Question RTX 2060S - Repadding/Repasting, should I replace my fan as well?

Cyber_Akuma

Distinguished
Oct 5, 2002
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I just got a used HP OEM RTX 2060 Super 8GB from eBay, it's meant to go in a Dell Precision system. This is the card:

View: https://i.imgur.com/JhlofCt.jpg

View: https://i.imgur.com/10BvVMg.jpg

View: https://i.imgur.com/AXFo38v.jpg


I tested the card in a higher-end system I have at first that has a very high-airflow case, and it ran fine usually maxing out at around 70C. When I tried it in the Dell I was constantly hitting temps of 84/85C and getting random crashes.

Many things to look into from the Dell side, but that's a whole other can of worms. One of the things I am looking into is seeing if repasting and repadding the card will help. I am by no means expecting miracles here, but it can help at times and certainly can't hurt. I took it apart and saw this:

View: https://i.imgur.com/Ldp7le6.jpg


Is that paste application normal? I know that you ruin the paste once you take the heatsink off and it can be hard to tell how it was applied, but to me that looks very dry and overly thin, it was also far dustier than I expected on the inside even though I tried to clean it, going to have to clean it even further.

Another thing is that I would near noises from the card. I wasn't sure if it was just coil whine, but I heard more than one noise and one was definitely coil whine when I was running tests that were hitting 1000FPS, so I assume the other might be fan noise.

So I was wondering if it's at all feasible or normal for people to replace the fans on their cards too? Here are pictures of the fan:

View: https://i.imgur.com/f0L0cOV.jpg

View: https://i.imgur.com/svVylf5.jpg

View: https://i.imgur.com/6poDPBK.jpg


Yeah, the model number is clearly listed on the fan, but all that gives me is results of the same exact fan, or a set of fans intended for cards that had 3 fans in them. I have no idea if I need to get that exact same model, or if it's a specific type of fan and I have other options. And if I do, if there are any good ones one can recommend. Or is it pointless to try to replace the fan?

(Still need to find where my calipers are too to measure the thickness of those pads I want to replace)
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
I'd just reapply a higher quality thermal paste after an isopropyl swab on the GPU and memory chips, then go for an aftermarket thermal pad layout and see if the temps get better, usually they should as the factory applied thermal paste isn't high end, to skim as much profit as possible. As for your fan, at that point, perhaps look into aftermarket cooling for the GPU or a well ventilated case.

For pads, you could look into Fujipoly but there are other brands as well.
 

Cyber_Akuma

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Oct 5, 2002
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I finally found my calipers, and the pads are.... 2mm? Is that right? I have only ever seen pads in three sizes: 0.5mm, 1mm, and 1.5mm. Are 2mm pads a thing? I was looking into those Arctic TP-3 pads as those seem to be some of the highest quality, but they only go up to 1.5mm. Sure there are some 2mm pads on Amazon, but they are all random Chinese brands I had never heard of whose names look like someone just pressed random letters on a keyboard, for all I know those could be worse than the pads I have right now.

Any idea how those Fujipoly you recommend compared to the Arctic TP-3? I could not find EITHER in 2mm however.
 

Cyber_Akuma

Distinguished
Oct 5, 2002
451
12
18,785
I finally found my calipers, and the pads are.... 2mm? Is that right? I have only ever seen pads in three sizes: 0.5mm, 1mm, and 1.5mm. Are 2mm pads a thing? I was looking into those Arctic TP-3 pads as those seem to be some of the highest quality, but they only go up to 1.5mm. Sure there are some 2mm pads on Amazon, but they are all random Chinese brands I had never heard of whose names look like someone just pressed random letters on a keyboard, for all I know those could be worse than the pads I have right now. I also tried measuring the length and width of the pads and I got 31x16mm and 61x16mm... you would think they would use round numbers like 30x15 and 60x15... now I am wondering if my calipers are off by a millimeter or two.

Any idea how those Fujipoly you recommend compared to the Arctic TP-3? I could not find EITHER in 2mm however.