How To CORRECTLY Deep-Clean Your Graphics Card

[@HermitPurple420]

I think that dirty gpu looks familiar lol😂😂 great video man and thanks again for hooking me up with that cleaning!!! She’s been running great ever since I got her back from you! Love the video keep it up!

[@GregSalazar]

Great to hear, KC! Glad it's working well. And thanks again for the wine! You're the first viewer from the series to do that. I really appreciate the gesture. Hope all is well.

[@HermitPurple420]

@@GregSalazar any chance the rest of the cleaning made it’s own video I would love to see you pressure washing the case 😂😂

[@alextrotta796]

@@HermitPurple420 He's probably still editing it. If he pressure washed your case, I wanna see that lol.

[@memethief4113]

I have the exact same PC as you but mine had a 1060 3gb while yours is a 1060 6gb, did you replace the GPU at some point or is that how you got the computer?

[@HermitPurple420]

@@memethief4113 mine was also a 3gb and that’s how I got it so they are most likely the same pc got it Black Friday at Best Buy maybe 3-4 years ago

[@not_a_real_name]

idk why, but i enjoy having these type of videos in the background while i work.

[@benjaminstesal4512]

What’s ur job

[@RackBaLLZ]

Because it has useful information. Intelligent people like useful information. Hmmm I also like useful information....

[@majd6962]

@@RackBaLLZ bruh

[@not_a_real_name]

@@benjaminstesal4512 I'm a full stack dev.

[@StefanEtienneTheVerrgeRep]

You did this all without wearing anti static bracelet. You're lucky the static energy didn't jump start the fan on the gpu and cut your fingers off. Don't let me remind you of what happened to little Tommy 4 digits. Less we forget.

[@GregSalazar]

LOOOOL god I love this parody account 😂

[@StefanEtienneTheVerrgeRep]

@@GregSalazar And I love you too.

[@vfitty3055]

NEVER FORGET - TOMMY 4 Digits!

[@pepperidgefarmremembers1911]

Do you know who remembers Tommy4digits? Pepperidge Farms remembers.....

[@jorgel2029]

LMAOOOO

[@titanvfx1]

Thanks a lot! I did this with my almost 5 year old 1070. The increase in performance was huge. In Cold War, my temps would max out at 93c and stay there now its always around 61c with a 10 to 20 fps increase.

[@nfh0849]

Holy shit well then I guess my gtx 960 is suffocating right now

[@HandleIsNewAndBad]

@@nfh0849 my rx480 is kind of dying as well. Restarts every time while playing certain games.

[@afrog2666]

93? Yikes :o

[@mrflimpam5948]

Hi, that's amazing, I'm planning on cleaning my card soon too. I have the "Gygabyte GTX 1070", mine is also quite old (about 4 years old). So cleaning it should boost my performance greatly, I'll update here when I do it, probably by next week.

[@Eggychonk]

@@HandleIsNewAndBad update your bios I had the same issue when playing a game with easy anti cheat

[@JeffWaynee]

Thanks for the inspiration! I just did the first deep cleaning of my Gigabyte 1650 Super OC, which is now 10 months old, and until today I had only blown dust out of it a couple times. Earlier today it was running at 75-78 C, and post deep clean I'm getting 68-71 C in the same game. I also did a 3D Mark Time Spy stress test, and it also never went above 71 C. Well worth the effort!

[@OzTalksHW]

I like this

[@michaelkingstar5878]

Who knew I'd find you here Oz, I loved the way you managed to make the Cyberpunk build, it looked so funky for so cheap...

[@JordonDev]

69th liker. I like that

[@zaz6463]

I like that you like this. I also like this.

[@JordonDev]

@@zaz6463 I like that you like that he likes this, and that you also like this. I also like this.

[@Alias389]

I love this

[@Jsteeezz]

Step 1 find a graphics card.

[@alfreds.1142]

step 2 have the money

[@whanos8471]

Same

[@Kumbang094]

Step 3 buy the dirtiest

[@gameslayer3001]

No bro step one: install a graphic card.

[@ROMSradio]

Oh you lost me

[@trestianb]

A really good tip when dissasembling anything really. TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES. Trust me, you will get to a point when you won't know which screw goes where, or connector.

