Post-Mortem video of how it died/how this came to be, it all started with a smell :)

https://youtu.be/WmwP5LcUghY

(Video still uploading/processing)

I am a little bit tired, but since I am sitting behind a keyboard I will try and sum it up:

1. It started with a bad smell.
2. I cleaned all of the PC except the CPU ventilator, I did not know how to remove it easily.
3. I believed maybe capacitors on motherboard caused the smell so I replaced motherboard with backup motherboard.
4. I re-pasted the cpu square/heat spreader and used way too much thermal paste interface material: Artic Silver 5, I smeared it all across the square, I was also a bit annoyed that day. (Also mounting/unmounting the CPU heatsink/Zypang Cooler was a pain in the ass, but now post-mortem I actually learned how to do it a bit more easy).
5. During the hottest day of the year I used Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit + VMWorkStation 8.5 + Windows XP 64 bit to try and get into my old e-mail archive/windows live mail/outlook express which failed miserably by the way.
6. The CPU ventilator was not spinning, not sure why, maybe backup motherboard faulty or it was too dirty. Though enough airflow from PC case to usually keep it at 34 degrees celcius or at least below 54 degrees celcius. Cut off/power off point is at 55 degree celcius, so overheat seems unlikely.
7. I did not know thermal paste interface material Artic Silver 5 could melt somewhat and become liquid under heat and leak.
8. The Artic Silver 5 became fluid, leaked onto motherboard, tiny components and into the golden pins of cpu, maybe these were power pins, not sure yet.
9. The Artic Silver 5 most likely short circuited the CPU and damaged it slightly.

Other explanation could be oxidation of cpu metal<->pins as well, not sure....

For now I believe the CPU is damaged or short circuited, I could try and clean it with water and soap... however doing that to tiny little golden cpu pins is ofcourse risky and I am not sure if the water could short circuit it further or damage it due to water pressure, it will probably be ok.

I might try reviving this system from dead in the future, but for now I will assume it's damaged beyond repair/life and therefore I consider it DEAD for now... and I will focus on new system/SuperPC from 2023 ! ;) =D

Perhaps the old system will be lucky and an computer angel from heaven will bring it back to live ! =D

Bye for now,
Skybuck.

On Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 10:21:51 PM UTC+2, Paul wrote:
> On 10/1/2023 2:23 PM, Skybuck Flying wrote:
> > Post-Mortem video of how it died/how this came to be, it all started with a smell :)
> >
> > https://youtu.be/WmwP5LcUghY
> >
> > (Video still uploading/processing)
> >
> > I am a little bit tired, but since I am sitting behind a keyboard I will try and sum it up:
> >
> > 1. It started with a bad smell.
> > 2. I cleaned all of the PC except the CPU ventilator, I did not know how to remove it easily.
> > 3. I believed maybe capacitors on motherboard caused the smell so I replaced motherboard with backup motherboard.
> > 4. I re-pasted the cpu square/heat spreader and used way too much thermal paste interface material: Artic Silver 5, I smeared it all across the square, I was also a bit annoyed that day. (Also mounting/unmounting the CPU heatsink/Zypang Cooler was a pain in the ass, but now post-mortem I actually learned how to do it a bit more easy).
> > 5. During the hottest day of the year I used Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit + VMWorkStation 8.5 + Windows XP 64 bit to try and get into my old e-mail archive/windows live mail/outlook express which failed miserably by the way.
> > 6. The CPU ventilator was not spinning, not sure why, maybe backup motherboard faulty or it was too dirty. Though enough airflow from PC case to usually keep it at 34 degrees celcius or at least below 54 degrees celcius. Cut off/power off point is at 55 degree celcius, so overheat seems unlikely..
> > 7. I did not know thermal paste interface material Artic Silver 5 could melt somewhat and become liquid under heat and leak.
> > 8. The Artic Silver 5 became fluid, leaked onto motherboard, tiny components and into the golden pins of cpu, maybe these were power pins, not sure yet.
> > 9. The Artic Silver 5 most likely short circuited the CPU and damaged it slightly.
> >
> > Other explanation could be oxidation of cpu metal<->pins as well, not sure...
> >
> > For now I believe the CPU is damaged or short circuited, I could try and clean it with water and soap... however doing that to tiny little golden cpu pins is ofcourse risky and I am not sure if the water could short circuit it further or damage it due to water pressure, it will probably be ok.
> >
> > I might try reviving this system from dead in the future, but for now I will assume it's damaged beyond repair/life and therefore I consider it DEAD for now... and I will focus on new system/SuperPC from 2023 ! ;) =D
> >
> > Perhaps the old system will be lucky and an computer angel from heaven will bring it back to live ! =D
> >
> > Bye for now,
> > Skybuck.
> >
> Have you examined the inside of the power supply ?
>
> There could be bad capacitors inside it.
>
> Check your supply output DC voltages.
>
> Paul

HaHa ! Good Joke ! =D

There was a bad capacitor on Skybuck's DreamPC from 2006, but you'll never guess what/where ! ;)

It was actually the Artic Silver 5 !

This material acts as a capacitor under the right conditions !

It's even described on Artic Silver 5's website:

https://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm
"
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.
"

I found out the hard-way what this descriptive warning means:

It basically means Artic Silver 5 can work/function as a battery and can accumulate electricity and most likely will discharge itself, zapping the CPU with high voltages.

This is most likely what happened to Skybuck's DreamPC 2006 CPU.

It got ZAPPED by a discharge of Artic Silver 5.

This is an alarming discovery/observation, especially because new information has reached me:

1. Artic Silver 5 can start to accumulate electricity when over 8 volt lines or higher.
2. Artic Silver 5 can start to accumulate electricity when incredibly hot.
3. Artic Silver 5 can become liquified when incredibly hot, as discovered by myself. (Over-pasted)

But even more new information has reached me:

4. An effect called "Pump Out", processors can bulge and push out the thermal interface material causing overheat phenomenon.
5. Especially with today's new CPUs like Ryzens which like to run at 90 degrees celcius.

So even when applieing Artic Silver 5 perfectly there is now a real risk of it being pushed out.

If the new "spider" Ryzen's with thicker heat spreaders like Ryzen 7950X 3D can actually bulge, I don't know but I would be safe to assume so, micro bulges, perhaps less worse than Intel's processors though.

So basically it appears the CPU industry is in crisis because of TIM, thermal interface material not doing it's job anymore.

I see one solution:

1. Avoid Artic Silver 5 and use a material which is non-conductive and non-capacitive.
2. Run Ryzen processors in ECO mode, to prevent bulging and "pump out" effect/overheat.

Bye for now,
Skybuck.