Graphics Card Back plates?

cactusweasel · 16 Apr 2011 at 10:12

GPU backplates? What is the point in them? is it just for looks or does the water feed thru it also?

Surveyor · 16 Apr 2011 at 11:21

Just for looks.

seekdestroy · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:08

Doesn't it also transfer heat away from the memory chips on the back of the cards?

My brother has 1 and his gets quite warm, so it does transfer quite abit of heat. Would probably need some air flowing over it to help it cool better.

SeraphX · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:10

if the graphics card in question has memory chips on the back then yes they would help clear some of the heat but in most cases backplates are purely cosmetic

cjgardens · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:30

it would only block the heat. if you put clothes on a radiator to dry they get warm but your room does not (well not as much) there just for the look as said.

JeffyB · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:32

Some backplates do help transfer heat from cards with ram mounted on the back (ek call these ram backplates). a lot of the time it's for aesthetics as ATX cases have the gpu heatsink on the bottom and you cannot see the waterblock. One of the reasons i went with a IATX case

cjgardens · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:35

JeffyB said:
Some backplates do help transfer heat from cards with ram mounted on the back (ek call these ram backplates). a lot of the time it's for aesthetics as ATX cases have the gpu heatsink on the bottom and you cannot see the waterblock. One of the reasons i went with a IATX case

rubbish. if there is no fan on it how can it help. your trapping it in. if they were ram sinks then yes but its not its a cover

JeffyB · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:36

You are creating a larger surface area with which to dissipate the heat, i'm not saying it's a huge amount but it will occur.

seekdestroy · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:51

Most backplates do contact the GPU and the memory chips. Ofcourse this will help. Maybe less than 1C, but I've seen people say it drops 5C off it when full load.

As JeffyB said, it gives a large surface area in order to dissipate the heat and transfer it away from the chips etc.

cjgardens · 16 Apr 2011 at 12:57

JeffyB · 16 Apr 2011 at 13:11

cjgardens said:
rubbish. if there is no fan on it how can it help. your trapping it in. if they were ram sinks then yes but its not its a cover

So according to you if there is no fan how can it help? How do gpu's and some water loops run completely passively?

Surveyor · 16 Apr 2011 at 13:19

JeffyB said:
So according to you if there is no fan how can it help? How do gpu's and some water loops run completely passively?

There has to be air movement otherwise the heat wouldn't be transferred efficiently.

Put a passive graphics card in a case with no air flow and it will fry.

cjgardens · 16 Apr 2011 at 13:20

JeffyB said:
So according to you if there is no fan how can it help? How do gpu's and some water loops run completely passively?

your going a bit extreme. its a back plate. have you got one or ever owned one?

if its was water the heat will be displaced around the loop and cooling will be poor. with a back plate the hot air is trapped under the plate.

JeffyB · 16 Apr 2011 at 13:34

I have one on my 5870, ran it with and without it as i didnt buy them at the same time and there is a slight difference. Nothing that is going to make any difference to any overclocking as with a full cover block i'm idling at 24 degrees and about 30-35 under full load depending on ambient.

vertica · 16 Apr 2011 at 13:50

cjgardens said:
your going a bit extreme. its a back plate. have you got one or ever owned one?

if its was water the heat will be displaced around the loop and cooling will be poor. with a back plate the hot air is trapped under the plate.

The backplates are usually metal and as such have a high thermal conductivity, this creates a large sink for the heat from the VRAM chips to be rejected into. The larger surface area and higher thermal conductivity increases the heat exchange with the air in contact with the card, which then convects away due to it now being less dense than the air surrounding it. The large surface area and relatively low energy requiring dissipation means this can be an efficient way to reject the heat. Active airflow just isn't required.

Surveyor · 16 Apr 2011 at 14:03

vertica said:
The backplates are usually metal and as such have a high thermal conductivity, this creates a large sink for the heat from the VRAM chips to be rejected into. The larger surface area and higher thermal conductivity increases the heat exchange with the air in contact with the card, which then convects away due to it now being less dense than the air surrounding it. The large surface area and relatively low energy requiring dissipation means this can be an efficient way to reject the heat. Active airflow just isn't required.

The vast majority of graphics cards don't have VRAM chips on the back of the card.

JeffyB · 16 Apr 2011 at 14:09

We were talking about ram backplates though for cards that do. The rest are for aesthetics or logistical reasons with fittings touching stock backplates.

seekdestroy · 16 Apr 2011 at 15:01

I might fit some on mine, but looks like it might be tricky. Also my soundcard would be close to one of them, so It wouldn't help too much.

But my Palit GTX 460 has chips on the back. (2gb version, 1gb version is only on front).

.Max. · 16 Apr 2011 at 15:05

It Spreads the heat like someone else said, So instead of all the heat building up near the GPU it spreads it along the card

SupermotoMX · 16 Apr 2011 at 15:10

my 4870x2 has a back plate, and if its not on after a while it will crash (memory chips get hot) i have noticed i can get a higher clock when the backplate is on, and slightly higher when ghetto glueing a small heatsink onto the backplate