[@ElTeeger]

Why clean your own gpu when you can drive to Florida and ask Greg to clean it for you.

[@zvxcvxcz]

I guess because I would have needed to fly... driving wouldn't exactly have reached Florida, contrary to some old turn by turn navigation instructions.

[@jaumegenaro7673]

in my case id have to fly for about 14 hours or so

[@MadaRook]

I appreciate the guide, Greg One thing holding me back from doing this myself is concerns over possibly bricking my card. Though I will need to eventually do so, as I plan on giving my 1080Ti to my niece, and I would like it to be clean and like new for her. Your video and info has helped me a lot. Thank you, great video :)

[@esteban_miguez]

you did it?

[@FlippyDipDipper]

YEEEEEEEES! I love cleaning. I was going to request, maybe an ASMR cleaning video? Nice and chill! Great work my dude.

[@GregSalazar]

Maybe! Like a longer, less edited one with no music? Could work!

[@whirlwind872]

@@GregSalazar Seconding the ASMR cleaning vid, just the entire cleaning process from a few different angles with minimal editing and no music

[@OriginalRaveParty]

Great side branch content for your channel Greg. I hope they go viral for you.

[@GregSalazar]

Thanks for the support!

[@yggdrasilygg]

i appreciate these cleaning videos over rehashing the same stuff into new videos over and over to bridge the gap in pc news and shit. dopeski stuff gregiboi

[@Athesies]

Thanks for the help! My card looks a lot cleaner and i dont think anything is broken so far. applying the thermal paste and getting it screwed together was a bit nerve wracking and sloppy, but hopefully when i plug it in everything will be fine

[@augatron22]

7:04 if there's a sticker placed like that remove it. you don't want anything to disturb airflow

[@GregSalazar]

Hahah, the amount of airflow stemming from the interior of a fan is almost completely negligible. Exponentially more air is displaced near the tips of the blades, where they're often more angled and have higher rotational velocity. You likely wouldn't see even a single degree Celsius delta by removing it.

[@danielkzlai]

I cleaned and repasted my GPU, a thing to note is that you need to REALLY tighten the screws holding the heat sink down. My screen would go black if it ran anything slightly intensive. Turns out I used too much paste and didn't tighten the heat sink enough for adequate pressure. Also, buy proper thermal pads. 2x0.5mm thermal pads won't work as well as a 1mm thermal pad. Hope this helps someone out there

[@Vanadium24]

The wilhelm scream gets me every time 😂

[@jameysummers1577]

Fantastic video Greg! This is something that everyone needs to see. I get PC after PC in to my business, and people never clean their stuff!

[@GregSalazar]

Thanks for the continued support, Jamey!

[@jameysummers1577]

@@GregSalazar no problem man! I’m a big fan!

[@hilariusubaldiasarinarindr9255]

More please, the one with more complex build or 3 fan with complex build if possible. This is so satisfying, entertaining, and educating. Love it.

[@melwillseptember752]

Great cleaning tips for cleaning Graphics Card, forgot to mention the Thermal paste application though.

[@KyotoIsaki]

eh, it is mention in the video

[@Fishbait075]

Which thermal paste are you using, that applicator / spreader looks really nice and easy to use.

[@andydbedford]

I literally did this yesterday for a RTX 2060 Super gaming OC, the single hardest part was removing the fan power connector, I mean what the hell do they use to stick those things on, it wasn’t clipped on like normal in the end I had to pull the whole housing of and then just slide it back over the pins when I was done, taking care to reference which way round the connector housing was attached.

[@soulmata]

I just cleaned off a bunch of my old Vega 56s with a leaf blower. Maybe not the safest option but man, what a time saver. Not a leaf to be found on any of them now.

[@GregSalazar]

LOL

[@Camska427]

I have got a R9 290. The fan works but no display. I guess its dead. Time to upgrades at a time where graphic cards are crazy expensive.

[@lserranoit]

Is alcohol better that a contact cleaner?

[@Sheed744]

It's always fun to re-paste a card and clean it up. Feels almost as good as new if done right :)

[@robotron1236]

It should feel 100% like new, if done right.

