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How to Change your GPU's Thermal Paste (With Pictures)

Wats

G5KC0HG.jpg

 

 

 

So much thermal paste....

I received this video card from RMA, noticed the temps were lame, so changing the paste was a must. I also decided to take pictures and share a "How To" :]

Let's start with the Before and After temperature screen shots. I ran Unigine Valley benchmark for 10 minutes during each test with a fixed GPU fan speed of 46% in a sealed case with under-volted case fans.

Before: clicky 73C
 

After: clicky 63C

 

10C lower core temperature :]


How To starts here...

Supplies:
Cotten Swabs
Coffee Filters
99% Isopropyl Alcohol
Non-Conductive, Carbon Based TIM (DO NOT USE metal based TIMs unless you understand the risks.)

6sEZpQx.jpg


1. Opening the Card
There are normally four screws on the back side to remove, these bolt directly onto the heatsink. Remove the screws in an 'X' pattern, the same way you should always do it.
[spoiler=Important Screws

 

]XOPcadq.jpg

The cooler may require a small bit of force to remove from the PCB, that is just the TIM "gluing" it down, be gentle.

You may leave the fan cable in place if you wish. If the cooler is taking up too much room, then remove the fan cable from the card. Be very careful doing so, you can break the connector easily!

 

DO NOT REMOVE THESE THERMAL PADS!!! If you can, don't even touch them. They are very fragile and you will need to order new thermal pads if you damage any of them. Try not to mix thermal pads and keep in mind, if you do damage yours, that there are different thicknesses.

There will be thermal pads. The thermal pads are for cooling memory and or VRM on the PCB.

(The purple thermal pads from the Gigabyte 787OC. The Sapphire card in this tutorial has a dedicated heat spreader just for the memory)

b0lzXZ1.jpg

 

Some GPU heatsinks require more than four screws. Give a visual inspection or Google your make and model of GPU for more info on removing the heatsink. If you require more advice or help removing your cooler... You're on LTT, the most noob friendly forum around! Just ask for help.

2. Removing the Original TIM
As you can see, they used the whole tube of TIM when assembling my video card. I wonder if they had enough left for the other video cards...
ZcNziYg.jpg

Start with the heatsink, that will give you a small amount of practice before you move onto the core. Even after all of the TIM is removed, clean it several times afterwards with your coffee filters, cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol until they come off spotless.

 

8CtikpH.jpg
OeEUCSN.jpg

Next the core. In my case, this was tricky... Same as the heatsink, clean over the core one last time with a cotton swab to insure all TIM is removed.

 

6oSuAXK.jpg
AgEkVCM.jpg


3. Applying the New TIM
This is the most important step. You want a very thin layer of TIM, not a blob, not a line, not an X.

Start with one small pea.

SPREAD the TIM with your finger into a very thin layer. I use a folded coffee filter for this part, they are lint-free.

 

Many may disagree with the 'spread' technique however I feel that doing so will result in a more even coverage that the dot or the 'X' method. If you are worried about the 'air bubbles' that may occur when spreading the TIM, don't. I have used this every method and always have found the 'spread' method to give the best results.
f4izZm3.jpg

Ent7ff5.jpg


4. Assembling the Card
The tricky part. The most important part. You want to insure that you do not move the TIM around while you are placing the PCB back onto the heatsink.

Make sure your fan lead is plugged into the board before continuing!!!

You can make sure you are doing it correctly by laying the heatsink down onto your foam surface and slowly lowering the PCB down onto the heatsink.

Make sure you line the PCB holes and heatsink standoffs perfectly the first time. Otherwise, you will have moved the TIM around and you should redo your application.
sBruzwV.jpg

Start with threading the screws into the heatsink's standoffs.

Use one of your coffee filters to press down the core onto the heatsink. BE GENTLE. This will help set the TIM and do a much better job of flattening out the paste than the screws ever will. Don't smash down like a gorilla, just do a better job than the heatsink.
[spoiler=Light Pressure]ulSO3as.jpg

Continue to tighten the screws in the 'X' pattern as tight as you can without stripping them WHILE applying pressure to the core. Ohh pleease don't strip the screeews...
MbLTI01.jpg

 

I hope this helps a few overclockers, folders and miners out there.

 

 

Something missing in this guide? PM me :]

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Very nice guide/how-to, lots of people here will appreciate and find it usefull.

