# Spilled Coffee on my Graphics Card - Need help please!



## Mobix (Nov 17, 2012)

Hey,

I accidentally spilled some coffee on my my desk today. Most of the liquid stayed on the desk but some of it found its way down my pc case and dropped directly onto my graphics card. The screen went blank and I turned the computer off immidiately. I grabbed a paper towel and tried to dry my case and the graphics card as well as I could. Then, I tried turning my pc on again but half of the screen was covered in artifacts. I decided to disconnect the graphics card and clean it with some surgical spirit. Now it is drying, ill leave it like that for 24h.

I bought the card in July, it's 1280MB EVGA GTX 570 HD DS, 40nm, 38. It is covered by an EVGA warranty but i am not sure if they will allow it. As you can see from the picture one of the stickers has coffee stains.

http://imgur.com/JCw7T,4thzt,4icOr,pOrZ0


What should I do?


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## DOM (Nov 17, 2012)

have you tried 90% isopropyl alcohol ?


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## Kreij (Nov 17, 2012)

Clean everything that might be a problem with something like contact cleaner or something that leaves no residue.
It should dry in a few minutes and then you can start doing some tests.
If the GC did fry, RMA it. Worst case they say no.


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## de.das.dude (Nov 17, 2012)

take off the heatsink, put it in the dishwasher, dry it for a day (in a drawer with silica gel if you them lying around), try. you shouldnt have tried turning it on without consulting us. its probably been damaged already.


if you dont have diswasher use an old toothbrush and some soap. and a spray bottle.

i use this ^ to clean my stuff every now and then.


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## BUCK NASTY (Nov 17, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> take off the heatsink, *put it in the dishwasher,* dry it for a day (in a drawer with silica gel if you them lying around), try. you shouldnt have tried turning it on without consulting us. its probably been damaged already.
> 
> 
> if you dont have diswasher use an old toothbrush and some soap. and a spray bottle.
> ...


WTF, Put the PCB or the cooler in the Dishwasher? Neither should not come in contact with a liquid(this is why he is in this position). Um, the card was on when the coffee hit it, so the damage is done, if any. Turning it on after a brief cleaning will not do any additional harm other than exists already.:shadedshu


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## newtekie1 (Nov 17, 2012)

Cleaning PCBs in the dishwasher is nothing new. I've done it on components that have had coffee or soda spilled on them. When liquids like coffee or soda dry they leave a residue that can still be conductive, so putting it in the dishwasher works really well at getting that residue off. I've saved plenty of components this way. Just don't use soap and turn off the heated drying and any sanitizing options and it is a safe method for cleaning components.


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## Fourstaff (Nov 17, 2012)

BUCK NASTY said:


> WTF, Put the PCB or the cooler in the Dishwasher? Neither should not come in contact with a liquid(this is why he is in this position). Um, the card was on when the coffee hit it, so the damage is done, if any. Turning it on after a brief cleaning will not do any additional harm other than exists already.:shadedshu



Assuming minimal damage, sticking it into dishwasher is not going to bring it any worse.


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## TheMailMan78 (Nov 17, 2012)

Liquid will not hurt it..........if there is no power. However there was power and its fried. DO NOT CLEAN IT AND HOOK IT BACK UP. It could short out other parts if it hasnt already. If it didnt turn off I would have said you MIGHT be ok. But thats not what happen.


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## UbErN00b (Nov 17, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Liquid will not hurt it..........if there is no power. However there was power and its fried. DO NOT CLEAN IT AND HOOK IT BACK UP. It could short out other parts if it hasnt already.



That's what I'm guessing too as it caused the PC to shut off after it happened, still give it a clean and see if it works, if not you might try and RMA though you "really" shouldn't as it was user error and getting any kind of liquid on electrical items voids the warranty. I have fried a 2500k by user error (pumped +0.5v into it by mistake  ) and RMA'd it though that's just me.


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## Mobix (Nov 17, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Liquid will not hurt it..........if there is no power. However there was power and its fried. DO NOT CLEAN IT AND HOOK IT BACK UP. It could short out other parts if it hasnt already. If it didnt turn off I would have said you MIGHT be ok. But thats not what happen.



It didn't turn off, just the screen went blank while the  pc was still running


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## phanbuey (Nov 17, 2012)

you should be fine... dry it off and try it again... this stuff is pretty resilient


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## Jetster (Nov 17, 2012)

After you get it working you need to tell your story here:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160004


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## micropage7 (Nov 17, 2012)

i guess there some left, from the strain there could residue stay between component
if you wanna try using warm water to flush them away


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## Bo$$ (Nov 18, 2012)

I'm thinking ut's dead, Try RMA if they reject it then wash it or whatever, first thing it to get a new card


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## MxPhenom 216 (Nov 18, 2012)

BUCK NASTY said:


> WTF, Put the PCB or the cooler in the Dishwasher? Neither should not come in contact with a liquid(this is why he is in this position). Um, the card was on when the coffee hit it, so the damage is done, if any. Turning it on after a brief cleaning will not do any additional harm other than exists already.:shadedshu



I beg to differ.

