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Where to find GPU TIM?

wolfofone

wolfofone

Gawd
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Messages
725
Hi guys, I'm going to be watercooling my system for the first time, and although I have Artic Silver 5 on hand for the CPU, I was wondering what I should be using for the GPU? Do i need to look at thermal pads, and if so where should i buy them from? I'm kind of lost GPU cooling wise as this will be my first time putting an aftermarket cooler on a GPU :)

EDIT: The GPU in question is the reference design XFX 6950 (695A-CNFC v1.1 iirc) and an EK fullcover waterblock if that helps :)
 
You can use the same stuff on either. AS5 will work the same on a GPU as a CPU.

Thermal pads are used where there is a height difference between the component and the heatsink/block is more than usual (they aren't touching), or when someone wants to do it neater (it's easier to remove). They aren't as heat conductive as normal TIMs, but are easier to apply as they wont run out the sides or spread much and you can't really use too much/too little. You just cut to size, or buy precut and apply in the same way as thermal tape, and can be bought from normal online shops like here.
 
Thanks for the quick response. Cool, I'll probably try to use the AS5 then, though depending on if it's flush I may buy a thermal pad from the site you listed. Thanks for the advice :)
 
If it's a new block it should have everything in thear past pads and what not. Don't ues as5 on a gpu its conductive ues a non conducting paste. And google is your friend is bet you can find guides on how to do it so you have a better idea what to do I think ek even tells you how. But paste goes on the core and just about every thing else gets tape/pads
 
Anything touching use TIM, anything with a gap use pads. Kind of obvious, but the easiest way of checking is put a tiny dot of TIM on all the components, then mount the block normally, then remove it. Anything on which the TIM hasn't spread, or hasn't spread fully doesn't need a pad. If it all spreads fine then mount properly! Remember that the tiny components will need a tiiiny amount, so scale appropriately!

AC5 is capacitive, not conductive. As long as you don't go crazy and do it sensibly you have nothing to worry about. Though there are slightly better TIMs on the market now (it is getting pretty old :D)
 
Hmm okay I'll do that. It's used so no TIM, so I was wondering what I should use. Now that I have an idea of what to look for, I'll start searching for some guides on how to apply the stuff :) Thanks!
 
You use regular thermal paste for all components. One trait of different pastes is capacitance/conductance. If a TIM is capacitive or conductive it can bridge a circuit and short your hardware. An example of this would be your current paste, AS5, while an example of non-conductive paste would be AS Ceramique. But no worries, you don't have to get non-conductive paste for CPU/GPU cores if you use the paste correctly.

Your reference heatsink already has thermal pads for the memory and VRM. You can reuse those with the WB. If any of the pads get stuck to the heatsink you can gently peel them off and put them on the components. If any of the pads get deformed you can heat them up with a hair dryer and reshape them with a straight object.
 
Typically on a GPU, the GPU itself has TIM, while every other component that needs cooling (RAM and VRMs) use thermal pads.
 
heh, may pick up some Ceramique just in case ;) It's safe to re-use the thermal pads then? I think I'll do that and save time if so, as they'll already be cut to the right size :)
 
I've read about people reusing thermal pads for water cooling, and I've reapplied the thermal paste on a GTX 260 without getting new thermal pads. Since you piqued my curiosity I just ran Furmark for five minutes to see how hot the VRM section would get. It got up to 62.5* C. Mind you I didn't do any housekeeping on my thermal pads when I changed the TIM, so I don't think you will have any problems reusing the old pads.
 
XacTactX said:
I've read about people reusing thermal pads for water cooling, and I've reapplied the thermal paste on a GTX 260 without getting new thermal pads. Since you piqued my curiosity I just ran Furmark for five minutes to see how hot the VRM section would get. It got up to 62.5* C. Mind you I didn't do any housekeeping on my thermal pads when I changed the TIM, so I don't think you will have any problems reusing the old pads.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the info and advice :) Should make the transition that much easier :)
 
Not sure if anyone's mentioned it--Heed this warning, if you want your card to live. if you're applying any TIM to memory chips, make sure it's not electrically conductive (ala AS5).

Also, FWIW, AS5 is looking long in the tooth, compared to more recent competition.
http://skinneelabs.com/as5-asc-asc2-review/
 
Yeah I may pick up some AS Ceramique just in case I mess up on applying it to the GPU :p
 
This is the best price I found for Ceramique 2. I didn't know there was a number 2 either, it just came out a few months ago. If you plan on playing around with TIM often you really should invest in a nice big tube of it. I guess this will last you 10 years. This is the best price I've found for the "family size". :D

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arctic-Silv...und-/180791816481?pt=CPUs&hash=item2a18083121

And here's the best price I found for the regular size. But I'm just putting it out there, you can pay around 73% more to get 926% more paste. Get the big one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arctic-Silv...645?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2f3e54e5
 
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Thanks for the links! You're right, the big tube is only a few bucks more but is HUGE by comparison! I think I'll get it :)

EDIT: just bought the big one. I think I'll try this new Ceramique on my CPU block and compare it to the AS5 i have.
 
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