GPU thermal paste and pads replacement

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caveman178355

caveman178355

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I recently bought a used HD 7970 and was wondering what i can use to replace the thermal paste and the thermal pads (they were not in the greatest shape).

Would the thermal paste from a cpu cooler work? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-Seidon-RL-S12V-24PK-R2-Performance/dp/B00N93KIES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428937065&sr=8-1&keywords=coolermaster+seidon+120v

And also would this work for thermal pads? http://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-Heatsink-Thermal-Pads-Pack/dp/B0009B0K2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428936104&sr=8-1&keywords=thermal+pads

Also I live in the UK so websites like amazon/ebay if you link stuff please.
 
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jafrankl

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You can make any cooler work on it, the mounting will just be a DIY project. You will need to figure out how to get the cooler to mount on the gpu board so that it covers the processor and does not move. Thermal paste is typically applied, I would recommend Arctic Silver's compound. Thermal pad's thickness and material can make a big difference; you should probably check for another solution on what is best for them as I don't know.
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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If you are going to do that, might as well get a kit if you want to replace most of the cooling.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arctic-Hybrid-120-Cooling-Fan/dp/B00I3ETT84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428937648&sr=8-1&keywords=arctic+accelero+hybrid

You can achieve nearly the same effect with a NZKT G10 Bracket and some VRM and memory heatsinks, plus thermal adhesive rather then thermal pads.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NZXT-G10-GPU-Adapter-Kraken/dp/B00ITTFO8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428937736&sr=8-1&keywords=nzxt+g10

Plus

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Series-All-In-One-Liquid-Cooler/dp/B009VV56TY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1428937736&sr=8-4&keywords=nzxt+g10

Plus

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aluminium-Heatsink-11mm-Memory-Chipset/dp/B00NQB8AHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428937781&sr=8-1&keywords=memory+heatsinks

Plus

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermal-Conductive-Heatsink-Adhesive-Compound/dp/B00KBNWKSQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428937856&sr=8-1&keywords=thermal+adhesive

(This is why I like Arctic's kit)
 
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Eggz

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I don't think fro his original post that he's planning on putting an all-in-one cooler on the GPU. He seemed to be just asking if the thermal paste that came for free with his cooler will work on the GPU. If that's what he's asking, then YES, he can do that without buying any new paste.
 
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Eximo

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Oh I misread that, just wanted to use the paste from it, I see.

Yeah, pretty much any thermal compound is fine to use on GPUs.

I'm not sure I would trust Startech for thermal pads though. Those look like the very thin ones used on chipsets, rather then the squishy kind used to make up the gaps between various component heights as on VRMs.
 
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caveman178355

caveman178355

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What thickness of thermal pads do you recommend for VRMs?
 
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Eximo

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Depends on the components, Usually the thickness you pull off is what I would replace it with. I tend to keep this laying around though:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10223/thr-75/3M_8815_Thermally_Conductive_Adhesive_Transfer_Tape_-_2_x_2.html?tl=g8c487

3M product, you can get it at any electronics re-seller (not familiar with the mail order electronics companies in the UK)

But more for general electronics work then GPU mods. Until recently I just stuck with stock cards. Running a reference GTX980 right now, prepping for water cooling.
 
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caveman178355

caveman178355

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Would this be comparable? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100mm-x-20mm-3mm-THICK-THERMAL-HEATSINK-TRANSFER-PAD-DOUBLE-SIDED-SELF-ADHESIVE-/200759964013?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ebe39f16d
 
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OddyTrapKing

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i recently replaced my stock gpu thermal paste witch was weird and bad with a thermal pad and guess what?the temp increased from 40-42 to 56° and thats like i didnt even put thermal cooling in...so use paste all the ways.(arctics or diamond are the best)
 
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Eximo

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You are responding to a very old post. Thermal pads are not intended for use between the GPU and the heatsink. They are used between the VRM, chokes, and memory typically.

Less is more when it comes to thermal compound. A thick thermal pad is insulating the GPU.
 
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RobCrezz

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Thermal pads are for things that generate a lot less heat than CPUS and GPUs, they dont work well enough for them.

Pads are fine for memory chips, chipset chips and vrms.
 
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S

sotiriosksanthopoulidis

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Question....
Is there any way to know the optimal width for your pads? I own a gigabyte gtx 970 windforce edition and I tried the 1mm ones but they don't seem to work.......

Is there any online webiste that helps you find this kind of info?
It's pads for the voltage regulators (I think)
 
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Eximo

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Just can't keep this thread down.

VRM pads are usually pretty thick since they sometimes put different packages in the same area, and often covers several chip types. As for thicknesses, no one keeps a listing of the pad thickness used on every card. Typically try to measure the uncompressed sections of the pads you removed. Or get a pad that is thicker than the thickest compressed pad, that way it will be sure to be thick enough.
 
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