I have a Gigabyte motherboard, and fresh out of the package it smells badly of plastic, and I'm sensitive to such smells. Can it be wiped off, or will it gas off if it sits for a while? I would really like the smell reduced before the computer is built. Thanks.
i would simply let it outgas for a while. the smell should go away in a couple days otherwise you can spray it down with some circuit board cleaner in the can or some alcohol will not hurt it as long as you dont saturate it. but honestly i would just let it air out. and once its inside the case i highly doubt you will smell it. you will probably smell the case (many have a paint like odor when new) more then the board.
I would just leave it and not wipe it down with anything. What you are probably smelling (assuming you have removed all packing materials) is the resin coating they apply to keep moisture out and to prevent corrosion from forming on the contacts. Some circuit board cleaners are likely to irritate your sinuses much more than the resin smell. And sorry Carver but I advise against using baking soda because it would need to mixed with water and you don't want water on circuit boards. Plus, the baking soda solution would then need to be rinsed off with something - either another water solution or smelly circuit board cleaner. You best bet is to just assemble the computer in a ventilated area and put the computer to use. This will allow the board to heat up, completely "curing" the resins, thus accelerating the degradation of the new electronics smell. And then the case fans will expel it out, disbursing it into nothingness in no time. And for the record, Gigabyte is my preferred brand and I know that smell. I assure you, it does not last long.
I'd air out in garage with case open, & baking soda (dry) in small bowl/tray in bottom of case. Of course don't turn on with loose baking soda to be whooshed up by the case fans. Just like bad odors in fridges.
If it doesn't disappear in two weeks I would return it. Last year, I had to bring back my new HP desktop because of a horrible chemical smell. Now I have an ACER, luckily no weird smell.
I can see "dry" baking soda helping in a "contained" space with circulating air (like inside a refrigerator) but in a garage? I don't see it. If you want to let it air out, prop it up on something non-conductive (like a couple wooden dowels) so air can get underneath then blast a desk fan across it until the smell dissipates.
My builder-person says: buy a tube of makeup-removal pads, use a light dose of alcohol to rub off reside, then let it air out for a while. Thanks, all.
I just wouldn't do it. If you are speaking of the same cotton pads I am thinking of, I can see them shredding to pieces on the bottom of the board. And on the top side, there are just too many components in the way for an effective cleaning. Plus, whenever you handle sensitive electrical components like a motherboard, you risk permanent damage from ESD or simple physical abuse.
and the verdict is................... that Gigabyte and Asus H97s smell similar. I could start a website about this.......
its the resin coating. almost every motherboard made now has this on it. i highly doubt you will find one without any odor. do not use cotton like that on it if you get strands stuck on it you could have some issues. if you insist on actually cleaning the board use the spray cleaner made for circuit boards specifically. this is what i do for a living i own a pc shop and repair circuit boards almost daily. just wear a mask if you need to, and spray the board down good and let it dry fully before using it. but i really do NOT think this will eliminate the odor. only time will do that. im telling you once you assemble everything you will most likely smell more then the motherboard anyway. we deal with pretty much every manufacture of motherboards and they all have an odor to them. i even opened a few today and checked for you.
Yes that's what I did with my desktops either, but don't sniff too much, I almost got sick from the HP desktop. I'm not sure where the smell came from, I think it was the PSU.
Come to think of it, my HP Pavilion HPE desktop computer had a smell to it also when it was new after turning it on. The smell lasted a few days and went away. The smell was like a burnt plastic. Looked inside the computer and found nothing wrong and the computer is still working excellent.
Just about everything new has a "new" smell. Cars, carpet, furniture, clothing, leather, shoes. This should be no surprise as it is certainly not unique - especially for anything that has been sealed and stored in plastic bags for some time.
Correct, but it should also disappear after a while. I waited for over a month before I couldn't handle the smell anymore, I was lucky they took the desktop back, because normally you can only return stuff within 2 weeks.
It worked! I used a clean cotton rag with tight weave, cue tips where necessary, and 91% alcohol. Patting was used more than rubbing, and I was very careful in picking off the few cotton threads left behind. I check for them with a magnifying glass. It took about an hour. The board sat overnight, and in the morning there was very little of the plastic/resin smell detectable. It's not a job for someone in a hurry.
