Question Can a thinner damage a GPU

[osamaorabi]

I cleaned the graphics card using thinner. Could this harm or affect the graphics card?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

cleaned what exactly;
took the entire card apart and cleaned every aspect of it,
cleaned the dust off the outside,
clean the PCIe contacts,..etc?

and what do you mean by "thinner";
just a cleaner brand name,
a specific type of cleaner,.?

 

[osamaorabi]

took the entire card apart and cleaned every aspect of it,
cleaned the dust off the outside,
clean the PCIe contacts,..etc?

Yes

and what do you mean by "thinner";
just a cleaner brand name,
a specific type of cleaner,.?

paint thinner

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Yes

cleaned what exactly?

if you dismantled the entire card you more likely damaged something through the dismantling & reconstruction.

paint thinner

but paint thinner could also damage the contacts and/or any circuits throughout the interior of the card.

 

[osamaorabi]

cleaned what exactly?

entire card

but paint thinner could also damage the contacts and/or any circuits throughout the interior of the card.

what do I have to do now?
I installed it, dried it and it has been working for a few days

 

[bignastyid]

Paint thinner is going to strip the pcb, contacts and pins of protective coatings making the card more susceptible to corrosion and shorting due to dust build up, likely shortening the life of the card.

 

[Ralston18]

@osamaorabi

Just out of curiosity where did the idea to use paint thinner come from?

 

[osamaorabi]

@osamaorabi

Just out of curiosity where did the idea to use paint thinner come from?

I've seen some people in computer stores clean parts of the computer with paint thinner

 

[osamaorabi]

@osamaorabi

Just out of curiosity where did the idea to use paint thinner come from?

I once asked someone who specializes in video card maintenance about using paint thinner. He told me there was no problem, so I cleaned the video card with that, but apparently he made a mistake.

 

[Ralston18]

Thank you.

Your post may save someone else's video card.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

seen some people in computer stores...I once asked someone who specializes in video card maintenance about using paint thinner. He told me there was no problem

alcohol based cleaner is all that would ever be required in the most extreme occasion.
usually just blowing and wiping dust away is all that would be needed.

now you might want to go through setting up some extra dust filters for any space in your case that isn't properly filtered.
depending on the way your cooling is setup, maybe add some extra fans to ensure a positive air pressure and make those fans extra filtered from pulling in access dust.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

What in the everliving goodness would possess you to put paint thinner anywhere near ANY electronic? Whatever quack told you that's OK is either clueless or intentionally shortening customer device life so they have to buy new parts from them.

NEVER take one person's word for anything and research first. For your sake I hope it wasn't a good gpu. Either way I wouldn't trust it not to short itself and potentially the motherboard by extension and who knows what else.

We all make mistakes but this was an expensive one.