Gap between GPU and heatsink

[pitA]

Is it normal to have a visible gap between the GPU chip/die and the heatsink? There is some thermal interface material, but only near the center. Consider also that this is a fanless model... The video card is a MSI GT 1030 2GH LP OC.

 

[Princess Luna]

Well have you ever used it to check its thermals under load? it is a 1030 so its natural that they have cut corners.

[Spotty]

Looks fine. The actual die is tiny and doesn't fully occupy the space that you have marked as the die, instead only occupying the space you marked as "TIM", which is likely the die you are seeing. Judging by your pictures it looks as if it's making good contact.

[simple115]

7 minutes ago, pitA said:

Is it normal to have a visible gap between the GPU chip/die and the heatsink? There is some thermal interface material, but only near the center. Consider also that this is a fanless model... The video card is a MSI GT 1030 2GH LP OC.

 

Check the temps, if it's around 70-80 then it's okay. If it's hotter than that, then you have a problem. There's visible thermal paste that connect the GPU and the heatsink. It looks normal to me.

[TheRandomness]

The blue part you highlighted is the package. The red part is the die. You're fine.

[pitA]

Ok thanks for the reassurance. I was especially shocked at the vertical size of the gap. Still makes me uneasy.

 

18 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

Well have you ever used it to check its thermals under load?

No, it hasn't been used yet and won't be for a while until the rest of the system components arrive.

[Tabs]

31 minutes ago, pitA said:

Ok thanks for the reassurance. I was especially shocked at the vertical size of the gap. Still makes me uneasy.

 

No, it hasn't been used yet and won't be for a while until the rest of the system components arrive.

It shouldn't make you uneasy - the "gap" you're seeing is between the contact area of the die - which is the bit that needs cooling - and the substrate it's mounted on, not between the heatsink and the die. 

[pitA]

To be clear, I was referring to two things:

 

1. Gap distance: the vertical space between the package and heatsink. I would think it best to minimize the vertical distance, even if there is a TIM with good contact. Consider how the contact pressure of CPU heatsinks makes a difference in thermal performance.
2. Contact area: the fact that the TIM is not covering the entire package. At least it is centered on top of the die, but why not increase the contact area?

[Spotty]

8 minutes ago, pitA said:

To be clear, I was referring to two things:

 

1. Gap distance: the vertical space between the package and heatsink. I would think it best to minimize the vertical distance, even if there is a TIM with good contact. Consider how the contact pressure of CPU heatsinks makes a difference in thermal performance.
2. Contact area: the fact that the TIM is not covering the entire package. At least it is centered on top of the die, but why not increase the contact area?

You don't need to make contact with the whole package. You only need to make contact with the hot area which is the die. As long as there's no air between the die, thermal interface, and the heatsink; you are fine.
If you look at the pictures I posted earlier you will see that the die only takes up a small amount of space on the package. The rest of the area that isn't the die does not need to be cooled by the heatsink, so there's no need for it to make contact. You can see in the images that the die is higher than the surrounding area on the substrate, which is why in your photos it looks as if there's a gap between the non-die area of the package and the heatsink. This is fine as they're not meant to make contact.

I've shaded in the die with red to show where the heat will be generated and will require the heatsink to make contact to draw the heat away. As you can see it's only a small area in the centre that will need to make contact. The rest of the area (blue) does not need to make contact with the heatsink. The red section is also higher than the blue section.

 

 

Hope this helps put your mind at ease. It's the way it's meant to be

[pitA]

Oh! The view in your images is exactly what would be seen if removing the heatsink? I thought a packaging or integrated heat spreader had also been removed to show the size and position of the die, and that the top of the entire package area would be flat.

 

I have seen situations where only the die contacts the heatsink, such as in older laptop CPUs.

 

If the die is directly in contact with the heatsink, that definitely puts my mind at ease!

[Spotty]

1 minute ago, pitA said:

Oh! The view in your images is exactly what would be seen if removing the heatsink? I thought a packaging or integrated heat spreader had also been removed to show the size and position of the die, and that the top of the entire package area would be flat.

GPUs don't have integrated heat spreaders like CPUs do. In the case of GPUs the heatsink goes directly on to the die.
 

 

At 4:00 you can see the heatsink being removed from the card and you can see the die.