Skip to like 1:20

ud 9 wash - YouTube


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## natr0n (Nov 18, 2012)

Think your card is dead nothing can survive that kind of short.

your card is


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## Lazzer408 (Nov 18, 2012)

Ug.... NO DISHWASHER!! NO NO NO!! Tap water has chlorine, fluoride, and other minerals in it that make for a great electrolyte if you want to oxidize something. Not to mention soap residues. 

First remove the fan and clean off the thermal compound.

Get two cake pans. Fill both with distilled water. Put both on two stovetop burners with the gfx card in one and nothing in the other but water. Cook them both on high for a few minutes (until it's steamy) then remove the card and put it in the clean water for a rinse.

Dry with a hair drier on high for 15 min.

These are _GREAT _for cleaning boards.


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## cdawall (Nov 18, 2012)

Lazzer408 said:


> Ug.... NO DISHWASHER!! NO NO NO!!
> 
> First remove the fan and clean off the thermal compound.
> 
> ...



No soap in the dishwasher works fine a lot of people including myself have done it. Same thing as the people who have baked cards. For situations such as this it might be needed. That being said I would clean it with isopropyl alcohol and RMA it first.


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## Lazzer408 (Nov 18, 2012)

Sugars do not dissolve in alcohol. Polar (sucrose) molecules do not bond to non-polar (alcohol) molecules. Water is a polar molecule so sugars dissolve easily in water. One lump or two?


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## cdawall (Nov 18, 2012)

Lazzer408 said:


> Sugars do not dissolve in alcohol. Polar (sucrose) molecules do not bond to non-polar (alcohol) molecules.



That has nothing to do with the card appearing clean for an RMA. I don't care if it is actually clean clean just has to look that way.


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## Lazzer408 (Nov 18, 2012)

So long as the RMA department doesn't notice if it's sticky.


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## cdawall (Nov 18, 2012)

Lazzer408 said:


> So long as the RMA department doesn't notice if it's sticky.



Zotac didn't even notice their card had tinged blue on the sticker and PCB from a tube splitting in my watercooling.


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## NeoCrisis (Nov 18, 2012)

First off DO NOT put the video card in the dish washer or submerge the entire card in any kind of liquid. If the warranty sticker on the back of the video card gets damage and is not legible it WILL void your warranty. 

Get some isopropyl alcohol on a cotton cloth and clean off the sticky residue from the area. 
Take some clear unblurry pictures of the card and have them ready to be emailed.
Contact EVGA support, if you are in North America they have 24hr tech support and would be able to help you setup and RMA. 

Liquid damage isn't usually covered by warranty but if the damage isn't severe you'll be covered. Unfortunately you wont know for sure until their RMA dpt inspects it.


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## Jetster (Nov 18, 2012)

They make electronic cleanser for washing PBCs 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ld-keywords=electronics+cleaner&tag=tec06d-20


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## newtekie1 (Nov 18, 2012)

Lazzer408 said:


> Ug.... NO DISHWASHER!! NO NO NO!! Tap water has chlorine, fluoride, and other minerals in it that make for a great electrolyte if you want to oxidize something. Not to mention soap residues.



The extremely small amount of chlorine and the extremely short exposure time won't lead to any oxidation.

I've run plenty of PCBs through the dishwasher, mostly motherboards though, only one  graphics card, and they all come out just fine.  And there isn't any soap residue, the whole point of the dishwasher is to be very effective at removing all residue.  Your dishes don't come out covered in soap residue, do they?  If they do, you need a new dishwasher(or use less soap).

And yes, obviously this will likely destroy any stickers on the card, so the warranty will be totally gone.  But with the warranty sticker already covered in coffee according to the original post the warranty is gone already.  EVGA isn't going to warranty the card with the sticker totally brown like that.


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## Jetster (Nov 18, 2012)

Do you turn the heat off on the dish washer?

The reason I ask is its a pain to clean a MB. Sticking it in the washer would be nice in some cases


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## cdawall (Nov 18, 2012)

Yes you turn the heat off


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## Mussels (Nov 18, 2012)

i know that nvidia cards put out a lot of heat, but using one to warm your coffee is just insulting (to the coffee)


as others have said - you need to clean it and have it dry. heat is bad, as is powering it up while still 'dirty'


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## de.das.dude (Nov 18, 2012)

BUCK NASTY said:


> WTF, Put the PCB or the cooler in the Dishwasher? Neither should not come in contact with a liquid(this is why he is in this position). Um, the card was on when the coffee hit it, so the damage is done, if any. Turning it on after a brief cleaning will not do any additional harm other than exists already.:shadedshu



lol. W1zzard taught me this 
he does it too 

atfirst i was also like :shadedshu

make sure that your PC is drained off of any charge. if the capacitors still have charge in them, it WILL short when you put it in the washer.


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## Aquinus (Nov 18, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> if the capacitors still have charge in them, it WILL short when you put it in the washer.



Most motherboard caps don't hold enough to keep a charge more than a couple seconds, internal resistance helps with this. Just an FYI.