[@roei2086]

Could you please make an updated video that explains how to clean larger versions of GPUs

[@alisollis]

Thanks Greg for another fine video! I love the new PCDC content. I have spent most of my day deep cleaning my PC for the first time. It is my first build and almost a year old and i'd only done minor cosmetic cleaning to date so the GPU breakdown was a must this time and i'm pleased to say all went well showing great results with improved thermals 6`C cooler at idle possibly down to me repasting with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut!!

[@Duck_Sauce09]

I literally watched the first episode of him cleaning his viewers pc and I literally was going back and forward on the video to see how he cleaned that graphics card. And a few hours later he uploads a whole video dedicated to cleaning a graphics card. 🙃 Btw the card I serviced was a EVGA GTX 680 OC 2GB.

[@coolissimo69]

Would be nice if you told what thermal paste you used.

[@adwol48]

i personally use interdental brushes the really small ones for getting into usb ports and hdmi areas you have to be carefuil though as you could bend a pin but i havent done that yet after cleaning hundreds of ports.

[@inkman002]

Great video! I really want to try this, but graphics cards are so hard to come by these days i dont wanna risk running my card.

[@metroplex29]

Same here

[@GoetheNorris]

Alcohol reacts badly with some plastics, hardening them and breaking some pigments. It is probably fine for a one time while but non alcoholic cleaning wipes or solutions would work for the shroud as well and reduce the risk of discoloration.afterwards just make sure to dry them properly

[@MrHeHim]

Not only does dust insolate and block airflow but also effects electronics when humid it causes electrical migration to/or away other circuits. This is why server rooms use medical grade HVAC filters and positive air pressure ;-)

[@robertt9342]

I remember cleaning a flu from a heavy smokers house. Alcohol and a light scrubbing from a fresh and disposable tooth brush is helpful.

[@gaminginstilllife9429]

How do I clean corrosion off of HDMI and display ports on a mining GPU I bought I'm having trouble with the ports getting a contact

[@Trick-Framed]

Broke a fan blade cleaning my daughter's 1060. First beak like that i've made in over 4 years. Fortunately I was able to glue it back on. Works fine but the glue will make the bearing die early due to weight on one side so I ordered another from Ali for $5.

[@davidober1199]

You are a master communicator. Great job.

[@jasonjavelin]

I have two used GPUs on the way, great timing for the video and I purchased that kit too! I’ve been looking for a small electronics tool kit and this one seems like a great value

[@erwinmatic5062]

Tech Yes City: Cleans entire PC with Multi Purpose spray.

[@TylerSpite]

Could you possibly do a bigger card? I have a strix 1080 Ti and I feel like it’s gonna be more complicated.

[@phonix4912]

Did you ever do it? How did it go. I’m gonna take apart my 2060 rog strix card tmr

[@TylerSpite]

@@phonix4912 I did not, I was too afraid too. It’s my only card so I’m not really trying to risk breaking it

[@phonix4912]

@@TylerSpite aight I’ll let u know how mine goes. I think I saw a comment saying strix cards are easy to open.

[@TylerSpite]

@@phonix4912 ok. I’ve had my card for about 3 years or so so I’m sure he needs some new thermal paste and a deep clean. So hopefully it’s not too bad

[@phonix4912]

@@TylerSpite yeah same I got my card in 2019 when 2060 first came out. I bought some mx-5 thermal paste from arctic

[@burner8959]

Someone has let their OCD for cleaning shine through.

[@xeress]

Do your dusting outdoors while wearing a mask. Keep in mind the composition of dust, and that you are introducing all that into your living / working space.

[@Ryznstrider]

Just bought heaps.of cheap pc parts to build used systems, and cleaning is on the agenda, cheers from Aus

[@MrEliwankenobi]

These videos are a great idea 💡... Even though I am comfortable doing this at least once a year, I highly appreciate it and it’s very valuable info I would have liked to have some years ago. Good work

[@horusmorus5588]

Will using alcohol on the board have any negative efffects? It’s a dumb question I know but I’m kind of paranoid about it

[@CoalitionGaming]

Great tutorial!

