Does the 8800GT really need ramsinks?

A

Avengeance

Gawd
Joined
Apr 10, 2004
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I just purchased an Accelero S1 from newegg and it just got here. I am trying to put it on but the thermal tape on the ramsinks sucks. It doesnt sick at all even after cleaning with a eraser like they said to. Do I really have to use them or can I just not use them and it will be ok. I am not overclocking or anything. The stock cooler looked like it insulated them more than anything so I am guessing being out in the air might be better. Not sure though. What do you all think?
 
i believe gigabyte has a 8800gt with the zalman cooler and no ram sinks. look on newegg for the pics, I used rubbing alcohol and cleaned my sinks off, the ramsinks stuck on perfectly.(zalman vf900)
 
Wow... I just put this on my video card and all I can say is wow... It cools it so much better.
 
Firstly, I don't know WHY they recommend using an eraser to clean the BGA memory modules. Quite frankly even the best pencil eraser isn't going to get rid of the oily residue that the white greasy pads used on the memory leaves behind. And some cheap pencil erasers are 'oily' in and of themselves making the problem worse.

You should clean the BGA modules with either:

1. Arctic Cooling's 2-part cleaning kit (Thermal Material Remover + Thermal Surface Purifier)
2. Xylene based cleaner like 'Goof-Off! (NOT GOO GONE) + Isopropyl Alcohol

Using just plain alcohol WON'T work no matter how clean the memory chips look. You HAVE to cut through and remove that residue from those greasy ass thermal pads.

And yeah, I hear the ramsinks that come with the Accelero S1 are particularly hard to attach especially if you don't have your modules clean enough. ;)
 
I boiled my ramsinks in a pan and while still very hot + holding them with a towel, used a dry cloth to rub off the sticky pads.
After getting as much off as possible I then used pure alcohol and a rough cloth to remove the rest, it got them spankingly clean before using some Akasa Thermal Adhesive tape.
They stick well now :)

The card should function fine with no ramsinks if you have good case airflow.
I wouldnt do it though as on a hot day they may get too hot.
Not worth the risk.
 
I also installed my ramsinks that came with my S1's, mostly for the fact they wouldn't get used if I didn't use them I would not know what to do with them. Also, Nvidia had the memory attached to the sink on the stock cooler, so I figured they did it for a reason.

I used GOO-GONE on both the sinks and the vidcard to get rid of the adhesive, then alcohol to get rid of the traces of GOO-GONE. I then applied small dots of Krazy Glue to each corner of the memory chip on the card. I then applied AS5 on the sinks, being careful not to apply to much, or where the glue would be bonding the sink to the chip. If you happen to go this route, make sure that you don't slop the AS5 or whatever paste you are using anywhere else but on the sink and the chip, as I'm sure you know it is conductive and will kill your card. Press frmly and you are done.

It took me about 1 1/2 hours to do both my cards and I took my time about it, so its not a difficult process. Good luck, were all counting on you.:D

Also, I would like to know why a previous poster didn't recomend GOO-GONE. It seemed to work fine for me. Something I should know now that I already used it?:confused:
 
NCJumper said:
Also, I would like to know why a previous poster didn't recomend GOO-GONE. It seemed to work fine for me. Something I should know now that I already used it?:confused:
Click to expand...

Goo Gone is an oily citrus based cleaner and isn't at all suited for this purpose. Goo gone will end up leaving more residue than it actually cleans. Not only that but because of it's oily nature and the porous nature of the BGA modules packaging the surface of the chips will 'soak up' some of the Goo Gone making it really difficult to remove all traces of.

Goof-Off is a Xylene based cleaner and works quite well for this, it will cut through the greasy residue left by the thermal pads almost instantly and since it's almost pure Xylene it evaporates to nothing. A quick swipe with an alcohol swab (optional) and you're in business.

Goof Off acts very similarly to 'part 1' of the 2 part thermal surface cleaning kit from Arctic Silver.
 
I had NO problems attaching my ramsinks from my S1 and its been over 2 weeks now and none of them have fallen off. I just used some rubbing alcohol to clean off the card and stuck the ram sinks on and pushed hard.

I think the problem most people have is they take off the stock cooler then just mash the ramsinks on with all the other shit not cleaned off.
 
I used nail polish remover to clean the ramsinks and they did a pretty good job. Cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover + 1-3 swipes of the sinks removed the stuff off easily
 
the_transporter said:
I used nail polish remover to clean the ramsinks and they did a pretty good job. Cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover + 1-3 swipes of the sinks removed the stuff off easily
Click to expand...

This.

Also, MX-2 Paste will help stick it to the sink if needed. :]
 
..rubbing alcohol and cotton q-tips FTW! 5 minutes tops. It is not rocket science after all....maybe it is too simple for some of you to come to terms with
 
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