Urgent GPU "repasting" question

So i have this alienware laptop, and on the GPU there is no Thermal paste/grease, the OEM uses these sticky pads (flat strips, sticky on both sides, exactly the size of the components).

In the past i've had 2 GPUs die, the first was due to an assembly error which resulted in a screw landing on the GPU and causing it to short circuit, and was replaced under warranty, the second time was due to these sticky pads drying out on the GPU dye, this time i had to pay for the new GPU myself but the people who replaced and fitted it again were different.

Now i want to replace these thermal strips/pads just as a precaution, but i can't find replacements anywhere and the guys who replaced the GPU for me before cannot procure a new one, i have no experience in applying thermal paste/grease and neither do they, and i don't wanna fiddle around with a $570 GPU on my first try, so i'm stuck here and i don't know what to do.

The precaustions i've taken since my last GPU replacement (7 months ago) were using nvidia inspector to limit my frames per second to 50~55 max instead of leaving it open all the time, i always keep the laptop dust free by cleaning the fans and heatsink (like twice a month), i ALWAYS monitor my temperatures to see if anything is out of the ordinary (thankfully nothing is so far), and i routinely check on the thermal pads to check if they're drying out, but i cannot check on the thermal pad sitting on the GPU dye and i don't wanna decouple the heatsink from the GPU to check as this will create air bubbles which won't seal again and will ruin the thermal conductivity between the GPU and heatsink.

Ordering some pads online is also a little complicated, because i do not know the required thickness of the pads i need (there's differing color pads with differing thicknesses on the gpu), and importing stuff is hampered by all the policies and checks the things have to go through when entering the country (Egypt).

So to the actual question now, Should i be worried about these pads giving up on me in a moment's notice??, do i really need to be chasing after a fresh set of stickies???, or am i just too paranoid??

 

Hi, you might well be reading too much. There will be thermal grease but it's only put on the die. I recently tried out Gelid Extreme and found it to be easy to apply and good low temps.

You will need to open it up to check the pads as the dents will show if they are placed correctly, the OEM installation can be a little 'wonky'. They last a long time but you can buy sheets of the stuff in differing thicknesses if for example you was using a different GPU. Just search on thermal pads.

The first thing is to find out if you need to be concerned at all. Use Heaven 4 benchmark and leave it running for around 15 mins then note the temp.

Post back with the machine and GPU you have and I'll see if I know the average temps people get, it does vary.

Do you regularly clean out the heat exchanger under the fans? Depending on the environment I find around 3~6 months is a good time frame to get the can of compressed air out and free the dust bunnies .

Good luck.

 

i can't run a benchmark atm cuz the power block was problematic and i had to order a new one, so won't use the laptop lest the powerblock fails and burns the mobo.

but as for the temps, my max ever temperature was 75 degrees after a long and demanding gaming session, that was before i replaced the card when it fried, but now that i'm using nvidia inspector, my usual temperatures vary from 68 to 70, very few times it spikes to 72~74 when there's very heavy graphics requirement going on for 5+ minutes.

and concerning the thermal paste, like i said, i'd love to use thermal paste, but i have absolutely no experience applying it, and i'm not about to try it on such an overly expensive graphics card which i can't afford to replace anymore, and every pc repair shop i go to refuse to touch it because they don't wanna mess with thermal paste and they don't have the required thermal pads for it.

 

It's very easy, all you need to do is clean off all the existing stuff and any grease from both the die and heatsink. Easiest thing to get is medical injection site swabs from the chemist. These have the alcohol and a lint-free pad to make it nice and easy. I have always re-used pads many times without a problem so I wouldn't be concerned about that.

There are many ways to apply but I find the best is to put a grain-of-rice size piece in the center and tighten down gradually in a cross diagonal pattern. Do not over-tighten, it's only necessary to 'nip' them up. If you are unsure if you used enough then it's a simple job to open it up and make sure the spread pattern covers all the die. Clean and re-do. It should be very thin and barely noticeable.

Temps sound fine, though you should be able to get below 70c on stock with new paste. What GPU do you have?

 

I know the procedure and it's quite a simple one, but i really don't wanna risk applying too little or too much with each having its own risk, and this is especially because i've never done it before.

Nvidia GTX 675M

as for the temps, i usually game for a longish period of time, and my desk is made out of marble which afaik doesn't dissipate heat too well, maybe the slight increase in termperature is due to the air being taken in by the fans is already a little hotter than usual?

