I accidentally spilled about half a cup of sugary coffee inside my PC. I shut it down immediately, unplugged it, and took it to a technician, who disassembled and cleaned it. The computer is working normally now, although one RAM stick was damaged. Two days later, temperatures still look normal, but I occasionally hear a very soft buzzing sound during startup that stops after the PC has been running for around 20 minutes. It may just be because I'm listening more closely now. Is there anything else I should do?
2 Answers
Sugary coffee can leave sticky residue that may collect around fans or other moving parts, and it can also cause corrosion over time. Since the noise is new, avoid assuming everything is fine just because the PC boots. Have the technician inspect the fans, power supply, graphics card, and motherboard again, especially for dried residue or signs of moisture.
It could make a fan run unevenly or eventually fail. Don’t poke around inside while it’s powered on; let the technician check it and replace the affected fan if necessary.
Because the buzzing only happens during startup and disappears after a while, it could be a fan bearing, a cable briefly touching a fan, or coil whine as components change power states. If you can reliably reproduce the sound, take the PC back to the repair shop and demonstrate it. Until then, shut it down immediately if the noise gets louder, temperatures rise, or you smell anything unusual.
Could dried sugar around a fan be dangerous?