Can I spray paint a heatsink?

Tacticall993 · Aug 16, 2015

So I want to mod my PC and color everything white. I'm going to start by coloring my XFX r9 290 to white. Can I color the copper pipes too or just the plastic part? I also want to color my motherboard to white, any recommendations? Also should I color my Corsair H100i GTX white?

Here's the paint I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/Performix-11207-Multi-Purpose-Coating-Aerosol/dp/B000981AA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439780115&sr=8-1&keywords=plasti+dip+white

Thanks for the help mates!

VanillaSprinkles · Aug 16, 2015

I would not recommend it since that it the part that disperses the heat coming from the GPU. I wouldn't spray paint ANY of the heat sinks. You can spray paint the plastic parts white though, I have done that before and it looks awesome

Cons29 · Aug 16, 2015

you can, but not sure how much it will degrade the performance (of the heatsink)

Chester Rico · Aug 16, 2015

It shouldn't affect perfomance... but heatsinks (especially the copper parts) get hot as hell so it might make a huge mess/smell terrible/be slightly toxic when the paint gets boiled off.

Just don't.

gangrel · Aug 16, 2015

Heat sinks are radiators. They get HOT. I'd be seriously concerned that the heat would cause the paint to outgas, and this is NOT something I want near electronics. With the motherboard, I'd question whether you would ruin the board electrically...maybe if you did it JUST right, you wouldn't, but the risk of problems is massively too high for my taste. You might take out the board AND things plugged into it.

No, I can't say it won't work. I can say it sounds far too likely, in both cases, to NOT work. So, no disrespect to anyone, but I'd want to know that they have done this, and what they used. If it can be done, it doesn't mean that just any paint brand, or painting technique, will work. (Insofar as painting anything related to the heat sink or motherboard. The plastic on the graphics card, I can believe that wouldn't be an issue.) And me, I am NOT!!! interested in risking several hundred dollars' worth of components for the sake of "it looks cool"...maybe because impulses like that fade too often.

spentshells · Aug 16, 2015

It depends entirely on the type of paint you use. I recommend against it.

atheus · Aug 16, 2015

Of course it would affect performance. Materials are chosen on how well they conduct heat. To make an extreme example, imagine if you coated your heat sink with a 1 inch thick coat of paint. That would behave like massive insulator preventing the heat in the metal from transferring quickly to the air passing through it. The less paint you have, the less insulation there would be, all the way back to the point where you have no paint at all. The optimum amount of paint for your heat sink is none at all. If you want to color it without affecting the performance, you would need a process such as anodization (in the case of aluminum).

Chicano · Aug 16, 2015

If you haven't read the "paint" description, it's "Multi-Purpose Rubber Coating Aerosol".. not a regular paint but a rubber coating...

Performix 11207 Plasti Dip White Multi-Purpose Rubber Coating Aerosol - 11 oz.
http://www.amazon.com/Performix-11207-Multi-Purpose-Coating-Aerosol/dp/B000981AA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439780115&sr=8-1&keywords=plasti+dip+white

The general description says:

" Protects coated items against moisture, acids and corrosion
Provides a non-slip, comfortable and controlled grip
Remains flexible, stretchy and will not crack or become brittle in extreme weather conditions
Provides protection against electrical shock, vibration, heat and deadens sound
Easy to remove from most surfaces when ready to return to original surface"

All this tells me it covers everything insulating it from moisture, corrosion, electrical shock, vibration, heat.. and if it insulates from heat that means it insulates both ways, in and out.. As far as I know, everything on the motherboard besides the heatsinks heats up to some degree, and covering everything with a rubberized-plastic coating may cause everything (not just heatsinks) to accumulate heat that may increase to damaging levels.

Tacticall993 · Aug 17, 2015

Thanks for all the help guys, I'll select a best answer shortly

Chicano · Aug 17, 2015

In case your mind is set on a white motherboard, ASUS makes white motherboar models.. this is just one of them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132414

gangrel · Aug 17, 2015

Limited edition. Out of stock. Maybe another vendor, but LE makes that problematic.

I can hear the processor talking to the GPU...."I am your father!"

Tacticall993 · Aug 18, 2015

Chicano :

Thanks for the tip, but that's way too expensive, and I'm going to need to change cpus. Just spend a few hours to paint the mobo and save lots

gangrel · Aug 18, 2015

No one...NO ONE...is recommending painting the MB. The answer you picked says NO! DON'T DO IT!

Don't come to us when your box fries, you lose the mobo, AND lose parts like memory and CPU.

Tacticall993 · Aug 18, 2015

gangrel :

Rip. Then I'll just paint the gpu

spentshells · Aug 18, 2015

Tacticall993 :

Please do not paint anything, the risk simply isnt worth it unless you know what you are doing,

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Can I spray paint a heatsink?

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