Them extra pads might make it sit not right. I would remove them and put the right size pads in also.
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RTX 3090 FE HELP! GPU overheating.
- Thread starter Devprotim Das
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Them extra pads might make it sit not right. I would remove them and put the right size pads in also.
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I did consider that. Before screwing everything together I did a pre-fit test to what the pressures did to the pads. All the pads got squashed and spread out like the original pads. My reasoning is that it means everything is making good contact with the vapor chambers/plates so I think I'm ok on that front(?). Given that they didn't make the recorded temps worse my thoughts are pads and paste may not be the issue.
Sadly I didn't take thermal images before repadding so I can't be confident in that. I don't want to be constantly be taking the GPU apart at this point since it seems quite likely I'll sell it. I don't want to risk damaging the delicate fan cables. Basically I want to rule everything else before opening it up again. But if I do I'll re-pad with 1mm pads.
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@Devprotim Das
I actually meant the power limit/temperature is prioritising power limit as default. The fact you have to swap this round is a worry and will just mask the issue you have and you'll be losing a decent amount of performance.
As for the pad heights, keep an eye on the delta between GPU core and GPU hotspot, it looks good ATM in your screenshots but if it gets up to a 14-15 degree difference then your paste is pumping out and you need to redo it. I did about 4 repaste before I gave up and got the ptm7950 on my 3080.
It's something to do with the die being concave or convex I can never remember which on the Samsung node they are made on.
I actually meant the power limit/temperature is prioritising power limit as default. The fact you have to swap this round is a worry and will just mask the issue you have and you'll be losing a decent amount of performance.
As for the pad heights, keep an eye on the delta between GPU core and GPU hotspot, it looks good ATM in your screenshots but if it gets up to a 14-15 degree difference then your paste is pumping out and you need to redo it. I did about 4 repaste before I gave up and got the ptm7950 on my 3080.
It's something to do with the die being concave or convex I can never remember which on the Samsung node they are made on.
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@Finners Yes I think I understood that from your original post. And yes it is just masking up the issue which is why I'm still keen on figuring out the root cause.
That is very useful information on GPU core vs GPU hotspot delta and die shape!
Just to clarify for my benefit, what's the correlation between the pad heights for memory modules and the paste on the GPU die? I assume you mean that my pad heights are probably fine but the die might pump out the paste (diagnosed by the aforementioned temperature delta exceeding 14-15°C?)
That is very useful information on GPU core vs GPU hotspot delta and die shape!
Just to clarify for my benefit, what's the correlation between the pad heights for memory modules and the paste on the GPU die? I assume you mean that my pad heights are probably fine but the die might pump out the paste (diagnosed by the aforementioned temperature delta exceeding 14-15°C?)
If your pads are to thick you don't get good contact between the heatsink and the gpu die end up with a thick layer of paste which isn't great for temps, pump out is a separate issue the paste escapes then you dont get good thermal transfer.
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So I went over to my colleagues to take a look at his system. Luckily we have a fairly similar set up (identical CPU, GPU with similar fan layout). Maybe a tad more dirt in there than mine.
Given where he had is system I couldn't get proper read on the fins with the thermal camera.
Quick summary is that his memory runs hotter than mine (but mine is recently repadded), whilst his GPU and hotspots run cooler than mine. His fans occasionally ramp to a degree comparable to mine but only momentarily.
So I think the issue for me is on the GPU die somewhere.
Temps & thermals ("Normal 3090 FE" folder)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ooHTvUY-GTGxWdBb9xXxxgD2F1n2M1xF?usp=sharing
@Dg834man @Finners where did you source your 'ptm7950' from?
fans are ramping because of the hotspot temperatures (my 3080 did the same) especially once the hotspot temps cross 100c - tjmax for these cards are 105c
question of why the hotspot temps are well in excess of your gpu max temp (85c vs 103.8c) would be a mounting issue, thermal paste issue or cooler issue
the usual delta is 10-12c
question of why the hotspot temps are well in excess of your gpu max temp (85c vs 103.8c) would be a mounting issue, thermal paste issue or cooler issue
the usual delta is 10-12c
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To the point and very clear thank you!
I'm hoping it's paste or mounting since I'm not sure I can address the cooler issue. Fans at high RPM sounded the same as non-malfunctioning 3090's fans (we tested it by ramping it with afterburner), so if it's vapor chamber/heat pipes I don't think I can fix it.
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yes. Though since my case layout is inverted, upside down was the right way up to most people
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The pads on the memory module I put on is actually 16°C running cooler than my colleagues untouched FE.
