[SOLVED] Would it be beneficial to use thermal paste in conjunction with thermal pads on VRMs?

[TwitchyTanner]

I recently purchased a used 1080ti for a pretty good deal but the guy said the card was "dirty" when I got it it reeked of smoke and was much worse than I had thought. I figured, "oh well" I've always wanted to disassemble a card anyway so this would be a good place to start. I had to toss out the thermal pads as they had absorbed a considerable amount of the cigarette smell. I read a bit online and it looks like the card uses 1.5mm on the backplate and 1mm everywhere else. I have heard there can be slight variations of thickness specifications online and that they can sometimes run small. I also have a lot of thermal paste laying around not getting used. Would it help the thermal pads make better contact with all the components if I used paste as well?

I am also thinking about getting new fans that only cost about 25 bucks for all three on Ebay. I honestly don't even know if the card works yet but just by spinning the fans they don't feel particularly smooth. It was so gross I didn't want to put this thing anywhere near the inside of my PC.

 

[4745454b]

I would have sent it back. Way easier.

If it calls for 1.5mm pads, then you need to use 1.5mm pads. Don't use 1.5mm of TIM, don't use TIM and pads. TIM and pads are used to fill in the air gaps between the metal surfaces. It conducts hat better than air, but not as well as real metal.