need opinion on gpu vrm tim

d3athf1sh

d3athf1sh

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 16, 2015
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so i'm about to replace the tim on my 980ti which still has factory paste which is prob dried out because it's been running a little warm. i already have good paste (gelid gc-extreme) for the gpu but man i know by now the thermal tape is gonna pretty much squashed on the vrms and i know the best thing to do is replace it becuase it may not make good contact when i replace the cooler.

so being i don't have any tape to replace it with right now, i was thinking about taking just a small dab of thermal grease and just lightly glazing the tops of the chokes/mosfets. so do yall think that's a bad idea? or just risk it and put the cooler back on and not worry about it? i'd just hate for my vrm to burn up because i can't afford a new card at the moment.

any thoughts?
 
A 980ti should just have 1mm or so thermal pads on the mosfets and vram. Trying to use paste would be trying to fill quite the gap.


Look up the pad thickness for your card. You could also probably get by not touching the thermal pads and just repasting the core as the cram and mosfets wernt too spicy on those cards

Edit: if you are just concerned about making a small gap on the old thermal pads and having them not sit right, ive never had that issue but you could use a small amount of non conductive thermal paste to be cautious
 
cdabc123 said:
Edit: if you are just concerned about making a small gap on the old thermal pads and having them not sit right, ive never had that issue but you could use a small amount of non conductive thermal paste to be cautious
Click to expand...
yeah that's what i was talking about
 
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Don't use tim to replace a pad. If you need a pad, get a pad. Amazon can get you what you need in a day or two depending on where you live. RazorWind 's link looks like a great pad, probably an improvement from what your card came with.
 
RazorWind said:
Don't use thermal grease. It won't be thick enough, and you'll end up making a mess.
Click to expand...

wareyore said:
Don't use tim to replace a pad.
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i know, i never wanted to do that. i'm talking about either a) leaving the old pads and putting super thin coat of tim or b) putting it back as is and risking sub optimal contact if that was the only 2 options
 
I think their point is why not just fix it right the first time with a pad that can be to you in a day or two from Amazon and isn't super expensive.

But given your two options, I would probably just see if the original pad works after some testing rather than try some TIM in between.
 
d3athf1sh said:
i know, i never wanted to do that. i'm talking about either a) leaving the old pads and putting super thin coat of tim or b) putting it back as is and risking sub optimal contact if that was the only 2 options
Click to expand...
B

As it will keep the vram and mosfets free of any mess and the old thermal pads should still work fine.

You can gain a thermal advantage with new pads like the ones posted.
 
If the pads come apart cleanly then there should be no issue reusing them. Every air cooled card I've bought, including used cards, I've repasted going back years and, with the exception of the 3000 series, have always reused the pads that came with it. I wouldn't worry about a thin layer of tim on the old pads. I tried that once and it made zero difference but made a messier cleanup.

However, if the pads fall apart then you will need new pads. I recently repasted an old 260 and the pads absolutely fell apart during disassembly. No way to save them.
 
cdabc123 said:
You can gain a thermal advantage with new pads like the ones posted.
Click to expand...
It's also useful to note that the nvidia and MSI 980 Ti designs were prone to failure of the high side core vrm FETs, most likely due to running hot over a long period of time.

On the nvidia design, it's the power stage closest to the slot connector that fails. On the MSI one, is the second or third dual nfet package from the bottom. The MSI one is prone to pretty spectacular craters when it fails. Nvidia one is often repairable if you have the right tools, and can get a new power stage.

Given what a pain in the ass changing a power stage is, I'd happily replace the pads with nice new un-torn ones if I had the card apart.
 
honegod said:
how ?
Click to expand...
Google, or contact the manufacturer. Reported pad thickness from random people isn't always 100% reliable though. When in doubt, buy a set of cheap $10 digital calipers and measure the stock pads. Only way to be 100% sure.
 
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