Best application technique for Noctua NT-H1 thermal compound?
- Thread starter kol12
- Start date
- Jan 26, 2015
- 2,109
- 0
- 11,810
1LiquidPC :
This argument goes on forever 
I always spread it out evenly on both my CPU and GPU when I apply. Doesn't matter which paste, including NT-H1. On a side note, what's the issue with your GPU? A bad mounting to begin with?
I always spread it out evenly on both my CPU and GPU when I apply. Doesn't matter which paste, including NT-H1. On a side note, what's the issue with your GPU? A bad mounting to begin with?
Yeah a bit more googling and I see what you mean. The X method seems to be a good one.
The issue is the high pitched humming noise the FTW3 fans make at certain rpm's, I brought it up again recently in this thread: https://forums.evga.com/Solution-to-1080-Ti-FTW3-high-pitch-fan-noise-m2719604.aspx
A few people I've spoken to also affected are not happy and some believe it is a design flaw on EVGA's part. The hums are very loud, almost ear piercing, really not acceptable for a $1000+ premium graphics card...
The latest comments in that thread suggest looking for loose heatsink fins as the member believed the air pressure blowing over the loose fin was causing a similar noise. He applied thermal tape to stop the resonance? of the fins. That will be the reason I take mine apart to have a look. Even if I'm not as successful with the troubleshooting method above maybe I can drop a few degrees off my GPU temps with some new TIM
1LiquidPC
Splendid
- Oct 11, 2014
- 5,314
- 83
- 31,590
OK, I understand. Are you certain it's not coil whine though? I hope it's an easy fix though. I've always been happy with EVGA. They're what I always use for my main system. Very happy with my EVGA 1080 Ti SC Black, though I never used the cooler, lol. That said, when I removed the cooler, it is built like a tank and felt very solid. Went straight to a waterblock myself.
- Jan 26, 2015
- 2,109
- 0
- 11,810
I don't think it's coil whine, the card has to be under load to be able to cause coil whine doesn't it? I can just manually turn the fan up to the point where it makes the noise even when the card isn't under any load...
I'm not really sure what I will find, I can't see any particularly loose heat sink fans on general inspection but maybe I will find something underneath. I'm planning on doing it this weekend. Do you know if the thermal pads can be reused or is advisable to replace them? I am wondering if I might find something like this guy did also, plastic not removed from the thermal pad in the factory! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD3DF5cFAJc Starts at 8:28
Noctua NT-H1 instructions say to place a small ball on the CPU, the ball in the middle doesn't appear to be one of the greatest methods though. I think I may try the X method, I am just afraid of putting too much TIM down...
I'm not really sure what I will find, I can't see any particularly loose heat sink fans on general inspection but maybe I will find something underneath. I'm planning on doing it this weekend. Do you know if the thermal pads can be reused or is advisable to replace them? I am wondering if I might find something like this guy did also, plastic not removed from the thermal pad in the factory! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD3DF5cFAJc Starts at 8:28
Noctua NT-H1 instructions say to place a small ball on the CPU, the ball in the middle doesn't appear to be one of the greatest methods though. I think I may try the X method, I am just afraid of putting too much TIM down...
1LiquidPC
Splendid
- Oct 11, 2014
- 5,314
- 83
- 31,590
Generally, you would only hear the coil whine under load, and usually at very high FPS such as loading screens, ect. It was just a thought, and the fan speed you mention makes it sound like its not the coils. I wonder if it's a defective fan/bearing.
You should be able to leave the pads on, they mostly stayed on the HSF assembly when I removed mine. If you replace, you would need to know the thickness of each pad area, as they come in different sizes, such as .5, 1.0, and 1.5 mm. You should be fine whichever way you place the compound, unless you put a ton on or a tiny amount, you'll be fine. If you have enough compound, you could always place some down, install heatsink, and remove to see how it spread out. Then clean and apply again.
You should be able to leave the pads on, they mostly stayed on the HSF assembly when I removed mine. If you replace, you would need to know the thickness of each pad area, as they come in different sizes, such as .5, 1.0, and 1.5 mm. You should be fine whichever way you place the compound, unless you put a ton on or a tiny amount, you'll be fine. If you have enough compound, you could always place some down, install heatsink, and remove to see how it spread out. Then clean and apply again.
- Jan 26, 2015
- 2,109
- 0
- 11,810
I have wondered whether it is the fans themselves also. One guy who has this same issue with the loud humming noise is only affected by the GPU fan, whereas it is the MEM PWR fans for me and not the GPU fan. What does that tell you? Probably not much but goes to show that different fans are affected over different graphics cards. I have thought of ordering some replacement fans of ebay, they are Power Logic and very common. BTW I did RMA the card and received another card with the exact same issue :/
Do you mean the card might be using various thickness thermal pads? The piece of Thermal pad I brought is about 100x100 mm and 1-1.5 mm thick. If it looks like some of thermal pad might be better replaced I probably can. Won't have enough to redo the entire card though and will have to check the various thicknesses.
