How to paint a PC motherboard

On this information, we’ll present you the way to paint a motherboard in your individual selection of shade. Your motherboard would possibly sport RGB lighting, however that’s often the one approach you possibly can customise it so as to add a splash of shade. Nonetheless, it’s straightforward to boost your board additional utilizing spray paints.

Conventional spray paints are straightforward to make use of and, as we’re solely speaking about small areas, you don’t should be an professional to get a very good end, nor do you want an enormous quantity of house. So long as you’ve gotten a well-ventilated space, you possibly can spray the varied detachable components of your motherboard in a bunch of various colours, and even spray the PCB itself.

Right here’s the way to spray paint your PC motherboard in 21 straightforward steps.

1. Determine paintable areas

Most giant objects in your motherboard may be painted, however you’ll must examine whether or not there are followers lodged inside heatsinks, or if there are shows on I/O shrouds, which you’ll must masks later.

2. Use spray sales space and protecting gear

Put on a face masks and goggles in a ventilated space whereas spraying, and it’s additionally price donning some gloves. We suggest making a sales space to include fumes, and likewise to guard your objects whereas they dry. A mini plastic greenhouse is right and likewise comparatively low cost.

3. Take away heatsinks

Take away your heatsink screws, taking care to help the heatsinks from the highest aspect. Generally the heatsinks may be difficult to take away, because the thermal paste acts like glue. Use a hairdryer on full energy from shut vary in 15-second bursts till the heatsink warms sufficient to dislodge the paste.

4. Take away I/O shroud

The I/O shroud is one other straightforward merchandise to color, however some premium motherboards have followers and OLED shows lodged inside them, so take care when eradicating it, disconnecting any cables beneath it.

5. Take away thermal pads

Heatsinks, particularly these on VRMs, typically use thermal pads reasonably than paste for warmth switch. Preserve these pads in good situation, so you possibly can substitute them later. Should you’re simply spraying the heatsinks, place the pads of their corresponding positions on the motherboard.

6. Clear thermal paste

Any thermal paste must be cleaned off the chips or VRMs, in addition to the heatsinks, utilizing a microfibre fabric and both TIM cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. This protects you getting lined in paste whilst you deal with the components, and changing the inventory paste with high-performing paste can enhance warmth switch too.

7. Clear heatsinks and IO shroud

When you’ve eliminated the parts, clear them up. They may look wonderful, however they’ll doubtless be lined in mud and every other small particles which have been blown by means of your PC. You should use diluted washing-up liquid and heat water, rinsed completely with a fabric, or isopropyl alcohol.

8. Masks heatsinks and IO shroud

You may not wish to paint all of the heatsinks and parts. For instance, there could also be producers’ logos or LED shows you wish to keep away from spraying, in addition to thermal contact areas. Minimize frog tape to measurement, so you possibly can masks these components and, if obligatory, use edging tape for big curved areas.

9. Use plastic primer

Some plastics don’t provide a terrific floor for spray paint to stick to, however there’s a approach round this downside by utilizing plastic primer. This primer bonds to the plastic and provides the spray paint a textured matt floor to which the paint can stick.

10. Spray undercoat

Use a standard primer or undercoat on steel objects. This creates a fair floor and uniform shade earlier than you add the colour coat. Apply it in skinny coats, spraying two or 3 times throughout the item from 8in away, and making use of as many coats as essential to cowl it, turning the item to get into crevices.

11. Use moist and dry sandpaper

Enable the primer to dry for an hour. Then, so you possibly can obtain the smoothest floor as doable to your shade coat, tear off small sections of 1,000-grit moist and dry sandpaper and use water to lubricate them. Rub them frivolously for simply ten seconds or so on every space of the item.

12. Spray shade coat

Coloration coat tends to run, which may be made worse on angled heatsinks, so apply it in a number of gentle layers, spraying from totally different angles and permitting every one to dry completely. When you’re performed, take away the masking, as doing this job later can tear the paint. If obligatory, reapply the masking previous to including a transparent coat.

13. Think about clear coat

Most gloss coats provide sufficient shine themselves and, as you received’t be banging into the motherboard regularly, clear coat or lacquer isn’t strictly obligatory. Nonetheless, for extra safety and the final word shine, it’s price including, and also you solely want two or three gentle coats.

14. Enable to dry

When you’ve utilized all of your paint, permit the objects to dry naturally in a well-ventilated space for 48 hours earlier than you deal with them and reinstall them in your motherboard.

15. Masks energy sockets

To spray your motherboard, you’ll must masks all of the essential bits. Begin by masking the port openings, though you possibly can go away the covers of things corresponding to SATA and USB 3 ports, in order for you them to obtain a coat of paint too.

16. Masks slots

You’ll want to color M.2 heatsinks individually, and also you’ll additionally want to dam off the M.2 ports themselves. To do that, wrap all the connector in frog tape from the bottom up. Don’t danger paint working into the port itself. Equally, additionally, you will must cowl any PCIe slots.

17. Masks heatsink contacts

Simply as with the heatsinks themselves, cowl any VRMs, chipsets or different hotspots that want good thermal contact with the heatsinks, so that they don’t get paint on them.

18. Use sealant

You additionally must keep away from portray pins and open ports. You’ll be able to both wrap them up in frog tape or, if that proves haphazard, use silicon sealant or liquid electrical tape. This may be peeled off afterward.

19. Spray motherboard

Lay your motherboard flat, and comply with steps 10,11 and 12, to use each the primer and shade coat. You’ll additionally must comply with step 13 to apply the clear coat, because it’s straightforward to chip the paint when putting in your {hardware}.

20. Take away masking

With the paints utilized, take away the masking as quickly as you end spraying the final coat of lacquer. It will make sure you don’t tear it as soon as it’s dry.

21. Reassemble motherboard

Depart the motherboard for 48 hours to dry, then reassemble the heatsinks and every other components you eliminated, remembering to reinstall any thermal pads or reapply thermal paste to the heatsinks. You’ll additionally must reconnect any followers and LED cables.

And that’s a wrap for our motherboard portray information – we hope you take pleasure in your newly brightened up PC inside. For extra PC customization and portray concepts, take a look at our full information on how to etch glass on your PC and how to paint your PC case – it’ll make your gaming room really feel extra such as you.