 

I almost guessed the 675m from the failures you have had. It's a very poor GPU and I had 3 failures along with at least 10 people on NBR.

Look at saving up and getting a 680m. Your heatsink will be fine and it's fully plug and play in the R4 so a very easy upgrade. A well pasted 675m should not go above 70c as this speeds up failure. Mine never exceeded 68c.

Also prop up the rear using something like bottle tops, this helps and saves the expense of a cooling pad (which I got for my R4 to loose a couple of degrees)

 

like i said, i use nvidia inspector to control the frames per second and this has helped a LOT, 50~55 feels exactly the same as 55+, but helps control the temps better.

and if i knew the 675m was known for being troublesome i would've replaced it with another card right away, but at the moment i don't have $550 to spare on a new card :/

 

Yeah, just FYI, it's a rebadged 580m, you can search here on NBR for dozens of failures. Just don't overclock it, and you seem to have a handle on keeping it cool. I'd still try a prop just to see if it helps?

Average lifespan seems to be around 18 months and of course there will be some out there that work fine for years (I guess?). So I'd start a savings pot as well as watching for a price drop as the 680m gets older. It's quite a performance hike as well!

 

yea i know it's a rebagged 580m, but this laptop was a gift so i can't complain.

But just to reassure myself, am i safe with my current thermal pads as long as the temps don't rise above the usual 68~70 and max 72~74???

 

Yeah, that's about all you can do to extend the life of the card. As safe as it gets. I'd also suggest that once you find a decent working driver you don't update it. (314.22 was a very good driver for that vintage). Even just a driver update can kill them, it happened to me once that way . I also had one that would shut down the machine at 72c every time with the speaker buzzing .

 

OH GOD THE HORROR

 

Yeah, pretty alarming! Eventually I could only use it in safe mode with no gaming. That's when I got Dell to replace it again.

 

Dell is the worst brand i've ever dealt with, i have a 5 year old sony vaio that's stil working perfectly with no incidences whatsoever, unlike this aliencrap that has had more downtime than uptime over the past 2.5 years.

 

Micky maybe we should request someone to open up a change.org petition because the amount of GTX 675M failures is almost laughable .. It affects almost everyone of dell's lineup .. ( the M18x R2, I parted out had a bad 675M, found it on Craigslist )

 

Nothing new in this reply, just wanted to thank MickyD for his help, of all the places i asked he's the only one who's given me all the information i needed and wanted, while also giving me insight and suggestions.

+1000000 to you man

 

Here's my clearance before and after i propped it, do you think this will make a difference??

Before: http://postimg.org/image/rizkiikt1/52e98445/
After: http://postimg.org/image/p7v4op0m3/e66aebb5/

 

Looks about right (both sides?). It worked for me and dropped temps around 5c.

 

Yes both sides of course.
Will have to wait till my new power brick arrives to see the effect since mine is faulty atm and the lappy is "gathering dust" for now.

 

DUDE, my temps never go above 67 now (so far anyway), even when intense stuff are going on in heavy games like planetside 2 and guild wars 2, even after a long gaming session, going from 69~70 and occasional 72~74 down to 67~68 MAXIMUM is massive.

I feel so stupid for not thinking of this modification before xD

Thanks a lot man

 

I'm glad it was just a simple repaste . If any other problems do arise, please be aware of the failure rate of these cards. Regardless enjoy your gaming!

 

i didn't repaste :|

 

Ohhh I assumed you repasted and used bottle caps.. Never mind .. Well regardless good job to you and mucky for the solution .

 

Sure thing, it's a simple thing and I always wondered why dell did not put fold-out legs like other OEM's do? That temp is about perfect and the same as I managed with careful padding and pasting. There is one more step for a degree or two but the other-half was not happy with me defrosting the peas!!!



Like Hackintoshihope said, you are on borrowed time with that card so don't get tempted to overclock it and you may get many months of use. Start the 680m savings pot ASAP. Way faster card as well .

 

Bahahaha, did you eat the peas afterwards?

 

Everybody did! I love peas but I did mess up the menu. Can't be refreezing stuff, haha....

 

Just thought I should add some safety info with those pics, in case anyone thinks of trying it . There is a risk of condensation forming inside and could in theory short something. Only put the peas there after the machine has warmed up and remove it before shutting down.