[@ivailok3376]

Tried doing this with a 1080 ti FE, couldn't remove the backplate because I didn't have a small enough screwdriver lol. Managed to clean the heatsink and repaste though, so not terrible. Might get myself a repair kit to properly clean it at some point.

[@Ikhwan_]

Question! You are using Thermal Grizzly's Aeronaut for the re-pasting, correct? I'm merely asking because I'm interested in so.

[@aldysyahputra6967]

May i know ur brand vacum cleaner ? Nice contents easy sub btw

[@THEMilkSHAIKH]

Might as well. Who knows when I will be able to upgrade. Have to make my hardware last as long as possible.

[@tom3266]

Excellent video: concise, fast, clear and professional. Thanks a ton! :)

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Thanks for this well made and easy to follow video. I always look forward to watching your videos.

[@kljaja007]

2:07 the check mark on the black square looks like a middle finger lol

[@mood7357]

the most useful youtube channel about PC stuff. Thank you!

[@leventejusztin1605]

Do you install a new thermal pad under the black aluminium thing or do you use the old one? Thanks for answering, I enjoy your videos :)

[@slimjimson]

What's the ideal thickness of the thermal pad to use for the gpus or mobo? I'm preparing for a pc deep clean in the next few weeks. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep it up! 👍👍

[@juanmaidana6363]

Awesome Greg, keep up the good work 🙆🏻‍♀️🙆🏻‍♀️🙆🏻‍♀️😎

[@alastarX666]

can you pleaaaaase explain more about the thermal pads? i have a gtx 970 from zotac, changed the thermal pads and now i'm up 15° from when it had the old ones (that i already threw away), i replaced them with ones that are 1mm thick, but now i think i need 0.5mm but completely unsure of everything at this point

[@TheKtown67]

can you use 91% ipa alcohol to clean the board?

[@Ajinkya5762]

I have a issue man my msi 1650 super ventus x oc has 3 broken blades from one of the fans. Pls help me to fix it. Its been hard to find exact compatible fans to ship to my country INDIA. Also under warranty it cant be fixed, but they can repair or rather replace it for 85 - to 95 USD. Card itself was for 175 USD OR so.

[@spoorthi.dspoorthidhanpal5470]

Sir pls can u say,,how to solve , graphic card not working problem in hpod machine , health Machine

[@MrKillswitch88]

Q tips are the noobiest thing when it comes to this lol, for dust on the card I use natural fiber brushes (no static) and for cleaning the gpu substrate after cleaning the die as normal I use a cheap toothbrush as it won't damage the small caps. One can use anything to clean the dies instead of q tips is paper towels, the only time I use q tips is for getting into tight spaces where things are pretty nasty especially if the card or board was previously owned by a smoker. Work in a pc repair shop and you'll see it all but the one thing that has most going full nope is live roaches. The ultimate nope is the infamous "cumbook" gag.

[@ChristopherOrmond]

How do you find out what thickness of thermal pads you need before tearing it down?

[@Erik-mv5nr]

Can I not just use compressed air to get mostly of the dust out of it?

[@gelul12]

Yeah should be fine. Watch out with fan blades if you have a powerful air compressor.

[@cptsetsiyah1729]

About to do this to a 6 year old 980ti and 5820k with original paste (not cleaned for 1 year either) Excited to see how much temps improve

[@jamesparker5018]

Excellent video. Well explained and good pacing.

[@likethewind5088]

I want to do this to my reference vega 64 but im afraid i will crack the memory or maybe break the traces between the memory and die. Luvkily i think i have a molded die so might just wait till i retire it to clean it up.

[@John-fu3ei]

i wanna take apart my gpu and clean it in the future, what thermal paste brand should i use?

[@itakeeee22225]

your mums

[@infoforanything6496]

Mr Salazar, is it fine if I build a pc with Nitrile gloves, since my hands are always sweaty ?

[@thunderbuddy78]

I think using a soft toothbrush can substitute nicley for not having that end piece for my fan right? not used of coarse lol

[@riskysway2542]

Take everything apart, don't lose any screws, clean fans and heatsink, unless thermal pads are ripped don't change them, ans if they are still sticky (mine were sticky and greasy), clean paste, put new paste, mount, done.

