My motherboard has shit on it

[hermeslyre]

I use distilled water for cooking, and I drink it.. I don't see what the issue is here with distilled water?

I buy it by the gallon at Cub Foods for 89 cents per..

-mak

No issue. Second point though, I've tried cleaning thermal paste with water, different stuff, nevertheless it was hard and it never truly cleaned up. I used some Isopropyl and it worked like a charm. If water will cut through that oil, then do it, distilled water is cheaper and you can chug it.

 

[Michael]

I actually meant; where's the issue with getting the distilled water.. I've no experience with cleaning off computer parts with it

 

[fortyways]

Obviously I won't be cleaning it while it's receiving power. Does this mean I can use whatever I want as long as it's dry before I boot it up?

 

[Michael]

Obviously I won't be cleaning it while it's receiving power. Does this mean I can use whatever I want as long as it's dry before I boot it up?

No, because some liquids leave residue behind, even when you can't see it, that can corrode the electrical connections on your board.

90% or better isopropyl alcohol should be fine, though..

-mak

 

[Vestitor]

I use distilled water for cooking, and I drink it.. I don't see what the issue is here with distilled water?

I buy it by the gallon at Cub Foods for 89 cents per..

-mak

...hmm I learned in my Bio 2 class that distilled water is very bad for the human body, something about the digestion process.

 

[reddevil6]

idk supermarket, hardware store might sell it

 

[WhiteFireDragon]

...hmm I learned in my Bio 2 class that distilled water is very bad for the human body, something about the digestion process.

because it lacks some of the ions. trace elements and ions from your body will equilibrate with the water so you will lose some of these electrolytes to the water. also distilled water not freshly prepared on the spot will absorb carbon dioxide from the air to make it slightly acidic. when you drink it, it will lower the overall pH of your body

i'm not sure the "distilled" water you buy at the store is truly distilled. there is a difference between tap water, bottled drinking water, and distilled water. most of the "pure" water bought at the stores that can be used for drinking is purified by reverse osmosis, where as distilled water is purified by boiling and condensing vapor water. reverse osmosis is a cheaper process but still leaves ions in the water. this is for improved water quality and taste. true distilled water is mostly used for chemical purposes.

for your case, depending on what the stuff on your mobo is, distilled water might not clean it off because water and that stuff on you mobo might be different polarity. this is where other stuff would be used to clean, but i would try the water first

 

[fortyways]

because it lacks some of the ions. trace elements and ions from your body will equilibrate with the water so you will lose some of these electrolytes to the water. also distilled water not freshly prepared on the spot will absorb carbon dioxide from the air to make it slightly acidic. when you drink it, it will lower the overall pH of your body

i'm not sure the "distilled" water you buy at the store is truly distilled. there is a difference between tap water, bottled drinking water, and distilled water. most of the "pure" water bought at the stores that can be used for drinking is purified by reverse osmosis, where as distilled water is purified by boiling and condensing vapor water. reverse osmosis is a cheaper process but still leaves ions in the water. this is for improved water quality and taste. true distilled water is mostly used for chemical purposes.

for your case, depending on what the stuff on your mobo is, distilled water might not clean it off because water and that stuff on you mobo might be different polarity. this is where other stuff would be used to clean, but i would try the water first

But didn't you just say I can't get true distilled water locally? Do you mean the drinkable version?

 

[jacklazara]

mb try somesort of wet wipes for lcd's ? )

 

[cobber187]

definitely do the isopropyl alcohol, water and oil does not mix will and will not clean it as well as the alcohol. also, if you use water you'll have to worry about drying every last drop of water off your mobo whereas with alcohol it'll air dry quickly and can put back in your computer quickly. I would suggest using q-tips to make sure you get off every bit of that gunk. have you taken a pic yet?

 

[Michael]

i'm not sure the "distilled" water you buy at the store is truly distilled. there is a difference between tap water, bottled drinking water, and distilled water. most of the "pure" water bought at the stores that can be used for drinking is purified by reverse osmosis, where as distilled water is purified by boiling and condensing vapor water. reverse osmosis is a cheaper process but still leaves ions in the water. this is for improved water quality and taste. true distilled water is mostly used for chemical purposes.

I go to the grocery store, pick up the bottle that reads 'Distilled Drinking Water' and I buy it.. there's no room for error on my part, and the bottle can't lie

Although, the rest of your statement has checked out.. I'm merely pointing out that I'm not mistaken by which type of water I've been buying for years.


Curious about whether or not the water I've been drinking and using for cooking was the same water we're talking about, I picked up a new jug of it today while shopping;

It appears to be 'real' distilled water. (Please ignore the time stamp, my camera won't keep the correct time/date because I never keep batteries in it)

 

[fortyways]

So.

The operation wasn't a huge success.

I'll post pics after I finish installing Photoshop on this new computer.

With this new motherboard.

 

[fortyways]

Here's one picture, with both before and after. I circled what I thought to be the most prominent examples. In yellow is how the motherboard - and the one I exchanged - both came out of the package, apparently straight from the factory. There's basically a trail of it between every point of interest on the backside, and some messier, blotchy parts that don't show up well in photographs.

In red is that substance after having mixed with 91% isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol evaporates but leaves the substance behind. I tried several times to pick it up quickly with the dry end of the que-tip (sp?) but no luck.

I paid 96 bucks for the Gigabyte board I replaced it with, which I'm in love with. It's just designed and built better. I worked through a hundred issues with the Asus. The only problem I have here is that it won't read core temperatures, but I believe that has something to do with the 45nm processor I put in it.

 

[hermeslyre]

Strange. I wouldn't have used a q-tip, not very easy to clean with those things. Plus they're very shoddy, that residue could've grabbed the lint and made it look worse. Something like lint-free polishing cloth would work, but that's getting too elaborate and fussy. rag would've worked, providing you didn't scrub like maniac.

This is just rhetorical now. Have fun with that new board!

 

[cobber187]

i like the lint free rag idea dipped in alcohol. that could've been the problem, you didn't have enough alcohol to clean it. glad you like your new mobo, though.