I have thought about waterblocking my 1080 Ti FTW3 but I've heard that pump noise can be pretty problematic on the AIO solutions. Do you have an AIO GPU solution or are you using a custom loop? I want to see how temps are over summer, that might contribute to a decision. I've been pretty happy with the air cooling temps over winter/spring considering I'm pushing 3440x1440 at 90hz, usually max at 60-62C and average 50-55C.
I have a whole tube of NT-H1 so could do a spread test but wouldn't heat once applied spread it further? I suppose this could still give some sort of idea...
Do you mean the card might be using various thickness thermal pads? The piece of Thermal pad I brought is about 100x100 mm and 1-1.5 mm thick. If it looks like some of thermal pad might be better replaced I probably can. Won't have enough to redo the entire card though and will have to check the various thicknesses.
I have thought about waterblocking my 1080 Ti FTW3 but I've heard that pump noise can be pretty problematic on the AIO solutions. Do you have an AIO GPU solution or are you using a custom loop? I want to see how temps are over summer, that might contribute to a decision. I've been pretty happy with the air cooling temps over winter/spring considering I'm pushing 3440x1440 at 90hz, usually max at 60-62C and average 50-55C.
I have a whole tube of NT-H1 so could do a spread test but wouldn't heat once applied spread it further? I suppose this could still give some sort of idea...
1LiquidPC
Splendid
- Oct 11, 2014
- 5,314
- 83
- 31,590
That's odd to have another card with the same issue. Could be a bad batch of fans on EVGA's part. Not sure what it sounds like myself though. When you mention GPU, MEM, and PWR fans, are those the fans on the card themselves or other case fans. Bit confused by the wording.
There are different thickness in pads used on different cards. It varies on the card and cooler type though. It's best to have varying sizes to compare them too if you wanted to replace. A little to thick may not be that bad, but a bit to thin may not make contact and cause thermal issues.
I don't use an AIO solution, mine is full custom loop. AIOs can be noisy though,depending on the ambient room noise or other fans. I have my pumps turned down to lower RPM to minimize noise and still have good flow. Your temps look good from what I see. I know on my previous 1080, the boost clocks would start to drop a bit after reaching 50C. With my new 1080Ti, idle temps are about 27-30C and full load during summer is about 40C, usually float around mid 30C range though gaming in other seasons.
It really shouldn't spread much if at all during heating. Never had a problem with that over the years. It should be just about the same. Some compounds do "cure" a bit over time, but I think you may be overcomplicating it a bit.
There are different thickness in pads used on different cards. It varies on the card and cooler type though. It's best to have varying sizes to compare them too if you wanted to replace. A little to thick may not be that bad, but a bit to thin may not make contact and cause thermal issues.
I don't use an AIO solution, mine is full custom loop. AIOs can be noisy though,depending on the ambient room noise or other fans. I have my pumps turned down to lower RPM to minimize noise and still have good flow. Your temps look good from what I see. I know on my previous 1080, the boost clocks would start to drop a bit after reaching 50C. With my new 1080Ti, idle temps are about 27-30C and full load during summer is about 40C, usually float around mid 30C range though gaming in other seasons.
It really shouldn't spread much if at all during heating. Never had a problem with that over the years. It should be just about the same. Some compounds do "cure" a bit over time, but I think you may be overcomplicating it a bit.
- Jan 26, 2015
- 2,109
- 0
- 11,810
There a couple of sound files in the EVGA link I posted, one is my video and the other is an audio capture from another member...
So I disassembled the card yesterday and learnt that you can't rely on teardown videos on youtube! Four difficult to access screws that essentially hold the heatsink to the baseplate/PCB and no mention of them in any of the youtube videos!
When I finally got the heatsink separated from the PCB I could not find find any loose heatsink fins as suggested in the EVGA forum, oh well. So I applied NT-H1 and got to putting it back together, I didn't do a spread test as I was running out of time due to all the fiddling getting the damn card apart but made an X with another t through that. Temps don't look really any different to the stock thermal paste so was a little bummed about that, maybe I used too much. I think I am going to try this again but with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. One guy measured a 7C drop with it on a 1080 Ti FTW3...
The fans of course are no different still making the noise and I am really beginning to wonder if the noise is in the fans themselves. I'm also thinking that the noise must be of some electrical origin. I blew the high pressure datavac over the heatsink to simulate fan pressure and there was no such noise so it can't be a resonance throughout the heatsink... I may look at getting replacement fans but that could be a gamble...
Those sure are some very low temps with the custom loop, the benefits being lower case temps and easier to sustain boost clocks, it is something I will think more about.
So I disassembled the card yesterday and learnt that you can't rely on teardown videos on youtube! Four difficult to access screws that essentially hold the heatsink to the baseplate/PCB and no mention of them in any of the youtube videos!
