Heatsinks needed?

[J3G2]

Hi folks.

 

I replaced the stock cooler on my 2080ti because it was this and thermals ( 80c ) / noise (jet engine) / performance (1600mhz on sustained boost) were poor.

 

I replaced the stock cooler with this. Thermals (65c) / noise (quieter than case fans) / performance (1950mhz on sustained boost) are now excellent.

 

Part of this installation meant removing a backplate which was used for thermal conductivity on things like the vram/mosfets and other shiny hot things. There were thermal pads between those shiny bits and the backplate.

 

I used some of the provided heatsinks and thermal tapes to attach the heatsinks to components which had thermal pads on prior to the replacement. Since then, gravity has decided to help the heatinks free themselves of the components, as seen in the attached photo...they're just chilling on the main GPU heatsink now.

 

There are two Noctua fans at 100% under load (how are they so quiet??) and I wonder if the passive airflow is enough to keep tings like vram/mosfets happy? I don't know how to check the temperatures of those components as GPU-Z and HWInfo only tell me about the GPU and Hot Spot. Hot Spot is only 80c under load, but I can't imagine that reflects the hottest component on the entire PCB.

 

So...do I really need to buy some more aftermarket cooling stuff to get these heatsinks reattached or is everything going to be okay? If you do recommend spending more money, would you mind suggesting some relatively non permanent adhesive solution (thermal tape?). I'm UK based if that helps.

 

Thanks for reading and let me know if I've missed any info that may help.

[LIGISTX]

20 minutes ago, J3G2 said:

Hi folks.

 

I replaced the stock cooler on my 2080ti because it was this and thermals ( 80c ) / noise (jet engine) / performance (1600mhz on sustained boost) were poor.

 

I replaced the stock cooler with this. Thermals (65c) / noise (quieter than case fans) / performance (1950mhz on sustained boost) are now excellent.

 

Part of this installation meant removing a backplate which was used for thermal conductivity on things like the vram/mosfets and other shiny hot things. There were thermal pads between those shiny bits and the backplate.

 

I used some of the provided heatsinks and thermal tapes to attach the heatsinks to components which had thermal pads on prior to the replacement. Since then, gravity has decided to help the heatinks free themselves of the components, as seen in the attached photo...they're just chilling on the main GPU heatsink now.

 

There are two Noctua fans at 100% under load (how are they so quiet??) and I wonder if the passive airflow is enough to keep tings like vram/mosfets happy? I don't know how to check the temperatures of those components as GPU-Z and HWInfo only tell me about the GPU and Hot Spot. Hot Spot is only 80c under load, but I can't imagine that reflects the hottest component on the entire PCB.

 

So...do I really need to buy some more aftermarket cooling stuff to get these heatsinks reattached or is everything going to be okay? If you do recommend spending more money, would you mind suggesting some relatively non permanent adhesive solution (thermal tape?). I'm UK based if that helps.

 

Thanks for reading and let me know if I've missed any info that may help.

There are many issues here.. those things just hanging can cause shorts, so don’t let them just hang…

 

But also, those parts, specifically the VRM and RAM, really do need heatsinks on them. You need to order either thermal epoxy (there is no going back once you apply it…), or thermal pads that are sticky so you can press the heatsinks on and not just let them fall off. 
 

Without heatsinks on those parts, your GPU isn’t going to last long, could be hours of gaming, could be months.

[Bismut]

22 minutes ago, J3G2 said:

I used some of the provided heatsinks and thermal tapes to attach the heatsinks to components which had thermal pads on prior to the replacement. Since then, gravity has decided to help the heatinks free themselves of the components, as seen in the attached photo...they're just chilling on the main GPU heatsink now.

LTT has a video about that, there is thermal epoxy to permanently secure them, but it will be mighty difficult to ever remove them (that is permanent, yup)
It might not need that much extra cooling (I would recommend glancing at your OG cooler), but I would go for it for peace of mind and more durability.

[OhioYJ]

Just now, LIGISTX said:

You need to order either thermal epoxy (there is no going back once you apply it…), or thermal pads that are sticky so you can press the heatsinks on and not just let them fall off.

Just now, Bismut said:

 there is thermal epoxy to permanently secure them, but it will be mighty difficult to ever remove them (that is permanent, yup)

So I'll add I've used a few different kinds of thermal epoxies now, all claim to permanent. I've been able to safely remove, heatsinks, using heat. Thermal epoxy is my go to for several things, as it's generally far superior to most of the thermal tapes you will find (all the tapes I've found). Not to mention since it's meant to be "permanent" it doesn't let go like the tape. In the few instances I've needed to remove it, some gentle heating with a heat gun, will let you pull the heat sink off. While it's warm, it can be cleaned off with little effort for a fresh application (They should come almost spotless actually, you'd be surprised).

 

That being said, use at your own risk. I usually apply with the intent of never needing to remove them.

[OhYou_]

not sure if its applicable to this card or not but in the past I installed an aftermarket cooler on a R9 290x and I too had these just fall off. 
What I did was disassemble the cooler itself, removing the heat sink from the backing plate (with a hammer) and then I could mount the backing plate back onto the gpu with just enough clearance to mount the aftermarket heat sink. 

 

if it is possible for this card I would recommend that, but maybe it would not be without major modification to the original cooler and new cooler

[J3G2]

Much love for the responses everybody - that was quick.

 

Based on the comments it would be sensible to acquire some thermal epoxy, clean up everything and stick it all back on. The permanent attachment isn't really that big of a deal I suppose. I couldn't put the awful stock cooling solution back on if I chose to sell it down the line out of principle, right?

 

On the previous commenter's message - your last sentence summarises it. I'd have to do excessive mods which isn't something I'd like to do.

 

NEW QUESTION(s):

- Do we have any recommendations for thermal epoxy / sticky thermal pads? Amazon is littered with utter crap to the untrained eye so I'll take your word over a blind shot.

- Is there any software which shows the temps of VRAM and VRMs? I suppose this would come down to whether or not there are sensors to report off...but thought I'd ask

 

In the meantime, I won't run the card under any load. The fans will stay above 50% to be somewhat safe.

 

Cheers!

[Bismut]

8 hours ago, J3G2 said:

I couldn't put the awful stock cooling solution back on if I chose to sell it down the line out of principle, right?

There are those super-edge cases where a blower actually performs better, but those have gotten so rare that it does not matter.

 

8 hours ago, J3G2 said:

Is there any software which shows the temps of VRAM and VRMs? I suppose this would come down to whether or not there are sensors to report off...but thought I'd ask

HWInfo does I think, but only if there are sensors, yes.

 

8 hours ago, J3G2 said:

The fans will stay above 50% to be somewhat safe

I would put them on full blast (or at least 80%) if they are quiet, not an expert but it should help mitigate possible negative consequences from the board components not being cooled as designed

[J3G2]

Update:

 

Thought I'd give this topic a conclusion in case anybody has the same question down the line.

 

Heatsinks applied to all areas which were covered by the previous cooler's plate.

 

Temperatures have now risen back to the stock cooler's temps under load. Clock speed has dropped slightly, but still better than the original cooler.

 

I have reapplied thermal paste and reinstalled the new cooler a few times to make sure it wasn't a contact issue, but even then, this isn't the first time I've installed a cooler.

 

Bizarre right?

 

To summarise, I am utterly baffled and nothing makes sense, but this is life.