Aftermarket VGA Coolers?

[Conumdrum]

Okay, what happens to temps now when you reverse the cards? And... Might look at the paste application you did, you did redo it right? Open it up, take a pic of both sides so we can see the paste application etc.

I just duuno, is the fan actually spinning fast enough? I guess so if the RPMs reported are correct. Probably are.

 

[3|ink]

Okay, what happens to temps now when you reverse the cards?

Funny you mention that. When I reverse cards, all I get is a black screen. Do I have to completely uninstall my drivers before attempting that?

And... Might look at the paste application you did, you did redo it right? Open it up, take a pic of both sides so we can see the paste application etc.

I did for the top card. I'll take it apart after this and post pics. I haven't applied to the bottom card yet, but that's typically not overheating.

Both sides? Maybe I did do something wrong.

I just duuno, is the fan actually spinning fast enough? I guess so if the RPMs reported are correct. Probably are.

At 30%, the top card does between 2200-2500rpms if MSI afterburner is accurate.

 

[Conumdrum]

Well the HS side has thermal tape peices that sometimes stick, same for the board side. More info you give, the better we can do.

Are the boards the same? Is the cheaper one stock at lower clocks and you overclocked the cheaper one to the same speed as the better one? One card might have a crappier heating solution and your pushing it too hard.

AND, you sure you got XFIRE enabled for sure when you run something like Heaven Benchmark?

You might have problems with enabling Xfire.

 

[3|ink]

Well the HS side has thermal tape peices that sometimes stick, same for the board side. More info you give, the better we can do.

Are the boards the same? Is the cheaper one stock at lower clocks and you overclocked the cheaper one to the same speed as the better one? One card might have a crappier heating solution and your pushing it too hard.

I saw the thermal tape. It looked like it was intended for the RAM. From what I can tell, each RAM part had its own tape.

They are not the same cards. The top card is a sapphire 5870. The bottom card is a 5850 that is overclocked to a 5870. (Both GPUs are clocked at 850.) The bottom card has a noticeably larger fan and heatsink.

If any card is being pushed beyond its intended use, its the bottom card. But it rarely overheats.

Anyway, here are pictures of the GPUs and heatsinks.

Top card GPU:


Top Card Heatsink


Bottom card GPU:


Bottom card heatsink

ETA: It looks like some tape is missing in this one, but it's just stuck to the RAM. I made sure all of the tape was secure before putting it back together.

AND, you sure you got XFIRE enabled for sure when you run something like Heaven Benchmark?

You might have problems with enabling Xfire.

According to ccc, xfire was enabled when I was running furmark. Also, the furmark program indicated that the second card was in use.

 

[Knufire]

Woah, I think that's way too much TIM. Shouldn't be spilling over on the sides, you want enough to cover the surface of the chip in as thin of a layer as possible.

 

[3|ink]

Woah, I think that's way too much TIM. Shouldn't be spilling over on the sides, you want enough to cover the surface of the chip in as thin of a layer as possible.

Do you think that could be a contributing factor to my overheating issue?

 

[Knufire]

Contributing factor, yes. Large factor, no.

 

[Conumdrum]

Ack. Did you look at Youtubes and other sources before that? Umm yea, yes. Ack. I never seen one like that. WOW.

Might want to do that.

Xfire is working, good.

Here is my CPU, about the same size of your GPU chip. Look how much I put.

http://www.overclockers.com/annual-water-cooling-cleaning-rebuild-journal/

Scroll down about 1/2 way, look for this. Might want to read the whole thing but your focus is on the paste application.

My old CPU block mount and Thermal Interface Material (TIM) Pictures.

Since your new at this you should apply the paste and mount it all the way and take it apart till you know how to do it right.

You didn't take a pic of the full card etc, make sure your thermal tape if used isn't folded over. A foldover will keep the GPU from making full contact. You have a stripped screw? You tighten them with militarty precision one at a time, one turn each till done?

You might want to look at buying new thermal tape also, it gets old after repeated redo. You'll need to make sure it's the same thickness.

And what junk paste are you using? Might need to read lots of posts and learn about pastes. Just buy some MX-4 and your fine.

Lastly, I see a bunch of the original paste on there from your first attempt. Your rushing it terribly. It will take me 15 to 30 minutes to clean the old stuff off, maybe more And I been at this a long time. Did you even clean the old paste off? To clean up your stuff I would be at it for a LONG time. Needs to BE SPOTLESS for a new install. SPOTLESS.

I'm a hardass here and tell it how it is.

 

[nightelph]

^ What he said. Wayy too much TIM, you really don't need much, like a quarter inch bead, depending on the die size. Look at some videos to get an idea, or just keep re-doing it until you have the thinnest layer possible that gets to the edges. Getting rid of all the old stuff is important.

 

[3|ink]

Alright. I'll try that tomorrow evening. I didn't realize how important precision is.

 

[bburrill2012]

Alright. I'll try that tomorrow evening. I didn't realize how important precision is.

Its very important with TIM. Too much is bad and way too little is bad. For a gpu you want a little bit bigger than a pea size ball in the middle. When tightening the heatsink down, do each corner in an x patern 1/2 - 1 full turn at a time. This will spread the TIM over the gpu evenly in a thin layer.

 

[nightelph]

Options besides that one on newegg:

Thermaltake ISGC-V320
Artic Cooling Accelero TWIN TURBO PRO
ThermalrightT-Rad2 GTX
Scythe "MUSASHI" Twin-Fan VGA Cooler

You may have some trouble finding them since its an older card. Also, all of these are probably pretty big, even though you have some room. The thermalright one looks best. 1" heatsink plus fans should fit, I would think.You could also installa cheap slot fan cooler above the top vid card: link

 

[SMOKEU]

Cut 2 holes in the side of the case and mount 2 120mm or 140mm fans blowing fresh air directly onto the cards. Don't forget dust filters.