As for the screws I think I'm at the limit what I can do without risking stripping the threads. But will definitely keep it mind for when I apply ptm7950 in a couple of days.
And I used Noctua NT-H2 for the paste
I have a 3080 Ti that was displaying a hotspot of 105 degrees C whilst gaming last night. This is with a huge external watercooling setup. I dismantled the waterblock today and sure enough the mounting pressure was incorrect and you could see that clearly with the paste pattern on the die. It may have been the pads being ever so slightly too thick, but they are soft pads so i reapplied paste and went for a tighter mounting. Hotspot is now 55 degrees C in the same game. At a guess i would say my mounting pressure was too light to begin with, and that was probably not squishing the thermal pads sufficiently to get a clear, consistent pressure across the die. Took 20 minutes to fix.
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Very good to know! I was going to wait till the phase change pads arrived but will give this a try in the next hour or so
The card takes into consideration all temps, including memory. His memory could be spiking and causing the fans to ramp. I was hoping you'd be able to change coolers with another 3090, keeping your PCB, to see if your vapour chamber or heatpipes were to blame. Maybe you could offer your colleague help with re-padding and pasting if he allows you to try his cooler on your PCB? If his cooler runs much cooler on your PCB, then you know there is something wrong with your cooler.
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@Hewligan There was signs of pump out when I just took the GPU apart. The mounting screws were done up as tight as they could be (I checked if they could be done up more before undoing them, and I could feel the 'end' of the threads). There was a good amount of 'adhesive' tension to get the PCB off the heatsink too.
I repasted it and put everything back so unless I'm totally messing up the remounting screws (which is very possible) then I'm not sure if mounting pressure is/was the issue. I'm tightening them crosswise little at a time.
Right now there doesn't appear to be any improvements but I'll see what it is like for a day or two. By then ptm7950 would be here too so I have one last thing to try.
@Skilid I thought maybe thermal images of his system would help highlight any cooler issues but I couldn't get an angle on the cooling fins. I did ask him if he'd be comfortable with me swapping out the cooler but right now he's doing a lot of modelling work for our company (we're both engineers) he just couldn't afford to be GPU less for a bit or even risk me or him taking his working one apart
I repasted it and put everything back so unless I'm totally messing up the remounting screws (which is very possible) then I'm not sure if mounting pressure is/was the issue. I'm tightening them crosswise little at a time.
Right now there doesn't appear to be any improvements but I'll see what it is like for a day or two. By then ptm7950 would be here too so I have one last thing to try.
@Skilid I thought maybe thermal images of his system would help highlight any cooler issues but I couldn't get an angle on the cooling fins. I did ask him if he'd be comfortable with me swapping out the cooler but right now he's doing a lot of modelling work for our company (we're both engineers) he just couldn't afford to be GPU less for a bit or even risk me or him taking his working one apart
@Hewligan There was signs of pump out when I just took the GPU apart. The mounting screws were done up as tight as they could be (I checked if they could be done up more before undoing them, and I could feel the 'end' of the threads). There was a good amount of 'adhesive' tension to get the PCB off the heatsink too.
I repasted it and put everything back so unless I'm totally messing up the remounting screws (which is very possible) then I'm not sure if mounting pressure is/was the issue. I'm tightening them crosswise little at a time.
Right now there doesn't appear to be any improvements but I'll see what it is like for a day or two. By then ptm7950 would be here too so I have one last thing to try.
@Skilid I thought maybe thermal images of his system would help highlight any cooler issues but I couldn't get an angle on the cooling fins. I did ask him if he'd be comfortable with me swapping out the cooler but right now he's doing a lot of modelling work for our company (we're both engineers) he just couldn't afford to be GPU less for a bit or even risk me or him taking his working one apart
I'm thinking of trying some PTM7950 on my 3080 FE as the thermal paste pump out over time just ruins my hotspot, not sure if to stay using thermal pads.. or move over to a thermal putty instead though.
any video i have seen about thermal putty says its a pain in the arse especially if you ever decide to take it off, i use ptm7950 on my cpu just so i dont have to bother repasting
any video i have seen about thermal putty says its a pain in the arse especially if you ever decide to take it off, i use ptm7950 on my cpu just so i dont have to bother repasting
There's a chap on YouTube who has tested loads of different puttys and compared them and you're right.. they do look like mither to apply and remove again!
Is the PTM reusable if you decide to remove the CPU cooler?