How to deep clean 6870 heatsink?

[BigBoss]

Hello!

I'm in need of advice/help with my graphics card. I have noticed through HWmonitor that my GPU is running at 60c idle and 90c under full load. Usually when I notice my GPU getting hotter than usual, I dust my whole system and it runs cool again. (30-40C idle, 50-60c gaming)

I spent about an hour or two trying to dust my GPU with every angel and hole on the card. it still runs hot
I then tried my best to look through the fan blades and I managed to see dust build up on the silver heat spreader inside the card. I'm pretty sure that dust build up is blocking the air flow.
Now my question is, what do I do!? Do I take it apart and try cleaning it then? Will that void the warranty? I've read that if I take off the heat sink I will need to replace the thermal paste. I have left over arctic silver 5 I have used for my cpu a long time ago, will that be fine?

This card will be 2 years old this Christmas.

AMD HD 6870 HIS

Side note: my windtunnel case fans died a few months ago and I've been meaning to replace them. My CPU is cooled with a Corsair H50 water cooler with 2 fans push/pulling air to the back of my case. Even with the lack of much airflow, my GPU did manage to stay cool till now.

 

[Conumdrum]

Are your fan RPMs the same? If so yep, you have to open the card. All you have to do is carefully pop open the tabs, possibly remove a screw ot two and get to the fins themselves. It could be the Thermal paste on the GPU is dried and need replaced. If so, you need a real QUALITY small phillis screwdriver. You don't want to strip the teeny screws. Then remove the heatsinks and replace the termal goo PROPERLY on the GPU chip itself. Use a good paste, MX-4 is fine. Then make sure the thermal tape pads are still good, put it all together in a crosshatch pattern paying more attention to the 4 GPU screws and just put it back together.

Any luck finding a video on a GPU teardown on Youtube for your card? Cleaning methods? There are a million out there.

AS-5 is okay, but you ccan shave 2-5C with better paste. AS-5 is old tech.

 

[BigBoss]

ty for the reply!

Soooo, it looks like I will have to take it apart and clean it manually and reapply thermal paste. I've looked at some videos and I believe I can do it. BUT! from what I have seen, even if I take off the heat sink I still don't have access to the fan itself?

I'm having trouble finding out if/how I can clean the fans and the actual heatsink.

 

[Conumdrum]

The top opens to expose the heatsink and fan assy. Maybe thats good enough if it's clogged and you can blow it out, try that first. The fan is bolted to the big finned copper heatsink.

 

[BigBoss]

Ah! so this happens?

 

[Conumdrum]

Yep, your learning fast.

The fan/fins/black part is what sits on top of the circuit card. It's all connected together. The black part is the heatsink assy.

The fins is the heatpipe assy for the GPU core, like on your CPU