Codename: HighFlyer, specs:  CPU: i5 2500k cooled by a H70ish(2 rad)   Mobo: MSI MPower Z77   GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 660 OC 1150 MHZ core, 3150 memory both   RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16G @1600mhz   SSD: ADATA Premier Pro sx900 / HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB/Samsung 1TB   Power supply: Corsair RM650 80+ Gold   Case Corsair Carbide 500R   5.4 ghz achieved on the good old 2500k, may it rest in peace. Current daily OC is 4.8 @1.41 v

 

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Can you please make or link me to a tutorial for lubricating a graphics card fan bearing? My 560 ti twin frozr 2's right fan makes a horrid crackling noise on cold boot and squeaks running normally :(

export PS1='\[\033[1;30m\]┌╼ \[\033[1;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[1;30m\] ╾╼ \[\033[0;34m\]\w\[\033[0;36m\]\n\[\033[1;30m\]└╼ \[\033[1;37m\]'


"All your threads are belong to /dev/null"


| 80's Terminal Keyboard Conversion | $5 Graphics Card Silence Mod Tutorial | 485KH/s R9 270X | The Smallest Ethernet Cable | Ass Pennies | My Screenfetch |

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Can you please make or link me to a tutorial for lubricating a graphics card fan bearing? My 560 ti twin frozr 2's right fan makes a horrid crackling noise on cold boot and squeaks running normally :(
I might just make a guide for that :P

I'll give you a link for the mean time.

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Is that a 7870? Just wondering.
Yes, Sapphire OC Edition. The improved, non-Black Screen of Death version.
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Can you please make or link me to a tutorial for lubricating a graphics card fan bearing? My 560 ti twin frozr 2's right fan makes a horrid crackling noise on cold boot and squeaks running normally :(
Thank you very much!

export PS1='\[\033[1;30m\]┌╼ \[\033[1;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[1;30m\] ╾╼ \[\033[0;34m\]\w\[\033[0;36m\]\n\[\033[1;30m\]└╼ \[\033[1;37m\]'


"All your threads are belong to /dev/null"


| 80's Terminal Keyboard Conversion | $5 Graphics Card Silence Mod Tutorial | 485KH/s R9 270X | The Smallest Ethernet Cable | Ass Pennies | My Screenfetch |

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Cool guide.

 

Did you notice any difference in temperature after this?

15" MBP TB

AMD 5800X | Gigabyte Aorus Master | EVGA 2060 KO Ultra | Define 7 || Blade Server: Intel 3570k | GD65 | Corsair C70 | 13TB

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Next time, don't spread the TIM. Just apply a small pea of TIM and let the heatsink spread it. This will eliminate air bubbles that a spread TIM will cause. The less air bubbles, the better. You can check videos on how TIM spreads if you don't believe me, Linus does it this way.

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Cool guide.

 

Did you notice any difference in temperature after this?

Haven't you read it all or you didn't see the pictures?

 

"Before:

http://i.imgur.com/bQx0LvQ.png

After:

http://i.imgur.com/PJOYwgZ.png

10C lower core temperature & 8C lower VRM temperature :]"

Codename: HighFlyer, specs:  CPU: i5 2500k cooled by a H70ish(2 rad)   Mobo: MSI MPower Z77   GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 660 OC 1150 MHZ core, 3150 memory both   RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16G @1600mhz   SSD: ADATA Premier Pro sx900 / HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB/Samsung 1TB   Power supply: Corsair RM650 80+ Gold   Case Corsair Carbide 500R   5.4 ghz achieved on the good old 2500k, may it rest in peace. Current daily OC is 4.8 @1.41 v

 

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I noticed the Steelseries background on the first image.. Looks very much like Linus's table. Did you break in to their garage? :D Great guide BTW   :)

Desktop: Intel Core i7-5820K, Corsair H115i, Asus X99-Deluxe/USB 3.1, G.Skill Ripjaws4 32GB 2800MHz CL16, Zotac RTX 3070, Samsung 950 Pro 512GB in Angelbird Wings PX1, Samsung 850 EVO 1TB, 5*Seagate 12TB, Cooler Master V1200, Phanteks Enthoo Luxe, Windows 10 Pro. Phillips 328P6VUBREB, Corsair Vengeance K95 RGB Cherry MX Brown, Logitech G502 X Plus, Sennheiser HD700.

 

AYANEO 2S: AMD 7800U, 32GB 7500MHz, 2TB WD SN850X. Windows 11.

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I'm gonna agree with target. Logan from Tek Syndicate did a pretty in depth video on how TIM spreads and shows how spreading it before hand creates air bubbles. Other then that it seems good dude

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Haven't you read it all or you didn't see the pictures?

 

"Before:

http://i.imgur.com/bQx0LvQ.png

After:

http://i.imgur.com/PJOYwgZ.png

10C lower core temperature & 8C lower VRM temperature :]"

My router was having a melt down yesterday and wouldn't load any images :( So I couldn't actually see what the images said.

