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Crystals forming

Hellskellington
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Hi guys, 

 

In the past couple of weeks I've started to notice a series of yellow crystals forming along the top of my GPU backplate, and I cant figure out what it is or where its coming from. There doesn't seem to be any of it forming anywhere else on the PC at all so Im stumped as too what it is.

 

Any ideas on what it could be and how to prevent it?

 

 

20161226_121354.jpg

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22 minutes ago, tlink said:

maybe some form of mold or bacteria, from the picture it doesn't really look crystal shaped but that might just be compression or something, it isn't the most clear picture so im not really sure. maybe just some ionized dust?

Something I never considered actually, whatever it is its definitely a crystal of some form, apologies the picture isn't clearer, dodgy camera

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Well it's either a leak (most likely) and the liquid evaporated leaving whatever was dissolved in it behind (are you using just water? If so, it's way too hard and you should use distilled/DI water, not bottled/tap water). Or it could be growth (less likely) which still means you have a moisture problem. Either way you need to check all your seals and be certain there is no moisture in the system.

 

Anyone else have access to the PC? I guess it's possible it's residue from a spill of some sort.

 

To me it seems like liquid stains and could be a big problem if not addressed. Do they come back when you clean them up?

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Having issues with a Corsair AIO? Possible fix here:

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Are you getting weird fan behavior, speed fluctuations, and/or other issues with Link?

Are you running AIDA64, HWinfo, CAM, or HWmonitor? (ASUS suite & other monitoring software often have the same issue.)

Corsair Link has problems with some monitoring software so you may have to change some settings to get them to work smoothly.

-For AIDA64: First make sure you have the newest update installed, then, go to Preferences>Stability and make sure the "Corsair Link sensor support" box is checked and make sure the "Asetek LC sensor support" box is UNchecked.

-For HWinfo: manually disable all monitoring of the AIO sensors/components.

-For others: Disable any monitoring of Corsair AIO sensors.

That should fix the fan issue for some Corsair AIOs (H80i GT/v2, H110i GTX/H115i, H100i GTX and others made by Asetek). The problem is bad coding in Link that fights for AIO control with other programs. You can test if this worked by setting the fan speed in Link to 100%, if it doesn't fluctuate you are set and can change the curve to whatever. If that doesn't work or you're still having other issues then you probably still have a monitoring software interfering with the AIO/Link communications, find what it is and disable it.

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20 hours ago, pyrojoe34 said:

Well it's either a leak (most likely) and the liquid evaporated leaving whatever was dissolved in it behind (are you using just water? If so, it's way too hard and you should use distilled/DI water, not bottled/tap water). Or it could be growth (less likely) which still means you have a moisture problem. Either way you need to check all your seals and be certain there is no moisture in the system.

 

Anyone else have access to the PC? I guess it's possible it's residue from a spill of some sort.

 

To me it seems like liquid stains and could be a big problem if not addressed. Do they come back when you clean them up?

No it didnt come back after it was cleaned off, the water in the system is distilled and has a biocide and kill coil in it, the only other thing i found was some residue on one of the fans on the top radiator, to me it looks like something has dripped straight through and that just happened to be where it landed. Source though I still have no clue about.

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47 minutes ago, JDMFTW said:

Clean it and keep an eye on it.

Do you leave your system on 24/7?

Some times it'll stay on for 24-36 hours straight, I live in the countryside so my internet speed is abyssmal, its the only way I can get anything downloaded.

 

 Once im done draining and cleaning the loops out hopefully I wont see a reoccurance.

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25 minutes ago, DazMode said:

You can even see outline of evaporated puddle.

That as well is pointing to something dripping straight down on to it, the only thing above it though is a rad with some residue in the fins, and the fans attached to it, which makes me feel whatever it is might actually be external, in which god only knows where it came from

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The residue was on BOTH sides of your rad? What's above the rad? A fan, case opening, fan filter? Any residue on that? Any small animals perched above your case? A hole in the roof where another small animal sits and does its business? Because this is the kind of thing that might go unnoticed, happens all the time. 

 

Or maybe your rad is leaking.

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Thats messed up and scary, I would be worried as hell to leave that on. 

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