Question What is this stain on my motherboard?

[Throwaway1324]

I recently noticed this stain on my motherboard.

I have a pre-built PC (not from HP or Dell) and it has had the motherboard handled before (motherboard replacement).

Should I be worried about this stain? Touching it doesn't seem to affect it.

Images:

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHNvG.jpg

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHtyQ.jpg

 

[Throwaway1324]

I recently noticed this stain on my motherboard.

I have a pre-built PC (not from HP or Dell) and it has had the motherboard handled before (motherboard replacement).

Should I be worried about this stain? Touching it doesn't seem to affect it.

Images:

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHNvG.jpg

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHtyQ.jpg

 

[Throwaway1324]

I recently noticed this stain on my motherboard.

I have a pre-built PC (not from HP or Dell) and it has had the motherboard handled before (motherboard replacement).

Should I be worried about this stain? Touching it doesn't seem to affect it.

Images:

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHNvG.jpg

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHtyQ.jpg

 

[Fatalzo]

I recently noticed this stain on my motherboard.

I have a pre-built PC (not from HP or Dell) and it has had the motherboard handled before (motherboard replacement).

Should I be worried about this stain? Touching it doesn't seem to affect it.

Images:

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHNvG.jpg

https://pasteboard.co/JZGHtyQ.jpg

I myself am not sure what that is. My best guess would either be some sort of defect that caused part of the motherboard to bulge out or corrosion. How old is this computer?

 

[Throwaway1324]

I myself am not sure what that is. My best guess would either be some sort of defect that caused part of the motherboard to bulge out or corrosion. How old is this computer?

About a month, but it has been there from the beginning.

 

[Fatalzo]

About a month, but it has been there from the beginning.

It's most likely a design defect, don't worry too much about it.

 

[Throwaway1324]

It's most likely a design defect, don't worry too much about it.

What do you mean by "design" defect?

I can confirm it is not bulging, and it's texture is not noticeably different from its surroundings.

 

[Fatalzo]

What do you mean by "design" defect?

I can confirm it is not bulging, and it's texture is not noticeably different from its surroundings.

It means that, while the motherboard was being manufactured, a machine (in that case most likely dyeing the board black) had a soft error that caused a non-fatal design defect in the form of a gray spot.

 

[Throwaway1324]

It means that, while the motherboard was being manufactured, a machine (in that case most likely dyeing the board black) had a soft error that caused a non-fatal design defect in the form of a gray spot.

Could it be thermal paste residue?

 

[Fatalzo]

Definitely not. It most likely accidentally skipped over that part.

 

[InvalidError]

Probably solder flux residue that got left behind after board washing, shouldn't bother anything, especially in the unpopulated VGA connector area.

 

[Throwaway1324]

Probably solder flux residue that got left behind after board washing, shouldn't bother anything, especially in the unpopulated VGA connector area.

Have you seen left over solder flux look like this before?

 

[InvalidError]

Have you seen left over solder flux look like this before?

If you are talking about the white-ish looking residue between the chip label and VGA port anchor tab hole, that looks similar to the sort of residue the liquid no-clean solder flux I sometimes use leaves behind.