The final goal of a gamer is “junk repair”.
Graphic boards and motherboards that are “unconfirmed to work” are lying around in the blue box (junk corner) of Hard Off.
The pleasure you get when you buy these items at a bargain price, repair them with your own hands, and get them working is a different kind of joy than buying a new item.
This time, I will show you the steps to repair and clean your junk graphics card so that it can actually run games.
*This is a world of self-responsibility. There is a risk of fire, so please be fully informed.
1. Disassembly and cleaning: Battle against tar and dust
Many junk items have clogged heat sinks because their previous owners smoked or had pets.
First, remove the screws and separate the fan and heat sink.
The heat sink (metal part) can be washed with water and neutral detergent.
Gently remove dirt from the base using “absolute ethanol” and a toothbrush.
2. Reapplying the grease: Wiping off the spots
The grease applied to GPU chips has hardened like cement due to aging.
Heat cannot be transferred with this.
Wipe clean with absolute ethanol and reapply with new high-performance grease (MX-4, cat grease, etc.).
If the thermal pad is worn out, replace it with a new one.
This alone can lower the temperature by more than 10 degrees.
3. Operation confirmation: Tense moment
After it is completely dry, assemble it and insert it into your PC.
Power on. Will the fan spin? Is the screen visible?
Even if it doesn’t show up, don’t give up.
There is also the forbidden cure of baking the board in the oven (reflow repair), but that is another story.
Please experience the thrill of seeing Apex play at 60fps on a 5,000 yen junk laptop.