Need help cpu cooler touching gpu backplate

This never ends well · 11 May 2016 at 21:18

As title says is it safe to boot the pc, like this.

postmanfw · 11 May 2016 at 21:28

i would say no.....very thin layer of insulation to stop it conducting maybe ?

This never ends well · 11 May 2016 at 21:29

What could i put ?

Disco_P · 12 May 2016 at 09:25

Should be fine, both the backplate and cooler will be grounded so conduction doesn't matter.

You could move the gpu down a slot if it bothers you.

smsmasters · 12 May 2016 at 11:45

It's safe. If you want to double check you can use a multimeter to check if there is any current flowing between the left and right of the cooler.

This never ends well · 12 May 2016 at 11:55

Cheers, i stuck some cardboard there jist to be safe.

smsmasters · 12 May 2016 at 12:06

jamiehard1989 said:
What could i put ?

You know those anti static bags that graphics cards are usually packaged in?

henson0115 · 12 May 2016 at 16:54

actually very bad idea to use the outside of an anti static bag

Holst1981 · 12 May 2016 at 19:09

henson0115 said:
actually very bad idea to use the outside of an anti static bag

True

They are often conductive on the outside.

Personally I would move the GPU to another slot but cardboard is also ok

doyll · 12 May 2016 at 19:54

There needs be space or at least insulation between GPU PCB backside and CPU. The back of PCB is not 'grounded'
It is a Printed Circuit Board with all kinds of current flowing through the circuits with no insulation to stop something touching it from shorting and possible damaging things.

Cardboard is good, but I prefer a piece of flat plastic like cut from a take-out container top or bottom taped to the side of cooler. Thinner and less chance some pointy thing on back of GPU PCB can poke a hole in it.

smsmasters · 12 May 2016 at 20:48

The inside of an antistatic bag should be okay really.

You could also use insulation sheets made of polystyrene perhaps.

Telecaster · 12 May 2016 at 20:56

Probably the cheapest, easiest and invisible way to do it would be to use some black electricians insulation tape, most people have a roll of this laying around I'd have thought? even if you don't they aren't expensive.

A few neatly applied strips to the back plate would be completely unnoticeable.

Smffy · 16 May 2016 at 11:47

How comes you havent water cooled the CPU, looks like you've got some custom water on the GPU so i'm not sure why you wouldnt add the CPU to the loop and use a much smaller waterblock to cool it.

Move it down a slot if I were you, as long as you have another available 16x there is no downside.

Quartz · 16 May 2016 at 12:05

There's not only electrical safety to consider but also vibration.

doyll · 16 May 2016 at 12:26

Quartz said:
There's not only electrical safety to consider but also vibration.

Exactly!
Combined to the often ilttle pointy bits sticking out of the solder on the back of PCBs, whatever is used to insulate between them and cooler needs to be structurally able to keep those pointy bits from being able to poke through and short out on cooler.

Which is why I usually use flat plastic of of something like a takeout container or flat face/ back of a CD/DVD/BR case

Smffy · 16 May 2016 at 14:13

Quartz said:
There's not only electrical safety to consider but also vibration.

And don't forget the heat transfer... My EKWB back plate gets f'ing hot, I personally wouldn't want that heat transferring directly on to my CPU heat sink. Basically if your board allows move it down, I can see you have another PCI card under it so potentially swap them if the lanes are all x16.

This never ends well · 16 May 2016 at 20:10

Smffy said:
How comes you havent water cooled the CPU, looks like you've got some custom water on the GPU so i'm not sure why you wouldnt add the CPU to the loop and use a much smaller waterblock to cool it.

Move it down a slot if I were you, as long as you have another available 16x there is no downside.

My cpu block had a leak, so while i waiting for a new one, i thought i would try air, as never been air cooled before.

The other 3 slots on my board run @x8 and x4

Telecaster · 16 May 2016 at 21:20

doyll said:
Exactly!
Combined to the often ilttle pointy bits sticking out of the solder on the back of PCBs, whatever is used to insulate between them and cooler needs to be structurally able to keep those pointy bits from being able to poke through and short out on cooler.

GPU has a backplate though

D1craig · 17 May 2016 at 00:09

Backplates get really hot. Are any of these ideas good? They will likely melt the plastic and set free to the cardboard? Having the CPU cooler touch the backplate could be 2 things - bad for CPU heat, good for the backplate heat? Maybe?

Relentless81 · 17 May 2016 at 08:54

Can the cooler be mounted intaking bottom to top? That way it would clear the GPU completely and exhaust out the top of the of the case