[SOLVED] Alienware Area 51 R2 GTX 1080 Thermal Pad Thickness

[Jhorg4]

Hi,

I built a new PC and just transferred my Dell GTX 1080 to my new 12th gen rig. I used to have an Alienware Area 51 R2 PC.

I was just wondering if anyone has the same graphics card who knows what thickness the thermal pads are for the Dell GTX 1080? It's 5+ years old and I need to replace the thermal paste and possibly the thermal pads, so I need some on hand just in case.

Thanks!

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Your pads are probably still good unless you find them melted. I would just change out the thermal paste. The 1080 isn't known for the memory to overheat. Unless of course you do have that problem

 

[Jhorg4]

Your pads are probably still good unless you find them melted. I would just change out the thermal paste. The 1080 isn't known for the memory to overheat. Unless of course you do have that problem

Thanks for the reply!

With age, thermal pads will become brittle and/or less effective. I also overclocked the memory.

It's like changing your car's oil. Replace the oil after 3 months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Unfortunatley, you will need to replace your thermal pads, there's just no way of getting around that. 5-7 years for a 1080 is definitely right around that time.

Also, since I am going to be taking the 1080 apart, the thermal pad(s) could rip, so, to be on the safe side, I would need thermal pads on standby. I only have one GPU and I use it for work.

I found a solution, though. They sell packs of every size thickness, so I just went with that.

EDIT:

The 1080 isn't known for the memory to overheat.

Are you saying that thermal pads are unnecessary for the 1080 since the memory will not overheat?

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Thanks for the reply!

With age, thermal pads will become brittle and/or less effective. I also overclocked the memory.

It's like changing your car's oil. Replace the oil after 3 months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Unfortunatley, you will need to replace your thermal pads, there's just no way of getting around that. 5-7 years for a 1080 is definitely right around that time.

Also, since I am going to be taking the 1080 apart, the thermal pad(s) could rip, so, to be on the safe side, I would need thermal pads on standby. I only have one GPU and I use it for work.

I found a solution, though. They sell packs of every size thickness, so I just went with that.

EDIT:

Are you saying that thermal pads are unnecessary for the 1080 since the memory will not overheat?

No, I was saying the 1080 was not known for the memory to overheat thus the thermal pad position. I never had a problem with my 1080. I come from the camp of if it ain't broke don't fix it. My gpu was a 1080 until I went to a 3080. That card is a mess for thermal pad melting and thermal paste replacement. Been there done that in less than two years of light use.

 

[Jhorg4]

No, I was saying the 1080 was not known for the memory to overheat thus the thermal pad position. I never had a problem with my 1080. I come from the camp of if it ain't broke don't fix it. My gpu was a 1080 until I went to a 3080. That card is a mess for thermal pad melting and thermal paste replacement. Been there done that in less than two years of light use.

Yep, I get that. I am all about maintenance though, and my GPU is usually under stress for my daily usage.

Less than two years of light use? Wow, that's insanely inefficient but it is a beast of a card. 1080 is definitely low maintenance compared to the 3080 for sure. NVIDIA and Intel need to get on the same page as AMD regarding power efficiency.

 

[Jhorg4]

So, I purchased four different sized pads (0.5mm, 1.0mm, 1.5mm, & 2.0mm). A couple of my pads melted and another was brittle and just tore apart, but I just replaced all of the pads.

Every pad beside one was 1.0mm while the other was 1.5mm.

My card now runs 3-5 degrees cooler.