the cards will continue to corrode and affect the new pci-e slots ? Copper is a lot more chemically active than gold.