15" MBP TB

AMD 5800X | Gigabyte Aorus Master | EVGA 2060 KO Ultra | Define 7 || Blade Server: Intel 3570k | GD65 | Corsair C70 | 13TB

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Next time, don't spread the TIM. Just apply a small pea of TIM and let the heatsink spread it. This will eliminate air bubbles that a spread TIM will cause. The less air bubbles, the better. You can check videos on how TIM spreads if you don't believe me, Linus does it this way.

 

 

I'm gonna agree with target. Logan from Tek Syndicate did a pretty in depth video on how TIM spreads and shows how spreading it before hand creates air bubbles. Other then that it seems good dude

You can get a much thinner application when you spread out the paste. I've tried every meathod, X, tiny pea, big pea, nothing gets the same, thin coverage as spreading it out.

 

Thick paste ruins performance, you want the heat in direct contact with the copper. The paste should only fill the tiny little valleys. Don't worry about little air pockets, just don't mix up the paste like batter.

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You can get a much thinner application when you spread out the paste. I've tried every meathod, X, tiny pea, big pea, nothing gets the same, thin coverage as spreading it out.

 

Thick paste ruins performance, you want the heat in direct contact with the copper. The paste should only fill the tiny little valleys. Don't worry about little air pockets, just don't mix up the paste like batter.

It's been proven that pea method and x method can give you a couple degrees better temperature. Maybe you are using too much thermal paste. The GPU's heat spreader is much smaller in area than a CPU's. The reason you are getting thick coverage is because of the quantity, not the method. Apply a very small dot instead of a rice grain sized dot. Try something like half of a rice grain.

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It's been proven that pea method and x method can give you a couple degrees better temperature. Maybe you are using too much thermal paste. The GPU's heat spreader is much smaller in area than a CPU's. The reason you are getting thick coverage is because of the quantity, not the method. Apply a very small dot instead of a rice grain sized dot. Try something like half of a rice grain.

The dot won't always make it to the corners of the core.

 

If there is an IHS then yeah, use the grain of rice meathod.

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Is it OK for thermal compound to be around the pins where the GPU is located?

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Is it OK for thermal compound to be around the pins where the GPU is located?

It depends on what thermal compound you use, but generally just try to avoid them. If you use non-conductive thermal paste, it'll be okay, but if you use conductive thermal paste, avoid those pins as much as possible, or throw away that TIM and get non-conductive TIM.

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Even after all of the TIM is removed, clean it several times afterwards with your coffee filters, cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol until they come off spotless.

Next the core. In my case, this was tricky...

J0TFr6O.jpg

Same as the heatsink, clean over the core one last time with a cotton swab to insure all TIM is removed.

0HujoEw.jpg

4. Assembling the Card

The tricky part. The most important part. You want to insure that you do not move the TIM around while you are placing the PCB back onto the heatsink.

Make sure your fan lead is plugged into the board before continuing!!!

You can make sure you are doing it correctly by laying the heatsink down onto your foam surface and slowly lowering the PCB down onto the heatsink.

Make sure you line the PCB holes and heatsink standoffs perfectly the first time. Otherwise, you will have moved the TIM around and you should redo your application.

Start with threading the screws into the heatsink's standoffs.

Use one of your coffee filters to press down the core onto the heatsink. This will help set the TIM and do a much better job of flattening out the paste than the screws ever will.

Continue to tighten the screws in the 'X' pattern as tight as you can without stripping them WHILE applying pressure to the core. Ohh pleease don't strip the screeews...

I hope this helps a few overclockers, folders and miners out there and that I won't have to edit this because of how screwy the forum is with editing :]

 

How did you clean the thermal paste that was surrounding the GPU?, like in the photo.

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How did you clean the thermal paste that was surrounding the GPU?, like in the photo.

He probably used isopropyl alcohol and paper towel to scrub it off. If you are in the same situation, pour 70+% isopropyl alcohol on a clump of paper towel. Scrub as much of it off as you can. Gently clean off any residue using isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth. If you are still having trouble, I suggest you search for a thorough video tutorial on YouTube. I would link one to you, but I'm on IE on the Xbox 360 atm. 

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How did you clean the thermal paste that was surrounding the GPU?, like in the photo.

Used dry cotten swabs to get the bulk then went back with a swab that was damp with alcohol. It was the most time consuming part.

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great post

i7 875k @ 4.2 GHz, MSI BIG BANG TRINERGY BOARD, 16GB RAM, OCZ AGILITY 120GB SSD, MSI GTX 580, FULL CUSTOM WATERCOOLED

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