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

[Boulard83]

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.

SRY for my question but "warm enough" ? GDDR5 memory isnt good at Xtrem cold temp ?


** i never OCed with LN2 ... i OCed alot on water (in winter too) with lots of hardware but i never played with Xtrem subzero **

 

[I.M.O.G.]

That is correct Boulard. Many things have cold bugs at ln2 temps, and if the ram gets too cold it can bug out too. Gddr5 specifically has error correction, so when it gets too cold performance can actually drop as its struggling to detect and mitigate errors as they propagate.

Word on the street is 7970s clock best early in the session... Once the cold gets to spreading, they wig out more. Also, higher mem volts help, as they keep the chip warmer.

Between the card, and the bios, and the frequency and voltage... There's a sweet spot somewhere. The trick is hitting it at the right time and getting the big scores when the getting is good.

 

[Boulard83]

Good to know ! thanks

 

[I.M.O.G.]

So here's the final product. There are a couple places I will touch up with the brush, but otherwise it came out fine. Especially around the GPU itself that part was flawless - just everything else that was masked was pretty much a pain in the neck... As I suspected, removal of tape didn't go great - I didn't have any laquer thinner like Juan had mentioned, so just went with a careful approach, accompanied by some scissors. So some seams where it was masked are not as tight as they otherwise could be.

Here's how it looks now:









Next I'll be mounting up the VRM heatsink. Touching up a bit near the PCIe slot. And tomorrow I'll go to Airgas for a 150L fill. I have about 50L left in the garage, from a few weeks ago when Jaymz was over.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

That's actually a really nice little trick you've got. I know you've use LET in the past that was painted on, and that's nice because it peels off, but more complicated jobs like this would be a pain using a brush. I like the idea of conformal, but there's not taking it off.

 

[hax0red]

Can't wait to see the results! I may try this once I get a voltage unlocked card.

Little off topic but how many cans do you think it would take to do my Micro ATX? (Asus MVG). This method looks much more fool proof and easier overall then putty around socket + foam insulation...opinions?

 

[Boulard83]

Looks great.

I wish you good luck on the bench !

 

[I.M.O.G.]

One can probably. I feel like there is a lot left in the can. I will see how long it lasts as I continue to do other cards with it. The brush paint lasts 3 or 4 cards for me.