Custom PC - UK (2020-03)

MODDING / HOW TO GUIDES

Hex tools or precision

screwdrivers

Most hardware stores

Microfibre cloth

Most hardware stores

Plasticbristlebrushes

Mosthardwarestores

2 / IDENTIFY SURFACE MATERIAL

Many waterblocks use plating on top of copper, and you need to be

extracarefulwhenpolishingthiswithabrasivecompounds.Autosol’s

standardmetalpolishworkswellonbarecopper,butnickelplating,

forexample,canbedamagedbyrepeatedpolishingwithAutosol.

Clean your

waterblocks

How to

3 / GETTHERIGHTTOOLS

Identifythetoolsyouneed,soyoucangetyourPCupandrunning

againasquicklyaspossible.Forexample,if youcanidentifyresidue

builtupinthefinsorcoolantchannels,you’llneedplasticbrushesorair

dusters to clean them. Waterblocks themselves also require specific

tools to dismantle them.

W

hen you first fire up your beautiful water-cooling loop, all your

waterblocks are shiny, sparkling and clean. However, over time,

they can lose their lustre as their surfaces oxidise or become

stained by coolant or additives.

There isn’t a lot you can do to prevent this from happening, and while

cleaning kits such as Mayhems Blitz can help, they won’t remove all the

grime that can build up in cooling fins, or clean up tarnished metal or acrylic.

This month, we’ll look at how to clean your waterblocks to get them looking

as good as new. We’ll be dismantling, polishing and reassembling them, as

well as cleaning out any gunk that could hamper their cooling potential.

Antony Leather shows you how to

get the gunk out of your waterblocks

so they look as good as new

TOTAL PROJECT TIME / 2 HOURS

TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

1 / INSPECT WATERBLOCKS

Identify which areas you need to clean before you dismantle your

system, so you can plan ahead. Inspect the coolant channels and fins

for residue, and the metal and acrylic sections for dye and blemishes.

Identify areas that could do with a polish too.

Acrylic polish

amazon.co.uk

Autosol Liquid

Chrome Cleaner

amazon.co.uk