[@cookie7993]

Rtx 2060 FE Users: Instructions Unclear, everything is going wrong.

[@chow5997]

This video helped at ton because im a total beginner. Thank you for the great content!

[@storm_filter]

what kinda lube is good for the fan motor? cheers for the video

[@LordMoss_Gaming]

Perfect Greg, my MSI 1080 Gaming X 8GB was running bit warm when got it around the 80c - 90c ranges under heavy gaming. Stripped down cleaned up and new thermal paste. Tested now same game and settings getting 65c-70c steady... Thanks keep up great videos!!!

[@alphaboltz8282]

Great video Greg, thanks a lot!

[@ryz.4827]

This vid was so helpful thanks👍

[@firelord_lk]

do i have to reuse the old thermal pads or can i buy new ones

[@rrr]

Thx for the tutorial!! I actually had the same card that you used in the video, so following the steps was a breeze, and after cleaning my GPU my temps went down by ~4 °C

[@dArkR0se1]

Which thermal paste is this? I'm gonna try and attempt to clean mine since my card seems to be louder than my box fan

[@cmelft2463]

Can i use ipa on the thermal pads to clean them?

[@Madchris8828]

Everytime I hear IPA I think I'm supposed to take a drink of some expensive craft brew 😂

[@gretchman]

I dipped a towel in IPA and brushed it over my gpu and the whole chipset grew a beard and started telling about how if you rearrange the song order on a Tool album it becomes a whole different continuous story...

[@AlphaXray]

You gotta follow the Fibonacci bruh.

[@jpwessgate4859]

I use electronic contact cleaner spray for the whole pcb to really clean it

[@GregSalazar]

I use IPA and Q-tips to really clean it. Lol.

[@JaykeBlayde]

Woops. You didn't run benchmarks before/after the cleaning to show any difference.

[@lakshya7509]

Thanks for the guide, but im afraid that my components might get ESD as we rub it. Also warranty void 😔 any tips to avoid static ??

[@edwarddudley3504]

It's pretty hard to damage components with ESD nowadays as Linus and ElectroBOOM proved not too long. If you're really concerned, but don't want to buy a bracelet just don't touch anything important on the PCB, hold onto the metal IO plate and the sides of the PCB or rest it on a non conductive surface.

[@kairon156]

Awesome video. after seeing a bunch of your others I was wondering about video cards as I've never cleaned them out before.

[@olddadagamer]

Thanks, Now I'll be able to clean my old gtx 970 and rtx 2060 with a bit more of mental ease, although your comment about the rtx 2060 scared me for a moment lol. Thanks for the content.

[@halbouma6720]

Awesome! I was looking for general advice on what to do with existing thermal pads if they were in good shape and you had it. My old RX 470 was having thermal throttling issues and after cleaning it over like in your video and repasting the GPU core, its running great now with the original pads. Thanks for the video and help!

[@pacoreguenga]

Looks as great as new! Well done!

[@votrsagames107]

is there a special thermal paste for GPU or can I use CPu thermal paste?

[@perkycarnival1886]

Can u use regular alcohol?

[@whirlwind872]

PERFECT timing - thinking about selling my old 7970 sitting boxed up in the basement, but it's so damn dusty I've figured no one would really want it. Now I have the confidence to take it apart and clean it :D By the way, electric blower is one of the best investments!! Kind of expensive, but they're WAYYY stronger than canned air and that stuff ain't cheap either. Mine is almost too powerful, honestly, you have to hold all your fans in place so they don't get damaged 😬😬

[@hellbringer09]

... I use the tech yes method. A can of brake/parts cleaner non chlorinated and 120psi of air gets 99% of the dust off and thats all the functionallity you need for cooling to work properly

[@valentino5999]

I have a question is there a way to clean the ports without the air can thing

[@VexyguyYT]

Thanks Greg, bang up job as usual.

[@Tekillyah]

Is laquer thinner ok for cleaning too?

[@dylantello8643]

Absolutely terrified of doing this to my pc

[@railerswim]

Avoid ipa on plastics, it can make them brittle or prone to small cracks. Instead dish soap and warm water

[@GregSalazar]

This only applies to soft plastics...