AIO Heat sink scratched/dark spots normal?

[TrickEgo]

Hello,

 

I bought an EK RGB AIO 120 last month for my first computer build and I replaced it with 240 as I moved into a bigger case. I noticed the heatsink look weird and had dark spots on it. Are the dark spots normal, I only used for about a month?

[PatrikYT_98]

28 minutes ago, TrickEgo said:

Hello,

 

I bought an EK RGB AIO 120 last month for my first computer build and I replaced it with 240 as I moved into a bigger case. I noticed the heatsink look weird and had dark spots on it. Are the dark spots normal, I only used for about a month?

yeah i had alphacool aio and had those spots and it is ok

[TrickEgo]

10 minutes ago, PatrikYT_98 said:

yeah i had alphacool aio and had those spots and it is ok

Thank you

[Heliian]

I would just hit it with some fine scotchbrite to clean it up if need be.  Just a bit of tarnish by the looks of it. 

[Bombastinator]

Worried even scotchbrite might be too much

Spoiler

scotchbrite might even be too abrasive.  Scotchbrite takes off a surprising amount of material. Thing has to stay flat. Scotchbrite like cupric oxides more than copper.  Could turn into divots.  I’d say just leave it, or if it bugs you spray glue a piece of paper to a mirror, put the scotchbrite on the paper, and buff it that way.

 

Factoid and rumination about copper oxidation:

Spoiler

I bet if you took a magnifying glass to those dark spots you’d see ridges.  I think they’re fingerprint oil causing the copper to oxidize.

 

copper oxidizes into different chemicals depending on what it has to work with. Makes different colors which can make it a cool pottery glaze.  It can go black, red, green, brown, or blue depending on what other chemicals are around it.  Brown is what happens in air at first.  Then it will go green.  Black is low oxygen.  You’ll see that on the inside of water pipes.  It’s poisonous and very brittle.

 Polished copper does that.  No worries.  If they turn full black or green there might be something to worry about.  They might in 30 years if left alone. Deep Scratches can be a problem though.  They make the thing less flat. I don’t see any of those but it doesn’t mean they’re not there.  That kind of thing is what thermal paste is for though. 

 

[TrickEgo]

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

Worried even scotchbrite might be too much

  Hide contents

scotchbrite might even be too abrasive.  Scotchbrite takes off a surprising amount of material. Thing has to stay flat. Scotchbrite like cupric oxides more than copper.  Could turn into divots.  I’d say just leave it, or if it bugs you spray glue a piece of paper to a mirror, put the scotchbrite on the paper, and buff it that way.

 

Factoid and rumination about copper oxidation:

  Hide contents

I bet if you took a magnifying glass to those dark spots you’d see ridges.  I think they’re fingerprint oil causing the copper to oxidize.

 

copper oxidizes into different chemicals depending on what it has to work with. Makes different colors which can make it a cool pottery glaze.  It can go black, red, green, brown, or blue depending on what other chemicals are around it.  Brown is what happens in air at first.  Then it will go green.  Black is low oxygen.  You’ll see that on the inside of water pipes.  It’s poisonous and very brittle.

 Polished copper does that.  No worries.  If they turn full black or green there might be something to worry about.  They might in 30 years if left alone. Deep Scratches can be a problem though.  They make the thing less flat. I don’t see any of those but it doesn’t mean they’re not there.  That kind of thing is what thermal paste is for though. 

 

So just clean again with rubbing alcohol ???

[Bombastinator]

6 hours ago, TrickEgo said:

So just clean again with rubbing alcohol ???

Or not.  As you wish.  If the mount is good but the temps are bad the scratches may be too deep.

[TrickEgo]

On 8/9/2020 at 5:48 AM, Bombastinator said:

Or not.  As you wish.  If the mount is good but the temps are bad the scratches may be too deep.

My temps on my 3900x did shot up and drop but I heard that was normal, but could a bad heatsink be the problem ? You think I can send it back to the manufacturer?