I accidentally spilled water on my PC while it was in sleep mode. I acted quickly by unplugging everything and dismantling the components, letting them dry for two days. Now, the PC powers on, but I'm having trouble with games that used to run smoothly (like Arc Raiders). A look at my task manager shows my CPU usage is soaring compared to my GPU, indicating something is off. I can't tell if my CPU or GPU is damaged, as there's no clear sign of failure. I've also tried some changes in the BIOS but nothing has worked so far. I'm not very experienced with PCs, so I'm looking for advice on what might be wrong and how to troubleshoot this issue.
3 Answers
When you dismantled the PC, did you take out all major components like the GPU, CPU, RAM, and PSU? Water can linger under the GPU or in the PCIe slot. It might help to clean everything with 98% isopropyl alcohol and let that dry out completely.
It sounds like your CPU is doing more work than it should, which makes sense if something's off. You should definitely check the temperatures while gaming. For instance, if your GPU gets too hot, that could throttle its performance. Is there a chance the fans on your GPU are damaged?
When I'm in a game, my GPU hits about 64.3°C and my CPU is around 50°C. The GPU usage stays pretty low at 50%.
You did a solid job by unplugging everything right after the spill! Most components can handle a little water as long as they’re not powered on at the time. Since your PC is turning on, that's a good sign. Start by checking your cables and make sure your display is connected to the right port on the GPU; sometimes things can get loose.
I switched around the display cable ports but still no luck.
I took out the GPU and RAM but left the CPU in place since I wasn't confident in removing it. Should I try to remove the CPU to clean better?