Deformed G.Skill heat spreader not in contact with chips

[bitnick]

I bought these G.Skill Ripjaws S5 (F5-5600J2834F16GX2-RS5K) for my new AM5 system. Looking at them before installation I realised that the heat spreaders were deformed (bent/bulging) where all the small holes have been punched, enough to not even touch several of the RAM chips:

Here's another angle where you can see light shine through between chips and thermal tape:

I found someone else that found the same issue:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWf3k5CsHrE

Given the issue is present on both sticks and also not only on my sticks, I wonder: is this a systematic manufacturing error on all G.Skill sticks with this model heat spreader? Has anyone here noticed this before? How does it affect stability (both under heat load and long term)?

 

[FiveDollarBill]

I have the 6000 version of the same memory. I don’t want to pull my 7900 XT out to check and see if it’s got manufacturing defects though. It looks fine from the top.

 

[TheHig]

I have a 32g kit of those also and I’m willing to bet the heat spreaders are mostly cosmetic and running them naked with some airflow would probably result in lower temps. See how they run and what temps look like in HWInfo. If they are in the normal range then no big deal.

 

[pendragon1]

yup, that ^^^
you could always just squeeze it back down too...

 

[bitnick]

See how they run and what temps look like in HWInfo. If they are in the normal range then no big deal.

Is it possible to see individual RAM chip temps with DDR5? I imagine that looking at the temperature of the entire stick would be rather pointless: its power dissipation is the same with or without the manufacturing issue so its "average" temperature should be the same too. Just that the five lucky chips that get the heat spreader to themselves might run a bit cooler, but the three chips that aren't cooled (but are in fact instead blanketed by that unmoving sliver of air) would run much hotter. They'd need to get their temps up to transmit the same amount of power through that air blanket!

If it was possible to remove the heat spreader without risk I'd do so and run them naked.

you could always just squeeze it back down too...

That metal is pretty thick actually. I tried bending the corner up using my thumb nail but there's absolutely no give whatsoever. I'd say the chances of straightening them out in situ without absolutely crushing the chips is zero. I'd need to remove the heat spreaders and use something like a machinist's vice to flatten them out. Or maybe a hammer.


No, given everything that's written about instability of DDR5 and the fact I don't want to worry about what happens in the summer or in a few years, and that I don't want to be limited by a manufacturing defect in case I want to play a bit with overclocking, I've decided to RMA these sticks. I've ordered a Kingston set instead. Let's hope those are better!

Edit: And let's hope that whoever manufactures these heat spreaders for G.Skill replaces their hole punching dies with new, sharp ones that doesn't deform the metal!

 

[pendragon1]

That metal is pretty thick actually. I tried bending the corner up using my thumb nail but there's absolutely no give whatsoever

its like 1mm aluminum, give it a squeeze, you wont "crush the chips".

 

[Carlyle2020]

If you really are not giving them back:

It´s rather the glue(pad) that is bothersome.
Hot air and a 1 mm cut exactly between glue and chip to help with the prying effect ought ot help.

Pros do the opposite:
Freezing the hole stick in liquid nitrogen. The heat spreader falls off almost on its own sometimes. My village doctor helps out with that stuff since they have a big botte.
That trick is on YT.

A vice would help after the bending to smooth it out afterwards since even pressure is no problem.

 

[bitnick]

pendragon1: I may be weak, but the chips are weaker! But seriously, if you had the sticks in your hands and squeezed them a bit you'd immediately realise that there's just no chance of squeezing them into shape. The formed dome-like shape actually makes them surprisingly rigid!

Carlyle2020: Yeah, I've seen those videos, but these being new sticks I didn't want to risk destroying them. It's probably even less effort to return them and buy new ones at that! (Although it was tempting to remove the heat spreaders and force them into shape just because, lol But, no.)