Discover an unusual item on the back of your motherboard.
Discover an unusual item on the back of your motherboard.
Hi, I'm experiencing unexpected power cuts on my computer. When I look inside the case, I see something in the back of the motherboard. Someone might recognize it as a moisture trap or a component related to humidity control. It doesn't appear wet, so it's probably not moisture-related.
It appears the chips were bonded using heat, which may have altered the appearance of the PCB's silkscreen.
It might leave a mark on your fingers or a cotton swab. There could be some spillage involved, but it’s unlikely to be the main reason for your problems. We’d require additional information about the situation to diagnose it correctly.
It seems the parts got too hot because of stress. Were you running the CPU beyond its limits without enough cooling?
When I touch it, nothing happens on my fingers. Could you provide more information? The PC experiences random shutdowns sometimes while I play games for hours without shutting down, and other times I use normal activities like watching YouTube or doing nothing, which then causes shutdowns in games—this occurs 2 or 3 times. I’ve tried stressing the CPU and GPU without triggering any shutdowns.
Correct, the heatsink protects the VRMs. That was my mistake—I didn’t notice the screws on the back. It’s hard to tell if something is damaged that way. I’d replace the motherboard (RMA if you have a warranty). I’ve seen this kind of issue with graphics cards before. Usually, the copper traces get hot, similar to a wire melting from a short circuit, but the copper layers are covered by an insulating material that becomes shiny when heated. This same effect happens when using a hair dryer or heat gun on a PCB—it turns shiny again.
If the board lacks sufficient power it will shut down. The same applies when using a low wattage power supply and launching a game—it would then crash and restart. The issue is likely heat; the VRMs are solid-state with no liquid, and the heatpipes in the VRM heatsinks hold only tiny amounts of liquid. Your CPU is air-cooled, not relying on fan bearings. There are no droplets or residue on the fans. The discoloration appears around solder joints and traces on the PCB that remain visible through the top layer. In short, power delivery seems faulty. For safety, I’d consider replacing the power supply as it might be the root cause.