System Light Dark

xentr_theme_editor

xentr_page_setup xentr_appearance xentr_sidebar

  • xentr_page_width

    xentr_toggle_page_width

    xentr_page_width_description

    xentr_color_pickers

    xentr_toggle_color_picker

    xentr_toggle_color_picker_description

    xentr_typography

    xentr_select_the_font_you_want_to_use

    xentr_node_layout

    xentr_grid_layout

    xentr_grid_layout_description

  • Style variation

    xentr_select_the_style_variation_you_want_to_use
    System Light Dark

  • xentr_sidebar

    xentr_toggles_sidebar

    xentr_sidebar_description

    xentr_sticky_sidebar

    xentr_sticky_sidebar_description
    xentr_sidebar_position
    Left
    Right
  • Please do not post any links until you have 3 posts as they will automatically be rejected to prevent SPAM. Many words are also blocked due to being used in SPAM Messages. Thanks!

VGA thermal compound

B

bassplayerdave

Active member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
43
Reaction score
0
Location
Canada
xentr_thread_starter
Hi all, what sort of quality is the compound that comes with video cards these days? I recently got a EVGA gtx 470, is it difficult/worth it to replace the stock paste?

I'm also thinking of replacing the stock compound that came with my hyper 212. Can I kill two birds with one thermal compound stone?
 
Yes you can replace it. You don't have any separate ramsinks and everything is screwed on.
It's not too difficult to change the paste, just make sure you remember where the screws go. I replaced the stock compound on my radeon 3870 and 4850. Unfortunately, I can't speak as to the effectiveness of the stock compound since I did my 4850 before I even used it and I haven't used my 3870 since I replaced the compound.

Just one more note, the ram will likely have thermal pads as opposed to thermal paste. Due to the spacing, you won't be able to replace them unless you buy new thermal pads. But that's fine since the ram will certainly not get as hot as the GPU. Just make sure the pads stay aligned when you put the heatsink back on.

I used AC MX-2 for both my CPU and GPU. Pretty good stuff, plus it's not electrically conductive so no worries with shorts. Better than AS5 from what I have read, but I haven't tested them myself.

As for if it is worth it?
Maybe 1-3*C difference, depending on the effectiveness of what you have now. I thought the hyper 212 came with good stock stuff though.
For me, it's always worth it, even if just to see if there is a difference. But I think on average the gains will be minor. And if you are overheating severely, you might consider an aftermarket cooler for the 470 or better case ventilation.
 
The issue is really the quality of the application, not the paste itself. With most GPUs it's hit or miss; some might come from the factory with a pretty good application and some might have too much or too little paste. If your temps are fine as it is then there's not really any point, but if you want to improve them a bit then pop off the cooler and put on some new paste.
 
my 460 hawk came with what looked like just the right amount of past, a tiny bit leaked over the sites but perfectly reaching the corners. I replaced it with mx-2, I did it twice. It most definitely didn't reach the corners, it only overflowed a bit on one side (I don't think it really matters anyways since the core is in the middle). It improved my temperatures 4*C anyways. Usually the biggest issue with cards today is cooling the vrm/memory on cards such as the 460 that don't have heatsinks there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

xentr_legal_notice_title

xentr_legal_notice_description

Back
Top