[SOLVED] Should I replace the thermal paste on my GPU?

[mrakiraishimaru]

Hi there,

I have a ZOTAC 2060 Super Mini which I bought with my PC around 2 years ago. I was wondering if I should replace the thermal paste on it? The temperatures used to hover around 81C - 83C when playing games, but now they're around 85C - 88C which I'm quite worried about.

I read on Reddit that the warranty is voided if I do so, so I'm unsure if it's worth doing or not - will, it help with temperatures?

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Points to consider:

a.) Thermal paste does go bad (ie. dry out). So, you could prevent that by replacing it every so often. How long until it dries out? Depends on usage and thermal paste used. Who knows if yours has dried out until you remove the cooler and see for yourself.

b.) Thermal paste results can vary depending on method used to apply. (ie. using a small dot and letting it spread itself versus spreading it out yourself. I like letting it spread itself after having bad results spreading it myself.)

c.) Different manufacturers will void the warranty like you said. I would at least wait until after the warranty has expired. I believe Zotac has a 2 year standard warranty on GPUs and a 3 year warranty if you registered your GPU with Zotac within 30 days of buying it.

d.) You could possible break a component on the GPU board while removing/install the cooler. Be careful and consider this.

 

[mrakiraishimaru]

c.) Different manufacturers will void the warranty like you said. I would at least wait until after the warranty has expired. I believe Zotac has a 2 year standard warranty on GPUs and a 3 year warranty if you registered your GPU with Zotac within 30 days of buying it.

Thanks for the reply, I just did a quick check on their website, looks like I have 3 years of warranty coverage (~1 year before the warranty expires). Are the current temperatures something I should be worried about or are they 'normal'.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Thanks for the reply, I just did a quick check on their website, looks like I have 3 years of warranty coverage (~1 year before the warranty expires). Are the current temperatures something I should be worried about or are they 'normal'.

Your temps are relatively high, but that is to be somewhat expected with a lower-tier model like the Zotac Mini. Those temps are not dangerously high, but they are uncomfortable. You should be able to expect high 70s.

What kind of case and fan setup do you have? What is your ambient temp?

 

[Phaaze88]

https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/212428/zotac-rtx2060super-8192-190618
Thermal Limits
Rated: 83.0C(drops clocks)
Max: 88.0C(shuts off if it sits there long enough)
I'd say it was too high once it crossed the 83C barrier, but maybe that's just me.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/212428/zotac-rtx2060super-8192-190618
Thermal Limits
Rated: 83.0C(drops clocks)
Max: 88.0C(shuts off if it sits there long enough)
I'd say it was too high once it crossed the 83C barrier, but maybe that's just me.

I'd say so too. I see they've lowered the max temps on the newer Nvidia GPUs.

 

[mrakiraishimaru]

Your temps are relatively high, but that is to be somewhat expected with a lower-tier model like the Zotac Mini. Those temps are not dangerously high, but they are uncomfortable. You should be able to expect high 70s.

What kind of case and fan setup do you have? What is your ambient temp?

Ambient temps would be around 33C - 37C (don't have AC and just a ceiling fan). My PC has 5 fans (2x 140mm on the front as intake, 2x 120mm on the top as exhaust, and 1x 120mm in the rear as exhaust). 1 of the top exhaust fans (closer to the front of the case is mounted with the H60 AIO.