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If distilled water is non-conductive, why do extreme overclockers need to worry about condensation? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 years ago by glibg10b@lemmy.ml to c/physics@mander.xyz

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Extreme overclocking involves cooling a CPU to subzero temperatures using an air conditioner, dry ice or liquid nitrogen. This causes the surrounding air to cool down, forming droplets on the CPU, motherboard and heat sink. Overclockers prevent droplets from accumulating on the motherboard using petroleum jelly or some sort of absorbent insulating material.

Since this condensation comes from the air, I figure it should be free of impurities, just like distilled water. This should mean that the droplets shouldn't be able to cause a short circuit. Due to the low temperature, corrosion shouldn't be a problem either.

Am I missing something here?

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[–] EatYouWell@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago

Condensation isn't distilled water. The air is a mixture of gases, and those gasses mix with the water.