My MSI RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8G was contaminated when a rat urinated and defecated inside my PC. Most of the contamination appeared to be on the cooler or top area rather than directly on the PCB. I initially cleaned it with water and a sponge, let it dry, and the card worked normally for about two days. The problem later returned, and after another cleaning it worked for a day before black-screening again.
The symptoms are consistent: BIOS and Safe Mode work reliably, and Windows is stable with the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. Once AMD drivers are installed, the display may work for a while and then show "No video input." An older driver version seems to last longer, but the issue eventually comes back. While gaming, Valorant also occasionally reports "Low Client FPS" and drops to around 45 FPS for several minutes.
I have purchased 99% isopropyl alcohol and plan to disassemble the card and clean the PCB carefully with a soft brush. Could residue from the urine or the water cleaning be causing this behavior? Is a thorough IPA cleaning likely to fix it, or does the driver-dependent failure suggest permanent damage to the VRAM, VRM, or another part of the GPU?
3 Answers
The fact that it is stable with the basic display driver but fails when the AMD driver activates the card points more toward a hardware problem than a normal driver issue. The driver increases power use and enables the GPU’s full functions, which can expose contamination or damage that is not noticeable at idle.
Urine sitting on the card for a while can seep into places that are not obvious from the outside, including under components or around connectors. If it was contaminated for long enough, the GPU may already have corrosion or damaged power circuitry. Cleaning is still worth trying, but the temporary recovery after each wash suggests the underlying contamination or damage is still present rather than the driver being the root cause.
Regular tap water is risky because it can leave mineral residue behind after it evaporates. Turn the system off, remove the card, take off the cooler if you are comfortable doing that, and clean all affected areas thoroughly with high-purity isopropyl alcohol. Let it dry completely—preferably for at least a full day—before testing it. This may recover the card, but it cannot undo corrosion or damage that has already occurred.
I would avoid repeatedly powering it on until it has been fully disassembled and cleaned. Every test while residue remains could cause additional corrosion or an electrical short.