EVGA 1080/1070 VRM hotspot issue

[Woolfman73]

So apparently EVGA's cooler for the 1080/1070 is not cooling the VRM adequately, Tom's Hardware used thermal imaging to detect temps up to 100 degrees C (http://www.tomshardware.de/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1080-gtx-1070-grafikkarten-roundup,testberichte-242137-2.html). I'm the new owner of one of these GPUs and am obviously worried, EVGA support has told me they're aware of it and it isn't a problem... I'm kinda suspicious of that claim. I'm not expecting anything but if a video was made about this to test these claims that would be a pretty big deal, maybe it could prompt a response from EVGA? I'm not sure what's going on and am worried I have a $600 time bomb in my PC.

 

This reddit post describes the issue in detail for anybody that's curious.

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/58hnzb/word_of_warning_the_evga_1080_blackscreenfan_bug/

[DrM]

vrms can typically handle 125+ C so 100 isnt much of a worry, especially if you arent doing extreme oc and pulling insane amounts of amps through the vrms

[Woolfman73]

Thanks for your response. Do you happen to know if having VRM passively cooled is normal? Judging by the pictures below it seems that is the way EVGA's coolers are designed. I'm worried it will affect the longevity of my GPU. I hate wishy washy crap like this and am seriously considering installing a waterblock (don't think I can return, I got it through their step up program).

 

Asus: http://i.imgur.com/Z7vUjkX.jpg

Evga: http://i.imgur.com/ZJ2ykXQ.jpg

 

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, Woolfman73 said:

-SNIP-

The card has a mid plate which helps to spread and dissipate most of the heat from the VRM modules so there is heatsinking on them. 

 

[DrM]

4 minutes ago, Woolfman73 said:

Thanks for your response. Do you happen to know if having VRM passively cooled is normal? Judging by the pictures below it seems that is the way EVGA's coolers are designed. I'm worried it will affect the longevity of my GPU. I hate wishy washy crap like this and am seriously considering installing a waterblock (don't think I can return, I got it through their step up program).

 

Asus: http://i.imgur.com/Z7vUjkX.jpg

Evga: http://i.imgur.com/ZJ2ykXQ.jpg

 

i believe evga use a plate to cool all the pcb mounted components, so its fine. passively cooled vrms (they still get airflow) are not recommended

http://www.fudzilla.com/images/stories/2016/Reviews/GTX_1080/EVGA_FTW/gtx_1080_ftw_13.jpg

[Woolfman73]

Thanks both of y'all! If that mid plate is indeed cooling the VRM then that makes me feel a lot better. 

[Woolfman73]

Ok, so aren't those little R22 things the VRM modules (if not excuse my ignorance)? The midplate is still cooling it despite not being in contact?

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, Woolfman73 said:

Ok, so aren't those little R22 things the VRM (if not excuse my ignorance)? The midplate is still cooling it despite not being in contact?

Those are coils for the power delivery, they get a little warm but not hot like the VRM modules under the midplate. 

[Woolfman73]

I see, thanks again.

[HungryHamster]

I've been extremely worried about this ever since I saw that Reddit post blowup. People were literally posting stuff saying their 1080 FTW shot out flames or sparks then died. After seeing the community experts in this thread weigh in on this reported VRM temperature issue, I feel very reassured.

[HungryHamster]

Apologies for posting again, but there has been an official response from EVGA that supports what @W-L and @DrM had to say about this supposed issue:

 

http://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2567129

 

Quote

“The test used in the referenced review from Toms Hardware (Germany) is running under Furmark, an extreme usage case, as most overclockers know. We believe this is a good approach to have some idea about the graphics card limit, and the thermal performance under the worst case scenario. EVGA has performed a similar qualification test during the design process, at a higher ambient temperature (30C in chamber) with a thermal coupler probe directly contacting the key components and after the Toms Hardware (Germany) review, we have retested this again. The results in both tests show the temperature of PWM and memory is within the spec tolerance under the same stress test, and is working as originally designed with no issues.
 
With this being said, EVGA understands that lower temperatures are preferred by reviewers and customers.
 
During our recent testing, we have applied additional thermal pads between the backplate and the PCB and between the baseplate and the heatsink fins, with the results shown below. We will offer these optional thermal pads free of charge to EVGA owners who want to have a lower temperature. These thermal pads will be ready soon; and customers can request them on Monday, October 24^th, 2016.  Also, we will work with Toms Hardware to do a retest.”