HD5870 Modding to WATER: How important to cool these chips?

[Sasqui]

I'm putting a Swiftech waterblock on an XFX XXX 5870...

Using Enzotech copper coolers, but I cannot get the smaller coolers to stick on the silicon of some smaller VRM chips. Cleaned well with 91% alcohol, etc. Memory and all others are secure. The problem chips are shown here (there's one more towards the fronth of the card):

I see on my cooler and the TPU 5870 and 5850 reviews, that the stock heat plate has cooling pads for those:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/4.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5850/4.html

So, if I leave them BARE, will I do damage, etc.???

 

[InTeL-iNsIdE]

They do indeed look like vrm's and if that is the case I would be weary not having some kind of cooling on them as they can get very toasty, though I have no idea how they get on the 5 series cards, I would suggest getting some thermal tape/adhesive just to be on the safe side.

 

[erocker]

They most definitely need to be heatsinked for cooling. Active cooling (side fan, fan blowing on them etc.) if possible. Maybe consider getting a full coverage block.

 

[stanhemi]

probably need something like this or similar or a full waterblock

 

[Sasqui]

THX for the replies... shit! The thermal tape supplied with the Enzotech just wont stick to them - even tried 100% acetone . I'm considering roughing them up at the surface with fine grit now... BRB

 

[pantherx12]

No need, buy some akasa a55 silicon thermal paste, its sticky but not an epoxy so it can hold small heatsinks down no problem!

 

[Sasqui]

No need, buy some akasa a55 silicon thermal paste, its sticky but not an epoxy so it can hold small heatsinks down no problem!

I'm sure that would be better...

So far, a roughing up with 400 grit on a chip, now it's holding... More to come.

 

[cadaveca]

You MUST cool those chips, or your card will die a quick death.

TIP: Zipties, Zipties, Zipties. Cops use 'em instead of handcuffs, i use 'em for wire management, and to make things stay in place That said, I'd be using a thermal pad to "buffer" those chips so that the heatsink doesn't rock in place and crush this chips...think a la old AMD Barton chips, with pads outside the silicon...and zipties teh heatsink down using the provided holes in the pcb.

 

[angelkiller]

'Roughing them up' sounds like a bad idea. People lap CPUs to get them flatter, so they can make better contact with a heatsink. Making the surface rougher, may allow an adhesive to stick, but I would think that this hurts heat transfer.

My ideal solution would be this. But I don't know compatibility or cost. Maybe it's moddable?

 

[pantherx12]

I'm sure that would be better...

Doing it right now, works a treat.

 

[SystemViper]

keep us posted on the kinda gains you will get from water, i was thinking of getting the koolance full card block

 

[Beertintedgoggles]

If you wanted a ghetto solution to it, this should be pretty simple since they all seem to align in a straight line. Also they are pretty much centered (not offset) from the through-holes. If you can make a small (maybe 3mm wide) piece of metal (or other rigid material you can find) that's long enough then you could use that a type of screw down retainer to hold the heat sinks on. I've actually used this approach on some mods of my own; I'd take a picture but I'm away thanks to business for I don't know how much longer... It'd look something like in the very quick sketch below:

Disclaimer: I never said it'd look good.

 

[wakkierob]

I'm putting a Swiftech waterblock on an XFX XXX 5870...

Using Enzotech copper coolers, but I cannot get the smaller coolers to stick on the silicon of some smaller VRM chips. Cleaned well with 91% alcohol, etc. Memory and all others are secure. The problem chips are shown here (there's one more towards the fronth of the card):


If DDR5 are the ram chips then leave well alone defo don't sand um the surface isn't the same material as CPU and great care will be needed to bodge it don't do it it's not worth the money to replace. DDR5 run cooler the same as newer processors. They can deal with heat up to 120c before solder meltdown so better off with heat pads if you have no other option and the OC heats ram chips up to hot that they crash the board!

 

[Sasqui]

You MUST cool those chips, or your card will die a quick death.

