Jump to content

GPU heatsink surface looks scuffed

LogicalDrm
By LogicalDrm
in Graphics Cards
 Share
Posted

Had the urge to put "is this normal" to title.

 

In attempt to revitalize my GPU suffering from overheating symptoms, I'm repasting it. This is 7yo piece, never been opened before. The thermal pads look nasty, but I don't have tools to check their thickness at the moment to buy new ones.

P_20210609_184442.thumb.jpg.b54e76c4cbb20ee9347743514143a09b.jpg

 

The main question is, whether these scratches are normal for GPU heatsinks.

P_20210609_184152.thumb.jpg.fbbfad84e63fe2d1563f7ddf504dbdff.jpg

 

My CPU cooler has been mounted several times at this point, latest yesterday, and is still almost mirror finish perfect.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I mean if it posts and doesn't give errors then slap new paste, pads, and keep running it!

GAMING RIG:

CPU: Ryzen 5 5800X3D

MOBO: ASUS TUF Gaming X570 PLUS (Wi-Fi)

RAM: 32GB G.Skill Ripjaws @ 3600MHz

GPU: PowerColor Fighter RX 6700 XT

STORAGE: 500GB Crucial MX500 M.2 (Boot Drive) / 500GB Crucial SATA / 1TB WD HDD

CASE: Dimas Tech EasyBench V3.0

 

VR RIG:

CPU: Ryzen 7 5700x

MOBO: MSI B550 Gaming GEN3

RAM: 32GB G.Skill Ripjaws @ 3600MHz

GPU: Zotac AMP! 2080 Super

STORAGE: 250GB ADATA SSD / 500GB WD Blue SSD / 1TB WD Blue HD

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

That’s pretty normal, those scratches aren’t as deep as they look and they are fine according to the coolers manufacturing tolerance, meaning the AIB wouldn’t approve it to hold up to their thermal requirements if those scratches affected anything.

 

A lot of my cards I’ve had through multiple generations of hardware look like that.
You usually see aftermarket coolers with near perfect surfaces because they’re trying to display that perfect surface to the consumer. The average user however will rarely, if ever, see the contact plate on their gpu cooler, so they don’t usually bother to make it look pretty when it doesn’t need to be.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
1 minute ago, SirWendall said:

I mean if it posts and doesn't give errors then slap new paste, pads, and keep running it!

Well, I don't know if it works good or not. Before I took it out and open, it was crashing while gaming and artifacting while watching YT.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

those nicks probably only contribute to less than 1% of the surface area so i wouldnt worry about it

thermal paste is supposed to handle imperfections like those, i suppose

 

you mentioned artifacting in your SU yes? try underclocking VRAM, see if it goes away

-sigh- feeling like I'm being too negative lately

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
2 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

you mentioned artifacting in your SU yes? try underclocking VRAM, see if it goes away

Will try that too. I was planning on upgrade later this year anyway, but this means I need to re-think what and when.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

GTX 780?? Looked at your profile.

 

I'd say get in touch with @Beerzerkerand ask if an oven baking reflow could help.. but the way it's described, the card is on its last legs, minus the discussion of the nickle plating on the heat sink being scuffed. That's not a big deal really imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
21 minutes ago, LogicalDrm said:

Will try that too

probably give the heatsink a good clean too if it hasnt been cleaned in 7 years of operation

not too sure about replacing blower card fans, but if there's still sufficient airflow and your GPU core temp isnt too bad, probably wouldnt worry about it

 

what symptoms of overheating did you mean, btw, throttling?

-sigh- feeling like I'm being too negative lately

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
4 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

probably give the heatsink a good clean too if it hasnt been cleaned in 7 years of operation

not too sure about replacing blower card fans, but if there's still sufficient airflow and your GPU core temp isnt too bad, probably wouldnt worry about it

 

what symptoms of overheating did you mean, btw, throttling?

It reads, "artifacting watching youtoob". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
3 minutes ago, ShrimpBrime said:

It reads, "artifacting watching youtoob". 

that's symptom of bad vram

though overheating of vram could be a factor too, since old vram doesnt have thermal sensors on them

-sigh- feeling like I'm being too negative lately

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted (edited)
  • Author
13 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

probably give the heatsink a good clean too if it hasnt been cleaned in 7 years of operation

not too sure about replacing blower card fans, but if there's still sufficient airflow and your GPU core temp isnt too bad, probably wouldnt worry about it

 

what symptoms of overheating did you mean, btw, throttling?

Freezes during gaming. Temps didn't go over the 80C "normal" I've been using. Artifacts and driver crash-like things (black screen to rendering errors) while watching videos.

 

It is booted and seems to be working properly for the moment. But this is before launching anything.

 

E: I'm well aware that this piece might have come to end of its life. Already looked couple of options for quick replacement.

Edited by LogicalDrm

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
2 minutes ago, LogicalDrm said:

Freezes during gaming. Temps didn't go over the 80C "normal" I've been using. Artifacts and driver crash-like things (black screen to rendering errors) while watching videos.

 

It is booted and seems to be working properly for the moment. But this is before launching anything.

definitely give VRAM underclocking a try

-sigh- feeling like I'm being too negative lately

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted (edited)
  • Author
18 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

definitely give VRAM underclocking a try

Might be too late for that. Now it's crashing while loading the game..
. But I'll go through steps before giving up and changing to iGPU.

 

E: Well darn. I was bit too gloomy bit too soon. Now it seems to be working again. DDU and fresh drivers.

Edited by LogicalDrm

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

Running Heaven Extreme preset and its fine with 80C (which is what I set fan profiles to aim when I bought this used in 2017).

 

Thanks @Moonzy

And @8tg

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Graphics Cards

×