Cleaning up the card

[awp0109]

Hi everyone,so i bought a used sapphire nitro rx 470 8gb for 100$.
I got it for cheap because one of the fans isnt working, it cant spin by hand or when plugged in, but the card itself is working, and i ordered a new fan so that part is all good.

Now i noticed the card is dirty like a loooooot, and im thinking of disassembling it and cleaning it from top to bottom,but i found online that it might have thermal pads in different places and that if i wanna replace them i need to put in new thermal pads of the same thickness if the ones inside are torn etc. So i was wondering if anyone has the info about the thickness of the pads so that i can order them while im waiting for the fan.

Also, i would appreciate some oppinions on hand washing the heatsink..experiences,dos and donts etc.

 

[Gam3r01]

How dirty is the card? Can you post a picture?
Generally speaking, you shouldnt wash a heatsink, compressed air should get the job done fine.

 

[awp0109]

How dirty is the card? Can you post a picture?
Generally speaking, you shouldnt wash a heatsink, compressed air should get the job done fine.

It's not dirty as in full of dust, its just that these black strips on my finger are from the heatsink and its all over the place, and it kinda has that smell that just compels me to clean it :S
https://imgur.com/Vz9JNfC

 

[Gam3r01]

Odd, either way I wouldnt recommend disassembling the card and washing it.
Wait for the new fan and see how it does first.

 

[velocityg4]

Use canned air and don't disassemble would be my advice. Remember to hold the fan in place. So you don't damage it by making it spin too fast.

If you must disassemble. Due to caked on residue. Carefully remove the shroud and fan from the heatsink. Then clean the heatsink by flushing it with Isopropyl alcohol, 99% pure preferred if not the 90% stuff from the pharmacy. Note that once you open 99% alcohol it starts to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Which dilutes it. It is only pure when first opened.

You can also use residue free contact cleaner (for electronics not the stuff for eyes). This stuff is pretty nasty so I prefer alcohol for health purposes. Just make sure it says no residue. You don't want something which is lubricating.

Clean the fan blades gently with a tooth brush.

As for pad thickness. I couldn't tell you. The GPU cooler isn't a reference cooler. The best bet is to measure one. The pads compress a little. It is better to be a hair too thick than a hair too thin.

 

[awp0109]

Use canned air and don't disassemble would be my advice. Remember to hold the fan in place. So you don't damage it by making it spin too fast.

If you must disassemble. Due to caked on residue. Carefully remove the shroud and fan from the heatsink. Then clean the heatsink by flushing it with Isopropyl alcohol, 99% pure preferred if not the 90% stuff from the pharmacy. Note that once you open 99% alcohol it starts to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Which dilutes it. It is only pure when first opened.

You can also use residue free contact cleaner (for electronics not the stuff for eyes). This stuff is pretty nasty so I prefer alcohol for health purposes. Just make sure it says no residue. You don't want something which is lubricating.

Clean the fan blades gently with a tooth brush.

As for pad thickness. I couldn't tell you. The GPU cooler isn't a reference cooler. The best bet is to measure one. The pads compress a little. It is better to be a hair too thick than a hair too thin.

okay,thank you very much for your advice what do you think could the residue affect the gpu temps? its not clogging the heatsink and its not visible but as i said it leaves a mark on the finger when i touch it

 

[awp0109]

Odd, either way I wouldnt recommend disassembling the card and washing it.
Wait for the new fan and see how it does first.

i'll definitely do that,thank you

 

[velocityg4]

okay,thank you very much for your advice what do you think could the residue affect the gpu temps? its not clogging the heatsink and its not visible but as i said it leaves a mark on the finger when i touch it

Probably not if it isn’t caked on. You can try some pipe cleaners for tobacco pipes. They fit in small crevices. Just be gentle with the fan. Sometimes those blades break easily. Pretend they are fine crystal figurines.

Try it out before cleaning. See what temps you get. The real problem with residue is dust sticks to it. Like a fine wool coat.

 

[awp0109]

Yea i figured something like that would happen... well if it works and i dont notice any unusually high temps ill just clean it next time i clean my whole rig thanks a bunch for your help