AC MX-2 thermal paste. use on 4890 ram

[Reefer86]

hi guys, Im still waiting for my 3m thermal pads for my 4890. i removed the stock heatsink and removed the pads from the ram (but the thermal pad is still on the Vrm's). I now need to put the stock back on!

I have some MX-2 by Arctic cooling. Now there is no clearence so i could use paste and the MX-2 is non-electrically conductive,(so it wont short circuit) non corrosive and completely metal free. so would i be able to actually use this on the ram between the heatsink, then i can actually use my PC again and pull out this VGA card!

Im sure i can if there is no clearance and the paste is not conductive.

PLEASE let me know guys thanks.

EDIT: just done some googling and it seems i can use it but please let me know if i will kill my card doing this.

 

[erocker]

I'm quite sure there won't be very good contact between the heatsink and the ram if you use paste.

 

[Evo85]

MX-2 is non conductive and non capacitive so it should not harm it.

That said, I am with E-rocker.

 

[Reefer86]

well im gona have a look and give it a whirl because its been 10days with no gaming im willing to try mayonaise if it gets me gaming! i been reduced to play on newsgrounds.com for the past few days due to withdrawl syptoms.

 

[erocker]

Since the ram doesn't really need to be cooled anyways, the most important thing is making sure there is good contact between the vrm's and the heatsink. You should really get yourself some thermal pads.

 

[Reefer86]

i have some thermal pads on order but i wasnt sure where to get them so i ordered some from ebay but they are coming from Hong Kong but they are 3M. They are taking for ever tho and im getting impatient. im gon see if it will work anyways and then when they arrive i will change them out. im just desperate to get back gaming!

 

[erocker]

Just watch your temperatures.

 

[Reefer86]

just put the heatsink on without the paste to check the clearence, no chance at least a 1mm gap! the paste wont be enough to fill the gap if i did use it in the pc i could see something going pop!

 

[Reefer86]

well i used the paste and the results are actually very surprising, very low temps to be honest with a stock heatsink on fan at 55%. Also it is stable in furmark at core temps at 70-72c

temps at idle

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

Since the ram doesn't really need to be cooled anyways, the most important thing is making sure there is good contact between the vrm's and the heatsink. You should really get yourself some thermal pads.

Are there any perticular thermal pads that you reccomend?

 

[erocker]

The stuff that the cards come with probablly work best as it's not too thick. I think the Shin--Etsu stuff is what they use, not sure. I always just save the pads on the stock cooler.

 

[nafets]

well i used the paste and the results are actually very surprising, very low temps to be honest with a stock heatsink on fan at 55%. Also it is stable in furmark at core temps at 70-72c

temps at idle

snipped

It's highly likely the TIM isn't doing anything. You wouldn't be able to tell either way, since there's no thermal sensor for the memory chips.

While the memory may not need to be in direct contact with the heatsink via thermal pads, I doubt the ~1mm gap is sufficient for proper heat dissipation. Add to that, the heatsink is probably heating up the memory chips and/or the air around them.

My advice; Stay out of Furmark or any serious gaming, until your thermal pads arrive. Sure, the card may be stable now, but there's no point in possibly wrecking a properly functioning video card.

 

[hat]

Yeah, in my experiance the memory chips aren't tall enough to make contact with the cooler so you need something thicker (like the thermal pads that are on the stock cooler) to actually make contact between the memory and cooler.

 

[AsRock]

Yeah, in my experiance the memory chips aren't tall enough to make contact with the cooler so you need something thicker (like the thermal pads that are on the stock cooler) to actually make contact between the memory and cooler.

Same here i tried it when i was swapping out my cooler and noticed there was a gap, enough to make me put them back on..

 

[theorw]

Are there any perticular thermal pads that you reccomend?

Akasa has a great thermal pad for this job!
I used it in my 4850s VRMs and they work like a charm!
I also used it to cool many VRMs in my mobo,I highly recomend it!
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2276

 

[AsRock]

Akasa has a great thermal pad for this job!
I used it in my 4850s VRMs and they work like a charm!
I also used it to cool many VRMs in my mobo,I highly recomend it!
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2276

But what if you need to RMA the card or some thing ?.. Are you not totally in the shitter with that stuff ?.. Don't sound fun removing the cooler if needed of the ram chips.

 

[Bo$$]

But what if you need to RMA the card or some thing ?.. Are you not totally in the shitter with that stuff ?.. Don't sound fun removing the cooler if needed of the ram chips.

put the old cooler on and hope for the best

 

[theorw]

But what if you need to RMA the card or some thing ?.. Are you not totally in the shitter with that stuff ?.. Don't sound fun removing the cooler if needed of the ram chips.

Well i v done removing a heatshink being applied with the akasa pads,and i have to say that it was quite difficult but possible none the less!Just be extremely careful!!!

 

[Reefer86]

well the thermal pads arrived today but they are not the right thickness. Th mx-2 i have used fills the gap very nice and i can see no gaps at all.

The problem is trying to find the same thermal pads.

For now the paste looks like its doing the job to be honest but i am trying to source the correct thermal pads. i might contact xfx direct and ask them.

 

[SteelSix]

It's a shame thick thermal paste patches are not available via aftermarket.

I've made Arctic Ceramique gauze sandwiches before..

Between layers of first aid gauze are very thin mesh layers. Looks like a screen. Separate layers to get one of those, cut into squares matching memory/VRM size, lay one on top of memory, ooze a tall bead of ceramique, top with another gauze square, repeat. Ceramique will flow through/saturate gauze and will hold in place well. If you create a tall bead in center only, it will compress across the mem surface when cooler is applied. With some skill you can create a thick patch where excess doesn't ooze down onto PCB. Create sandwiches on all contact points, apply TIM of choice to gpu, then carefully apply cooler. Practice beforehand on how you'll lower cooler onto card. An accurate "docking" that doesn't move the sandwiches around is key. Use a toothpick instead of fingers if necessary when making the sandwiches.

It's a pain in the arse but it works.