How-To: LN2 Insulation for ASUS Matrix HD 7970 Platinum

This is my first high-end graphics card, and I haven't yet plugged it in yet to try it out. But before I started competitive benchmarking my first purchase was an LN2 dewar. Then I gathered the hardware for a benching rig. So just like when I started out nearly 2 years ago, I'm sticking with tradition as it only seems right that I start this card off by getting it ready for cold before the first time I've powered it on.

I've had some practice at this point. I've taken about a half dozen or so cards cold on LN2, and I've gotten some pretty good results in 3D. This isn't to say I know what I'm doing now, but I can safely say I knew less of what I was doing in the past.

Previously, I've insulated a card with just vaseline. That was fine, but messy, especially on a video card that gets handled a bit more than a motherboard. So I've turned to liquid electrical tape. However I've always painted it on, but this seems like a good time to try something new - I'll be using the spray this go around.

So let's prep...

First Step

Mask stuff off. Here's what I have so far, before spraying it down.

Front of the card:



Crossfire contacts and LN2 bios switch masked:



PCIE contacts masked:



GPU masked:



Power section masked (the chokes on the left side are only masked on top, as thats where they contact the LN2 VRM heatsink):



And here's the back:



Everything not masked on the PCB gets sprayed. I've masked all contacts, LN2 switch, GPU, and the power section.

Balls of steel
Its not even been powered on yet and I feel its pain already, I hope it lasts long enough for you to make some boints. I wasn't even aware you could get LET in a spray, the stuff I have is in a pot and is well thick, I hope the can covers it as good as the paint on, if so I'm getting some

Ya, I had heard you could get LET in a spray but I had never seen it until today... Made my first visit to harbor freight and they had 6 spray cans so I bought a few. Hoping I like it because painting is a pain in the butt.

Once I try it out on this card, if I like it I'm going to clean the vaseline off my MVE, toss it in the dishwasher, and give it a spray as well.

I'll start the painting tomorrow and post progress.

I'm interested to see how this works for you...

This was what I had planned to do if I ever grew the cajones to try taking a GPU cold again.

-David

Liquid LET is generally much much thinner, and requires alot more coats. I use it mostly as a spot check for places that need a quick touch up, Otherwise its mostly just thinner in a can.

You'll need to scrub your board not just give it a wash in the dishwasher to get the residue off, or you won't get any adhesion at all out of the stuff.

Winging it, first coat:





Summary of emotion: Immediate regret. There goes the resale value!

Sure that's enough?

Ya, it did kinda go on a bit heavy. I'm learning.

One coat looks like its enough, so long as it dry's like that.

Resale value HAHA , it wont live to be re-sold, who are you trying to kid....

Hell, at this point I'm putting it in the win column if it lives to power on the first time.

Wow, that is seriously good and coated. I predict absolutely zero moisture problems at all, assuming it survived. It was functioning perfectly well the evening it was shipped (pulled from working machine, placed in box), so as long as the LET didn't have any ill effects, it'll live.

IMOG's playing with the big boys now.

I should have taken a picture of the drying after the first coat - it looks far less absurd. Applied second coat. Allowing to dry again now.

LET in general shrinks alot during the drying process, the spray on stuff even more so.

Looking great, did one last coat around the core area on the back of the card, as that's where the ice is typically worst. Will get a picture once it dries.

I dont know how you normally remove the masking over the core imog. But I've found it needs to be cut so that it does pull the surrounding LET from its bond around the chip. I've just used a razor blade very very gently to cut along the edge of the LET against the metal ring.

Thanks for the tip Juan. I had been a little anxious over that, as I've experienced similar things with painting LET. I'm also concerned about getting the PCIe masking off without starting the paint to peel. We'll see how it works out though.

More updates later.

I haven't had problems with the pcie connector in the past, but it could be a problem, you can allways soften it with some laquer thinner, and score it with a finger nail (not nail file or anything metal your actual nail) that should allow you to get it to release cleanly. Laquer thinner has Xylene in it which reactivates it to a mild degree long enough to clean the stuff off, It will soften it so its some what gummy but not a compelte liquid, compared to if you used straight Xylene on it.

Just don't slice any traces. I speak as the guy who'd be putting them back together when I say, I don't want to have to!

Spayed over memory chip ? "coolness" from the GPU area wheres the pot is is goind to cool the chip ? Wont They overtemp under this coat ?

One of the larger problems for GPUs with GDDR5 is keeping the ram chips warm enough, amusingly enough.
There is a tremendous amount of copper in the PCB that carries the cold outwards and cools the RAM chips.