TIP: Zipties, Zipties, Zipties. Cops use 'em instead of handcuffs, i use 'em for wire management, and to make things stay in place That said, I'd be using a thermal pad to "buffer" those chips so that the heatsink doesn't rock in place and crush this chips...think a la old AMD Barton chips, with pads outside the silicon...and zipties teh heatsink down using the provided holes in the pcb.

I was going to do something along those lines... after the 400 grit, the one I've tried seems to have held pretty good.

I had to slice a few of the copper one in half using a drill press... slide vise and dremel cutoff. About to clean those up and install.

Will be setting on a radiator overnight to see how they hold.

One lesson learned - always have a backup video card! LOL

 

[Sasqui]

If you wanted a ghetto solution to it, this should be pretty simple since they all seem to align in a straight line. Also they are pretty much centered (not offset) from the through-holes. If you can make a small (maybe 3mm wide) piece of metal (or other rigid material you can find) that's long enough then you could use that a type of screw down retainer to hold the heat sinks on. I've actually used this approach on some mods of my own; I'd take a picture but I'm away thanks to business for I don't know how much longer... It'd look something like in the very quick sketch below:

http://img.techpowerup.org/100207/ghetto heat sink holder.jpg

Disclaimer: I never said it'd look good.

That's where I was headed at one point... and I'm not looking for beauty!

Works for the back of the card - there is one more of those towards the I/O part... I'll be posting pics of what I whink may work (without testing yet)

 

[Sasqui]

Here's the first one:

Pray...

 

[cadaveca]

You best put a fan blowing in them...

 

[MKmods]

ur pretty brave to use ANY tape to hold all those pieces on (I wouldnt) as the part heats up the tape becomes weaker and all it takes is 1 piece to drop and make a short.

 

[Sasqui]

You best put a fan blowing in them...

The side fan from the HAF will do the trick... I figure it's better than the relatively passive plate they had on to begin with.

ur pretty brave to use ANY tape to hold all those pieces on (I wouldnt) as the part heats up the tape becomes weaker and all it takes is 1 piece to drop and make a short.

I'm thinking of roasting the card heatinsk down for a night at 170f..

I'm I fucking nuts?

 

[MKmods]

I'm I fucking nuts?

YES

I LOVE the enzo coolers but I use AS epoxy to mount them. But because you have such an expensive card that wouldnt help much for RMAs.

I would make a piece that held down the pieces and mounted using the holes in the card.

Or I would dissect the original cooler and mount the water block into it.

Both ways is a pain in the ass but would a LOT safer for such a $$$ card.

(normally I dont like full coverage water coolers but this is one of the reasons to use one)

 

[Sasqui]

Thank you MK! (compliment)... After some work, it came out well...

I wouldn't try to move the card via the small heatsinks... but I can lift the card easily with the ram sinks and the other large one (whatever they are cooling):

Here's the reason for doing all this!

I'm going to "Bake" this tonight on a radiator... should get to 150f or more. Might put in the oven upside-down after that to make sure nothing "falls off" lol

 

[MKmods]

will you have a fan on the heatsinks too? It would be interesting to see the difference in temps with/without a fan.
(I was thinking of making some air/water hybrid coolers for the 5830s if they ever show up)

 

[Sasqui]

will you have a fan on the heatsinks too? It would be interesting to see the difference in temps with/without a fan.
(I was thinking of making some air/water hybrid coolers for the 5830s if they ever show up)

It'll be sitting front and center of a 230mm HAF case fan... All of those components are under a stock heat-spreader plate with thick thermal pads. I.E.> it's got to be better than stock now. Unless one of the heatsinks falls off.

 

[MKmods]

I never compared tape to the thicker pads but they have to suck when it comes to transferring heat.

Could you please take a pict of the back side of the stock cooler?

 

[Sasqui]

I never compared tape to the thicker pads but they have to suck when it comes to transferring heat.

Could you please take a pict of the back side of the stock cooler?

Same as W1zzards review... http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/3.html