Definitely make sure to take out the clock battery if you're doing a mobo though.


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## Mobix (Nov 18, 2012)

NeoCrisis said:


> First off DO NOT put the video card in the dish washer or submerge the entire card in any kind of liquid. If the warranty sticker on the back of the video card gets damage and is not legible it WILL void your warranty.
> 
> Get some isopropyl alcohol on a cotton cloth and clean off the sticky residue from the area.
> Take some clear unblurry pictures of the card and have them ready to be emailed.
> ...



Isn't the stained sticker kind of a giveaway?


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## Lazzer408 (Nov 18, 2012)

newtekie1 said:


> The extremely small amount of chlorine and the extremely short exposure time won't lead to any oxidation.
> 
> I've run plenty of PCBs through the dishwasher, mostly motherboards though, only one  graphics card, and they all come out just fine.  And there isn't any soap residue, the whole point of the dishwasher is to be very effective at removing all residue.  Your dishes don't come out covered in soap residue, do they?  If they do, you need a new dishwasher(or use less soap).
> 
> And yes, obviously this will likely destroy any stickers on the card, so the warranty will be totally gone.  But with the warranty sticker already covered in coffee according to the original post the warranty is gone already.  EVGA isn't going to warranty the card with the sticker totally brown like that.



It doesn't need to be powered. The oxygen in the atmosphere reacts with... oh nevermind. This is gradeschool chemistry.


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## Morgoth (Nov 18, 2012)

put the card in hot coal that wil fix it for sure!


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## Animalpak (Nov 18, 2012)

i think is the PCI 16x connector on the motherboard that is full of coffe... You have to get a new motherboard sorry man


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## Steevo (Nov 18, 2012)

Go buy a gallon of deionized water and get a plastic tub and old tooth brush. 


Remove the cooler and give it a scrub. 


When done give it a few shakes and either put it in the oven on some tinfoil for a couple hours at 180F to dry it or use a hairdryer. Reapply thermal compound and reattach cooler.


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## itsakjt (Nov 18, 2012)

Nothing will happen. Just take some Isopropyl Alcohol and clean the PCB. No need to remove the heatsink. The Coffee stain will go with the IPA. Then check you card and let us know.


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## de.das.dude (Nov 18, 2012)

Steevo said:


> Go buy a gallon of deionized water and get a plastic tub and old tooth brush.
> 
> 
> Remove the cooler and give it a scrub.
> ...



deionsed water? that even exist? lol. cause as soon as you expose it to the atmosphere it will get ionised. lol.

and the sticker wont be stained if you dont scrub on the sticker. nothing happens. i have washed my GTS 450, my old 4650 and a friends 5450 before. they are all cool.

just use water that is pure water, not salty hard water or iron rich water. in that case its best if you can get some distilled water.


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## Jack1n (Nov 18, 2012)

Will removing the stained sticker void your warranty?


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## Mobix (Nov 19, 2012)

Jack1n said:


> Will removing the stained sticker void your warranty?



Removal and or Defacing of Serial/Part number sticker(s) on ANY EVGA products WILL void ALL warranties. All products ship from EVGA with a serial sticker. I'm guessing that's a yes


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## HammerON (Nov 19, 2012)

Never considered putting pc parts in the dishwasher
I learn something new everday


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## Jack1n (Nov 19, 2012)

any progress? maybe you should just send it to EVGA as it is.


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## Frag_Maniac (Nov 19, 2012)

I say get some denatured alcohol. It's cheap (as little as $7 a quart), is stronger than isopropyl, leaves no residue, and evaporates much quicker. Along with that (if you don't already have them) you can get a small fine bristle paint brush or foam trim brush and a good rag to clean and blot. All can be had at your local woodworking or DIY home store.

The key thing is carefully cleaning around that which needs to remain undamaged.


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## Mobix (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks for the replies.

Is there any way to get rid of the brown stain on the sticker? would isopropyl alcohol like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SERVISOL-...-ELECTRONIC-CLEANING-/350632273242#vi-content be of any help?


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## Frag_Maniac (Nov 19, 2012)

I would leave that sticker alone, don't even get it wet, period. It looks like the digits and bar code are still legible, you want to keep it that way.

And again, denatured alcohol is better than isopropyl. It's pure with nothing to leave a residue. Also, spray cleaners are convenient, but they can also cause spray to go where you don't want it to.


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## Rei86 (Nov 20, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> deionsed water? that even exist? lol. cause as soon as you expose it to the atmosphere it will get ionised. lol.
> 
> and the sticker wont be stained if you dont scrub on the sticker. nothing happens. i have washed my GTS 450, my old 4650 and a friends 5450 before. they are all cool.
> 
> just use water that is pure water, not salty hard water or iron rich water. in that case its best if you can get some distilled water.



Think he meant distilled water.

But yeah buy some gallon jugs of Distilled water, warm it up a little, take apart the card and scrub way with a soft toothbrush.  

If air drying let it dry for a good 48+ hrs.


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