Damaged CPU or damaged MD?

Surius · January 19, 2020

Hi,

my almost new computer was running hot with a AMD Ryzen 3900X on a Gygabyte Aorus elite wifi MD. I am using a Noctua NH-D15 as cooler. after 20mn of testing my cpu would be at 90 celsius. I suspected my thermal paste. and i was right. About 5mm of the thermal area on the side was missing thermal paste.

Reapplies, reassemble and test. Everything works but i lost 1/2 of my memory. After removing the cpu again. I found that the thermal paste has gotten in contact with 6 pins of the CPU on the side. nothing in the socket. I cleaned it up. Still missing 1/2 of my memory.

i moved my memory around. I have 4 sticks. And always the same 2 positions are position are “dead”.

Is this cpu damage? Of MB damage?

what would you recommend?

thank you.

Crunchy Dragon · January 19, 2020

Are you sure there's nothing in the socket? That seems like the most likely explanation to me.

LIGISTX · January 19, 2020

@Surius what thermal paste are you using? If it is conductive, that isn't good....

But from this explanation, it would be very hard to know. If paste got on the pins on the CPU and you re-installed the CPU, there is now likely some in the mobo socket as well. Isopropyl alcohol does break down thermal compound, so you may want to put the CPU in a cup of it for a while to make sure all of it gets cleaned off, but the mobo will be much harder to clean and know for sure it is clean.

Surius · January 20, 2020

Ok.

following advices, I took the MB under a microscope to see if there was thermal paste in the ziff socket. The answer is yes. I spotted at least 3 holes with residue of thermal compound in them. Right at the top of the metal. It is almost invisible because it has the same colour as the connector. The thermal paste is noctua NT-H1.