Thermal pads for Diamond 6950

[Roddfather]

Here is my setup:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
Processor: AMD FX-8350 OC @ 4.52
Ram: 12 Gigs Corsair (2 x 4GB Vengeance and 2 x 2GB XMS3) all @ 1333/9-9-9-24
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate
Boot Drive: 120 GB Intel 330 SSD
Storage: Various HDD’s
Case: Coolermaster Stormtrooper
Cooler: Corsair H100 w/ Corsair SP120 fans in a push configuration
Video: Crossfire Diamond Radeon 6950 2GB unlocked/flashed to 6970 @900/1400
Power Supply: Corsair HX 1050

So last week I changed reapplied new thermal paste to the gpu's and I noticed that the pads for my older gpu were falling apart on the card. I want to see if I can overclock more and if I can't do that at least keep the temps down while I game. I went over to FrozenCPu and saw this: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/17500/thr-182/Fujipoly_Ultra_Extreme_System_Builder_Thermal_Pad_-_60_x_50_x_10_-_Thermal_Conductivity_170_WmK.html?tl=g8c487s1797

Would that be too thick for what I need it to do? I ma having a hard time trying to find out the thickness of the pads of that came with that the card.

I saw a row of I don't know what they were (MOSFET maybe?) but they were covered by a thin strip of thermal tape that looked like this: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16940/thr-171/Fujipoly_Extreme_Thermal_Pad_-_Mosfet_Block_-_100_x_15_x_10_-_Thermal_Conductivity_110_WmK.html?tl=g8c487s1397

It was separated in half when I took apart he gpu and I'm guessing I need to replace that too. Any guidance on thickness and whether a higher conductivity rating is worth the money would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[siddharthmukul007]

first of....mod ing 6950 to 6970 does give the performance of a native 6970

you spending so much with this mod...you could have instead got a 6970 itself.

anyways since you have already done this....i would suggest you go for artic silver thermal paste rather than getting a thermal tape.pastes perform far better than tapes.

 

[Roddfather]

So I have circled the areas that I am talking about in regards to the pads. My older 6950 has some pads that look like they have melted and should probably be replaced. I just want to keep these cards until the next generation. If anyone knows where I can the information concerning the pad thickness or what level of thermal conductivity should be used I would really appreciate the help.

 

[siddharthmukul007]

the thickness you require will depend on the clearance you have between the mosfets, vrm s and your heat sink.

just ensure the thickness is only just about right to touch the heat sink, neither too big nor too small.
more the thermal conductivity the better

 

[coozie7]

Unless you're short on space your best bet would be to replace the cooler.
Even on a stock 6950 that cooler struggles to keep the card cool in warm weather, and it's noisy as well, which is why I replaced mine with a Zalman VF3000A (you have to cut a little corner out of the VRM heatsink to clear a capacitor-5mins with a junior hacksaw).
Arctic make some excellent coolers as well, but be aware they use thermal glue to hold the smaller heatsinks in place.

 

[siddharthmukul007]

Unless you're short on space your best bet would be to replace the cooler.
Even on a stock 6950 that cooler struggles to keep the card cool in warm weather, and it's noisy as well, which is why I replaced mine with a Zalman VF3000A (you have to cut a little corner out of the VRM heatsink to clear a capacitor-5mins with a junior hacksaw).
Arctic make some excellent coolers as well, but be aware they use thermal glue to hold the smaller heatsinks in place.

for the amount he would be spending to get the aftermarket cooler and the labor involved...he could have got a 6970 instead.

also i believe he has voided the warranty. don't you think?

 

[coozie7]

There was a large difference in price between the 6950 and 6970, far to large for the fairly small performance increase, which is why I went for the 6950 myself and, I suspect why roddfather did so.
Removing the cooler has, almost certainly, voided the warranty.

 

[Roddfather]

Coozie7, yes I did the same as you. Once I heard about the chance to unlock/mod to 6970, I said why not. And I have pretty happy with the performance overall, I just don't want as much noise. If my temps drop 3-5 degrees Celcius more that would be great. My temps have dropped some just by reapplying TIM. I think I am going to pass on installing a new cooler as I would rather spend that money on a future graphics card or a better resolution monitor. I emailed FrozenCPU and I'll post their reply about the thickness needed. That way if anyone else has the same questions hopefully it will help them out!

 

[coozie7]

^ Good to see posters being so thoughtful-I'll keep an eye out for this thread and pop it into my Favourites when you reply again, mate.
Just trying to be as helpful but I have this on a stock HD6950:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B003JVBR2C/ref=sr_1_20_olp?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1357471615&sr=1-20&condition=new

Fits like a glove, apart from the VRM heatsink which needs a small piece to be cut away to clear a capacitor (it's the silver component, close to the power sockets in your photo).
It's quieter than a mouse in soft shoes and under normal loads it keeps mine down below 60c-at the lowest speed settngs.
Oh, and its BIG, 3 slots big.

 

[Roddfather]

Here is what I got from customer service at FrozenCPU: "You can use 1.0 or 0.5 for VRAM and MOSFETS. Some people use regular epoxy or thermal paste as well."

I haven't come across many people on the boards who have had good luck with the epoxy/paste on VRAM's and MOSFETS. Gonna order the highest thermal conductivity @ 1 and see how that turns out.

 

[siddharthmukul007]

good luck

 

[Roddfather]

Thanks. If the thread is still around I'll let people know how it goes.