A computer technician on YouTube shared their refurbishment process for an Asus 9800GT Matrix GPU that was allegedly used by a smoker. We will see in Madness727’s more than hour-long video how they turned it from a tar and nicotine-clogged relic into a pristine example of the graphics card that runs perfectly in a PC system.
The Asus ROG Matrix 9800 GT hit the market in 2008 and was a premium mid-range GPU built for enthusiasts. However, after around 17 years of use without any maintenance, it’s almost unusable, with the heat sink completely blocked by gunk. The graphics card actually looked relatively clean from the outside, but when the repairer removed the heatsink and opened the card, they discovered that nearly all its surfaces were covered by dirt and grime. The worst accumulation was under the shroud, with Madness727 commenting, “I am not blowing on that; I’m getting cancer from this.”
After disassembling the graphics card, the first thing he did was to clean the main board with degreaser and running water using a toothbrush. They then patted it dry with a towel, after which they used a blower to get the remaining water drops off the board. To further ensure that everything is dry, they also used a heat gun on the core, memory, and VRAM, as well as the heat sink itself.
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I Have NEVER Seen a GPU in Worse Condition. ASUS 9800GT MATRIX Refurbish – YouTube
The fan, heat sinks, and other components went under the faucet as well, with the fan motor being the only thing left out. Instead, they cleaned that part with isopropyl alcohol, after which they applied bike chain lubricant to make it run smoothly and quietly once more.