Heat sink not in contact with GPU chip...

[Deleted member 110753]

Hi Guys,

Replacing the thermal paste of an old Gigabyte video card, I've seen for the first time the heat sink not in contact with the GPU chip.
There is about 2 or 3/10 mm of difference which requires a lot of thermal paste.
Do you think it's a mistake of design/manufacturing?
Have I to modify the thickness of 4 nuts ?

 

[cucker tarlson]

you mean 0.2 mm or 2mm ?

 

[R00kie]

what card out of curiosity?

 

[dorsetknob]

you mean 0.2 mm or 2mm ?

Believe he means 2/10 to 3 /10 mm or 0.2 to 0.3mm
Such a gap would be barely visible to the eye and the average TIM would cope with that

More important is Temps Before re pasting and after.

 

[jboydgolfer]

curious how that gap was measured.

 

[Basard]

Perhaps the original thermal paste was very viscous and set up before the cooler had a chance to settle down onto it. They are held in place by the pressure of the springs under the mounting nuts.
You could reapply some paste while the card is still a bit warm. Or you could put the paste tube in a plastic bag, and then let it sit in some warm water before applying.
If it were me, I'd just forget everything I said, reapply some new paste and enjoy your better temps.

 

[dorsetknob]

The pattern spread of the old Tim on both cooler and GPU would be interesting to look at that is if you have not cleaned both yet
any chance of a photo ?

 

[cucker tarlson]

0.2-0.3 mm of thermal paste between the die and the heatsink is very good. 2-3 mm means you have to tighten the screws or maybe reseat the cooler again, slowly and carefully.
How do you measure 0.2mm between the die and heatsink I wonder. 2 mm may be visible with a magnifying glass but not 0.2mm.

 

[AsRock]

Maybe it has incurrect spacers or it's been bent, maybe your tightening the screws wrong. A few picture's would help.

 

[Folterknecht]

Sometimes the screws arn't pulled tight enough coming from the factory. Reapply paste and remount the cooler, afterward check again if there is proper contact.

 

[Deleted member 110753]

The measure 0.3mm comes from my eyes, I mean when I put the heatsink on the card, the 4 nuts are in contact but not the gpu.
Like my other cards (GTX 660, 650, 550), this Gigabyte GT 440 uses 4 coil spring screws, but when tightened there is no contact with the chip.

Since I put the new thermal paste (Artic Silver 5), the temperature increases (resp.decreases) quickly when I stress (resp. stop stress) the GPU.

From my experience, the thickness of nuts is wrong and requires I use my belt sander (if there is not an electrical problem to put the heat sink in contact with the chip)...

 

[Athlonite]

When the paste is applied in the factory they use a mask and it's usually quite thick around 1mm but when you replace that paste because it's old you need to make it the same level of thickness as done in the factory

 

[cucker tarlson]

Let me speel this out loud and clear, you can see a third of one millimeter ?
Well if that's the case then thermal paste will fill that gap.

 

[dorsetknob]

How thick is a piece of human hair?
Europeans consider hair with a diameter of 0.04 to 0.06 mm as thin, hair with a diameter between 0.06 and 0.08 mm as normal, and hair with a diameter between 0.08 and 0.1 mm as thick. By comparison with European hair, Asian hair is significantly thicker. The average diameter of Asian hair is 0.08 to 0.12 mm.

clamp a hair between the die and cooler then see if you can pull it out without breaking the hair

Let me speel this out loud and clear, you can see a third of one millimeter ?

PS i can see individual hairs and you ??? i bet your wife/girlfriend would spot a thin blonde hair on you at 10 paces especialy if she is Dark haired.

 

[Deleted member 110753]

There is no problem to fill the gap with thermal paste.
The only problem is the 4 coil spring of screws are useless if there is no contact with GPU.
Consequently, the nut thickness seems wrong...

 

[Ferrum Master]

I had it my WF3 7970m the problem was that the outer holding frame was bent and way too soft. I've put a copper shim on the GPU die.

 

[Sasqui]

From my experience, the thickness of nuts is wrong and requires I use my belt sander (if there is not an electrical problem to put the heat sink in contact with the chip)...

There should be no problem with the die contacting the HS, that's what it's supposed to do, just make sure nothing else touches it. So the retaining nuts are keeping the HS too high? Maybe installed wrong?

 

[dorsetknob]

The only problem is the 4 coil spring of screws are useless if there is no contact with GPU.
Consequently, the nut thickness seems wrong...

you may put a shim washer under the Spring's.............see PS

I've put a copper shim on the GPU die.

If you have no access to coppershim material aluminium baking foil is a good substute

and of course the PS

ps
BE Careful not to over tighten the Screws after shimming.

 

[eidairaman1]

The measure 0.3mm comes from my eyes, I mean when I put the heatsink on the card, the 4 nuts are in contact but not the gpu.
Like my other cards (GTX 660, 650, 550), this Gigabyte GT 440 uses 4 coil spring screws, but when tightened there is no contact with the chip.

Since I put the new thermal paste (Artic Silver 5), the temperature increases (resp.decreases) quickly when I stress (resp. stop stress) the GPU.

From my experience, the thickness of nuts is wrong and requires I use my belt sander (if there is not an electrical problem to put the heat sink in contact with the chip)...

Ok 1 you are using Arctic Silver 5 which requires a baking time to reach maximum performance.

If you are so concerned about this take the heatsink off, get plastic washers and some Akasa Shinetsu Thermalpads, stack them up together (they fuse together) and be done with it. PS stress Testing is not needed. Play games

 

[Jetster]

Ive modified heat sinks to fit tighter in the past. If you think it needs it do it

 

[eidairaman1]

Ive modified heat sinks to fit tighter in the past. If you think it needs it do it

Yeah aslong as he doesnt crush the die lol

 

[Jetster]

Yeah aslong as he doesnt crush the die lol

Yea keep in mind you might have to take it apart someday

 

[eidairaman1]

Yea keep in mind you might have to take it apart someday

Akasa shinetsu doesnt fuse, only AS Epoxy does lol

 

[peche]

any chance of a photo ?

This....

The measure 0.3mm comes from my eyes, I mean when I put the heatsink on the card, the 4 nuts are in contact but not the gpu.
Like my other cards (GTX 660, 650, 550), this Gigabyte GT 440 uses 4 coil spring screws, but when tightened there is no contact with the chip.

Since I put the new thermal paste (Artic Silver 5), the temperature increases (resp.decreases) quickly when I stress (resp. stop stress) the GPU.

From my experience, the thickness of nuts is wrong and requires I use my belt sander (if there is not an electrical problem to put the heat sink in contact with the chip)...

tell moar about the video card dude, like model and brand, on some Gigabyte cards you have to tight screws in order to put back cooler when replace, happened with my older Windforce 3X GTX 760, when repasted had to tight the cooler with the 4 screws making a "X" patern, starting with a corner, going straig the front screw and leaving it tight as possible, taking care not to bend or break parts, scratch PCB or so, be sure that thermalpads are in their place, cuz if moved might block cooler and add a gap for the cooler.

But again, a picture will be pretty useful here, to help you.

 

[jboydgolfer]

If you feel like the spacing/sizing tolerance of the screws isnt proper, than simply contact gigabyte, let them know and they should send you out replacement screws ,or at worst give you an RMA. In all my years I've never encountered something like this that wasn't due to a human error mistake, but if you genuinely think there's improperly sized mounting hardware ,then I'd recommend you get the proper hardware rather than grinding screws, etc, because any permanent modification you do is going to void your warranty