Question Changing thermal pads and repasting GPU | Gigabyte RTX 2080 TI Gaming OC

[pklempe]

Hey everyone!

I'm trying to improve my GPU temps (RTX 2080 TI Gaming OC) because after two years of using the card they pretty much suck (see one of my older post). After some testing and reading about it online it seems that the thermal paste and pads used by Gigabyte aren't that great and that's why I want to replace them.

The repasting (I'm gonna use NT-H2 for that) and changing of the thermal pads doesn't sound that difficult but I'm worried about choosing the right thickness for the pads. I've found these pictures of the cards backplate, PCB and heatsink but I can't find an exact measurement of how thick they are. I believe they should be 0.5mm around the GPU and the rest on the PCB uses 1.0mm. The backplate should be 3.0mm but I probably won't change them because I can't find such thermal pads online.

Because this is my first time opening a graphics cards I wanted to ask if anyone has any tips or additional information for me. Maybe I even overlooked something or someone knows the actual thickness of the thermal pads used in this card.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lutfij]

You will need a pair of sliding calipers, then tear down your existing GPU to take measurements. Armed with said measurements, you can then start shopping for thermal pads. BTW, if you have the funds, look for Fujipoly thermal pads, they are priced higher than any brand out there but they tend to transfer a lot of heat, compared to the competition.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Just a question:
What's your backup plan if you brick your RTX 2080Ti?

-Wolf sends

 

[hang-the-9]

Before you start messing with the card, is it in warranty? Is the card going to be in warranty after you do the work you want to do? Are you OK with losing the warranty or tossing out the card if you damage it while doing this?

 

[pklempe]

Before you start messing with the card, is it in warranty? Is the card going to be in warranty after you do the work you want to do? Are you OK with losing the warranty or tossing out the card if you damage it while doing this?

Yes, the card sadly is still in warranty. I have around 2 years of my 4 in total left. If opening the card is going to void it, idk to be completely honest but I think so, yes.

I tried nearly anything to fix the temp problems with my GPU so right now I'm at the point where I have to say that I don't care anymore. I even tried to RMA it but after 3 weeks of waiting DPD told me that they've lost my card during transport. A few days after that the online shop suddenly told me that they've found it and that my card works as expected and that my airflow is the problem. So after waiting for over a month, I got my card back. I installed it in my PC and pointed a fan directly at the open case and turned it on the highest setting. I then started a game which made the GPU overheat pretty quickly before (A Plague Tale: Innocence) and after around 1-2 minutes the card was at 84C° and emergency cooling kicked in.

Normally I would fight their decision that my airflow is the problem but I really need a working card right now for university. If there were any cards available I would probably immediately buy a new one and get rid of Gigabyte's.

 

[pklempe]

Just a question:
What's your backup plan if you brick your RTX 2080Ti?

-Wolf sends

Idk. Waiting till the 3000 series gets restocked and in the meantime rent a server for the deep learning stuff I have to do for university.
But because you mentioned it: How likely is it that I brick my card by repasting it and replacing the thermal pads? I'm not a complete noob so I think I should be fine if I'm careful and try not to touch anything on the PCB. Maybe I'm overlooking somehting so I'm grateful for any additional information you have.

 

[Wolfshadw]

...so I'm grateful for any additional information you have.

Unfortunately, I do not have additional insight. I just find that having spent hundreds of dollars/euros on the component, one might not be so eager to dive headfirst without a backup plan. Far too often I see on these forums, "So I repasted my graphics card and now I get no signal. Please help!"

-Wolf sends