When I finally got the heatsink separated from the PCB I could not find find any loose heatsink fins as suggested in the EVGA forum, oh well. So I applied NT-H1 and got to putting it back together, I didn't do a spread test as I was running out of time due to all the fiddling getting the damn card apart but made an X with another t through that. Temps don't look really any different to the stock thermal paste so was a little bummed about that, maybe I used too much. I think I am going to try this again but with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. One guy measured a 7C drop with it on a 1080 Ti FTW3...
The fans of course are no different still making the noise and I am really beginning to wonder if the noise is in the fans themselves. I'm also thinking that the noise must be of some electrical origin. I blew the high pressure datavac over the heatsink to simulate fan pressure and there was no such noise so it can't be a resonance throughout the heatsink... I may look at getting replacement fans but that could be a gamble...
Those sure are some very low temps with the custom loop, the benefits being lower case temps and easier to sustain boost clocks, it is something I will think more about.
BFG-9000
Splendid
- Sep 17, 2016
- 3,418
- 438
- 27,090
A little excess paste is much less of a problem on bare dies, because it easily squishes out. It can end up being too thick and "float" a large heatspreader so extreme pressure would be needed to do the same, and for the same reason you can get away with much thicker pastes on a bare die than a heatspreader. That said, 21x21mm isn't exactly small...
There are a number of complaints about coil whine on the 1080Tis, not surprising for a 250w card. If it's that then it will still be there even with a AIO.
There are a number of complaints about coil whine on the 1080Tis, not surprising for a 250w card. If it's that then it will still be there even with a AIO.
- Jan 26, 2015
- 2,109
- 0
- 11,810
Hi BFG-9000,
Are you referring to applying thermal compound to the CPU die after delidding? A thinker layer is less of a an issue between the die and the heatspreader vs heatspreader and heatsink?
I think I may have applied too much NT-H1 to the GPU and have ended up with quite a think layer, temps are possibly 1-2C more than stock paste. One 1080 Ti waterblock installation video I watched mentioned that GPU's require more TIM than CPU's but didn't give any explanation to back it up.
The more I read about Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut and other liquid metals I have become more aware of the risks, most people actually tend not to recommend liquid metal pastes. Hmm a 7C drop did sound exciting though... Gelid GC Extreme looks quite a popular performer so I might pick some of this up and re-paste the GPU again, this time maybe with a thin spread method with supplied Gelid applicator...
I do get low level buzzing and interference noise in my headphones that I associate with the 1080 Ti going in and I think that is probably some form of coil whine. I want to get a Soundblaster AE-5 and I hope that the 1080 Ti coilwhine doesn't affect that.
The fan noise I don't think is associated with coilwhine and seems more directly related to the fans themselves. I can manually turn the fan speed up on the MEM fan to 65% where the noise is the worst on the desktop when the card is under no load. I still think the fan noise is somehow electrical related though or could be bad fan bearings.
Are you referring to applying thermal compound to the CPU die after delidding? A thinker layer is less of a an issue between the die and the heatspreader vs heatspreader and heatsink?
I think I may have applied too much NT-H1 to the GPU and have ended up with quite a think layer, temps are possibly 1-2C more than stock paste. One 1080 Ti waterblock installation video I watched mentioned that GPU's require more TIM than CPU's but didn't give any explanation to back it up.
The more I read about Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut and other liquid metals I have become more aware of the risks, most people actually tend not to recommend liquid metal pastes. Hmm a 7C drop did sound exciting though... Gelid GC Extreme looks quite a popular performer so I might pick some of this up and re-paste the GPU again, this time maybe with a thin spread method with supplied Gelid applicator...
I do get low level buzzing and interference noise in my headphones that I associate with the 1080 Ti going in and I think that is probably some form of coil whine. I want to get a Soundblaster AE-5 and I hope that the 1080 Ti coilwhine doesn't affect that.
The fan noise I don't think is associated with coilwhine and seems more directly related to the fans themselves. I can manually turn the fan speed up on the MEM fan to 65% where the noise is the worst on the desktop when the card is under no load. I still think the fan noise is somehow electrical related though or could be bad fan bearings.
TRENDING THREADS
-
-
News Microsoft updates Windows 11 24H2 requirements, CPU must support SSE4.2 or the OS will not boot- Started by Admin
- Replies: 14
-
-
-
Question New Build GPU help- ASRock Steel Legend OC Radeon RX 7900 GRE - Keeps turning off
- Started by bp240
- Replies: 6
-
Question How can I make my AMD GPU scale *all* resolutions to 1080p, even resolutions that are "supported" by my TV?
- Started by Sol33t303
- Replies: 7
Latest posts
-
-
Question User RX 580 8gb red devil powercolor, asking original BIOS- Latest: PizzaInGame
-
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram