ASUS DUAL RTX 3060 TI GDDR6X Memory Cooling

[dadi_oh]

System Specs
i5 11600K running 4.9GHz all cores at 1.35V
AORUS Z590 Elite AX
32GB Teamgroup DDR4 3200MHZ
ASUS Dual RTX 3060 TI GDDR6X
Deepcool Gammix AIO 240mm CPU cooler with Arctic Cooling MX4 paste
Corsair 750W

I have had this ASUS Dual RTX 3060 TI GDDR6X card for a while and noticed that memory temps are higher than I would like given that Micron recommends junction temperature of 0-95C. With stock configuration and no overclock on memory I was routinely hitting 96C on the memory at 1440p or 4K gaming. The GPU core was hitting around 79C. Happy with CPU temps topping out at about 70C on the cores.

Despite being under warranty I decided to try bringing down the VRAM temps and maybe the GPU core as well. I started by ripping off the warranty tape on the screw and proceeded to disassemble the card. See photos. I measured all of the existing thermal pad thicknesses as I removed them (photos).

VRAM 2mm
VRM 2mm
Everything else on front of card 2mm
Backplate strips are 1mm

Owltree 12.8W/mK pads from Amazon. It comes with 0.5, 1, and 1.5mm sheets
Arctic Cooling MX6 thermal paste

I had to stack 1.5mm and 0.5mm strips to get the 2mm required thickness on the front.

Results were promising. I found worst case VRAM temps could be achieved running 3Dmark Speedway Ultra stress test. Fan curves were stock settings.

Stock max temps
79.0C GPU Core
96.0C VRAM
92.6C Hot Spot

Modded max temps
71.0C GPU Core -8.0C
92.0C VRAM -4.0C
86.4C Hot Spot. -6.2C

Was actually hoping for more improvement on VRAM temps but the stress test is worst case. Most games I am only hitting about 88-90C. Better than what I started with anyway.

 

[crlogic]

Nice job! Maybe I should give my 3080 Ti FE some love in the same way. Its temps are even spicier than yours were!

 

[dgianstefani]

It's likely that your memory temps aren't as good as you hoped because you're using Chinese make believe brand pads. Artic, Gelid, Thermal Grizzly etc. go for one of these if you want pads that are actually high performance.

 

[dadi_oh]

May be worth it. Operating close to max recommended temps will reduce the life of the component. But it comes down to how much time it spends operating at those temps. If you were mining then definitely a major factor. For casual gamers like me, probably not an issue but my engineer brain can't resist a challenge

It's likely that your memory temps aren't as good as you hoped because you're using Chinese make believe brand pads. Artic, Gelid, Thermal Grizzly etc. go for one of these if you want pads that are actually high performance.

True. It was still 4C improvement over what ASUS used in the factory. How much further could it go with brand name?

For me this was just an experiment because I was bored. Realistically I could have lived with the temps for the small amount of actual gaming I do.

Well this is a little unexpected. I decided to explore another heat transfer path out from the back of the circuit board to the backplate. I measured the spacing as 3mm to the backplate and applied the same Owltree thermal pads stacked to 3mm to make contact with the circuit board behind the VRAM. I stripped away the insulating plastic in the area to allow direct contact to the metal backplate. Applied pressure to backplate and made sure it was indented with the components on the back of the board to make sure it was making good contact. Excuse the sloppy job

I ran the full 20 runs of Speedway stress test to make sure it was fully heated and saturated the heat spreader (backplate).

This actually dropped the temps of the VRAM by a full 2C to 90C max. Was a bit surprised by this.

On a side note I ordered some Gelid 12W/mK 2mm pad for $16CAD from Amazon. I will see if the higher quality brand name vs cheaper Chinese brand makes a difference with a real world comparison.

 

[dadi_oh]

It's likely that your memory temps aren't as good as you hoped because you're using Chinese make believe brand pads. Artic, Gelid, Thermal Grizzly etc. go for one of these if you want pads that are actually high performance.

The Gelid pads arrived and they are indeed better than the Chinese knockoffs. I am now sitting at 86C which is a 4C improvement over the Owltree. And a 10C improvement over the ASUS original pads. Good to know.