Question Possible Static Damage on my GPU/CPU?

[Alex_482]

I was hearing some light rattling from my PC so I decided to take it off the case cover and wipe it down with a paper towel. Unfortunately I had the bright idea of also using a handheld fan, which I heard can cause static damage. Now my PC is struggling to run certain video games (The Witcher 3) while other games run fine (Valorant). Is there a way I can determine if any of my parts have been damaged?

I ran Aida64 for a few hours and found that CPU throttling went up to as high as 14% due to overheating; but I didn't remove the CPU or affect the thermal paste in any way.

 

[poorbugger]

I was hearing some light rattling from my PC so I decided to take it off the case cover and wipe it down with a paper towel. Unfortunately I had the bright idea of also using a handheld fan, which I heard can cause static damage. Now my PC is struggling to run certain video games (The Witcher 3) while other games run fine (Valorant). Is there a way I can determine if any of my parts have been damaged?

I ran Aida64 for a few hours and found that CPU throttling went up to as high as 14% due to overheating; but I didn't remove the CPU or affect the thermal paste in any way.

I dont think the fans can cause static damage. It's more of a vacuum cleaner that can cause static damage. You should clean your pc components by using a can of compressed air. Maybe the fans are filled with dust

 

[Alex_482]

I just a call back from the repair shop and they told me the thermal paste and fan needs replacing. I found that odd as I didn't notice any problems in my computer before I opened it up to dust it out, I didn't take apart the CPU nor remove it from the mother board and the issues only started after I opened it up.

They're a reputable shop that I trust, I'm just curious as to how without I could have caused these problems by opening it up if the paste and the fan were the only issues.

 

[SkyNetRising]

If your cpu is overheating, then obviously something is wrong with cpu cooling.
Cpu fan and thermal paste - those are usual suspects. Without actual inspection nobody can tell for sure.