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New motherboard has stains on VRM heatsinks

weztmarch

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Installed new i9-10900K processor into new ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII APEX Z490 motherboard and immediately after I finish putting everything together (prior to first attempt to boot) I notice a significant amount of oily staining on the the VRM extended heatpipe + heatsinks top and left of LGA socket... Attempted to clean it with 99% isopropyl alcohol the best I could and I succeeded in removing most of it, but I didn't have time to remove the heatsink itself and examine closely yet because I needed to get back to work. As best I could tell from inspecting the front of the board I didn't notice any bulging or leaking capacitors, but I can't be sure with the heatsinks obstructing my view. So far everything is OK and I see nothing obviously wrong Windows 10 installed and PC behaves normally so far. Should I be more or less worried? Any insights into what this is? Electrolyte fluid, oil from a thermal pad, excess flux? Photos were taken after cleaning with 99% iso
 

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Hi,
I haven't noticed any thing like that on mine.
 

weztmarch

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Thanks. I'm wondering if it's just leftover solder flux. I am probably going to return it if I can't get a definitive answer.
 
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Hi,
Was it a sealed box ?
 

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Why RMA it if it works fine? Here in Finland you'd have to pay for RMA'ing a working product without any reason.

That's not unusual that a component (or a heatsink in this case) has "grease" or other shit on it, even if it's brand new.
 
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Hi,
Took a couple shots it's a little cramped

Apex-vrm-2.jpgApex-vrm-1.jpg
 

weztmarch

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Yes it was purchased new. Shipped and sold by Amazon Prime in USA. I can return it but I waited weeks for it to restock and finally arrive last night.. I am asking opinions but I plan to contact ASUS as well. It doesn't bother me unless it signifies a defective board or damaged or presents a risk of component failure. I managed to clean most of it but I am concerned because it was very noticeable and I have never seen that sort of thing on a new motherboard.
 
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It's probably the oils from the thermal pads.
 

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Yes it was purchased new. Shipped and sold by Amazon Prime in USA. I can return it but I waited weeks for it to restock and finally arrive last night.. I am asking opinions but I plan to contact ASUS as well. It doesn't bother me unless it signifies a defective board or damaged or presents a risk of component failure. I managed to clean most of it but I am concerned because it was very noticeable and I have never seen that sort of thing on a new motherboard.
Personally I see no point of returning it as you have warranty if it dies.

It's probably the oils from the thermal pads.
This.
 
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Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
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Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
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Mouse Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard G710+x3
Software Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores Are in the benchmark section
Hi,
Sold new on amazon doesn't mean much since they have free returns
This series has a asus seal was it intact or cut ?
 
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MB's don't come sealed.
 
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Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
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Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
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That may be a new thing with that board but again boards by and large do not come sealed.
 
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Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
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Display(s) 1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
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Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 | 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard G710+x3
Software Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores Are in the benchmark section
Hi,
Sold new on amazon doesn't mean much since they have free returns
This series has a asus seal was it intact or cut ?
That may be a new thing with that board but again boards by and large do not come sealed.
Hi,
And is why I said this series has a asus seal on it :p
Apex from newegg has the same seal.
Formula came from amazon but returned.
 

weztmarch

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Hi,
Sold new on amazon doesn't mean much since they have free returns
This series has a asus seal was it intact or cut ?

Yes it was sealed and the X-cutout thing on the right side by the SATA ports is intact. The protective plastic peel was also on the rear IO and chipset cover, etc. however the board itself was not covered with any antistatic sleeve. It was underneath a dense plastic cutout tray and beneath the board itself there was a thin plastic anti-static liner sheet.

Formula came from amazon but returned.

Why did you return the formula to amazon?
 
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Thanks. I'm wondering if it's just leftover solder flux. I am probably going to return it if I can't get a definitive answer.
No need for flux on a heatsink, it looks like a small buttress to me, it has a shadow.
Either way it's not important, just slight blemishes in the paint.
 
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Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
Cooling oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block | Blk D15
Memory Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb | Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s) Titan Xp-water | evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
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Display(s) 1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case D450 | Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 | 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard G710+x3
Software Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores Are in the benchmark section
Yes it was sealed and the X-cutout thing on the right side by the SATA ports is intact. The protective plastic peel was also on the rear IO and chipset cover, etc. however the board itself was not covered with any antistatic sleeve. It was underneath a dense plastic cutout tray and beneath the board itself there was a thin plastic anti-static liner sheet.



Why did you return the formula to amazon?
Hi,
Apex wasn't in stock yet once it popped up at newegg I jumped on it for 399.99 I believe it was.
z490 does not need a water block on vrm's and I also hated the m.2 layout on formula opposed to apex m.2 dimm card that uses pch instead of cpu or gpu channels.
So I simply saved 100-.us on a better board :)
 
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