Calling All 8800Ultra Owners!!! Need some help.

[scurvy]

Hey guys,
my issue is that my card is heating up and i have traced the problem to the lack of exhaust coming out the back grill, even though the fan's working perfectly.
I live in the tropics where its bloody hot and dusty all the time, so I figure the air passage is clogged up with dust.
I was wondering exactly how to remove the top cover to expose the interior of the heatsink fan. On careful inspection I think by removing 4 screws at the top of the card and two at the bottom right edge I might be able to remove the cover and expose the heatsink and fan. Was wondering if this evaluation is correct. And if I remove it will i have to apply any kinda solvent or paste to stick the cover back in.

Also them top screws on my Asus card are bloody hard to get to and extremely tight.
Also are there any online guides on how to remove this kinda HSF step by step?

Any kinda help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
M

 

[coozie7]

I would n`t suggest you try to strip the card down like that if the screws are tight, there`s a good chance of the screwdriver slipping and
damaging the card and on some cards there are screws hidden under the sticker.
Some electronics/computer stores sell cans of `compressed air` which can be used to blow dust/catfur/gunge out of heatsinks, it`ll be safer that dismantling the cooler. Just remember to blow against the normal airflow direction and do n`t do it indoors or you`ll end up with a roomful of dust.

PS and do n`t use a real high pressure airline, it could damage to quite thin plastic shroud of the card and even cause injury if pieces get blown off.

Hope this helps.

 

[dokk2]

coozie7, notwithstanding,,,,,if you are mechanically inclined and, have a steady hand there should be no problem in disassembling the heat shroud,,
if it can be done safely,i have disassembled my Iceberq Pro 6,and many other items including the psu's of several systems over the years,
blowing air through is a good suggestion but,,sometimes you simply cannot get enough pressure for whatever reason or do not have access to air,
then a nice clean brush of some kind or other is much more effective,
please note: when applying your heat transfer grease that you need only the thinnest possible layer,it's purpose is only to make certain that there are no air gaps between the two surfaces,
after all it is a metal to metal contact,which is the best way to transfer heat,it just needs not to have any air therein,which would act as an insulator..

 

[jitpublisher]

People remove and clean their video cards all the time. As long as you are careful, don't force anything, and put it back together correctly, you can do this. A lot of dust can build on the fan blades greatly reducing the airflow through the card. A good cleaning can do wonders.

 

[scurvy]

coozie7, notwithstanding,,,,,if you are mechanically inclined and, have a steady hand there should be no problem in disassembling the heat shroud,,
if it can be done safely,i have disassembled my Iceberq Pro 6,and many other items including the psu's of several systems over the years,
blowing air through is a good suggestion but,,sometimes you simply cannot get enough pressure for whatever reason or do not have access to air,
then a nice clean brush of some kind or other is much more effective,
please note: when applying your heat transfer grease that you need only the thinnest possible layer,it's purpose is only to make certain that there are no air gaps between the two surfaces,
after all it is a metal to metal contact,which is the best way to transfer heat,it just needs not to have any air therein,which would act as an insulator..

Whats 'heat transfer grease'?

 

[coozie7]

It is made up of a fine, heat conducting powder bound together by an viscious liquid, usually an oil of some sort.

 

[scurvy]

It is made up of a fine, heat conducting powder bound together by an viscious liquid, usually an oil of some sort.

Do I have to reapply the stuff if I remove the HSF??
And is it compulsory?