White gunk on GPU PCB

[Remmy]

Hello

While I was upgrading my PC earlier this month, I was installing a waterblock on my GPU, and I noticed this pasty white gunk on a couple of pins on the back of the PCB, so I just cleaned it off with a cotton bud. Sorry the picture is a little blurry, it was hard to get it to focus so close up.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the GPU; it works perfectly. I was just curious as to what this mystery material was, does anybody know what is it?

 

[WYP]

is it Thermal compound?

 

[Remmy]

is it Thermal compound?

Hehe that would be an obvious thought, but no it's not.

There's no way I'd get it there without seeing, and furthermore I've never used a white TIM, only ever used silver/grey ones.

 

[NickOmega]

Would have suggest possibly TIM from one of your on-board heatsinks, but I just had a look at the board in your sig and there isn't anywhere for it to have come from. Even your RAM sticks don't line up with that part of the GPU PCB. It's a puzzle

 

[WYP]

Would have suggest possibly TIM from one of your on-board heatsinks, but I just had a look at the board in your sig and there isn't anywhere for it to have come from. Even your RAM sticks don't line up with that part of the GPU PCB. It's a puzzle

i was thinking something similar, its a real mystery!

 

[maniac]

I think I got it guys, lets just say I suggest closing the side panel when you're alone

 

[Remmy]

I think I got it guys, lets just say I suggest closing the side panel when you're alone

Rofl, that'll be it!

Anyway like I said, it's not affected it in anyway, so it was just a matter or curiosity more than anything else

 

[ShaunB-91]

Not tried to glue anything in there have you?

 

[maniac]

Could it be that some excess thermal paste dripped off from the corner of the cpu from under the waterblock? maybe the heat turned it white.

 

[ShaunB-91]

Could it be that some excess thermal paste dripped off from the corner of the cpu from under the waterblock? maybe the heat turned it white.

Probably that, I've seen white thermal compound before (after use).

 

[SPS]

Really need a clearer picture.

 

[Remmy]

Not tried to glue anything in there have you?

Nope

Could it be that some excess thermal paste dripped off from the corner of the cpu from under the waterblock? maybe the heat turned it white.

This was the bottom GPU in an SLI configuration, so if it had dripped from above, it would have landed on the other card. There is a chance it dripped from the top card which already had a waterblock on it, as directly above where the drops were, there's an incredibly small gap between the block and a transistor, but I don't know, it seems like the paste would be too viscous to drip through such a small gap, and there's not any paste or pads near the crack. Maybe when it's hotter it's runny though. This will be the most likely cause I think.

Really need a clearer picture.

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I took this picture and then cleaned it off :/