which paste is better to use?

hi guys!!currently i use arctic silver ceramique on my 6970m.my temps are 45 idle and 90-91 full load at stocks clocks after 30 mins in crysis 2.my room temp is 30 celsious.is my temps good?if i use arctic silver 5 i ll see any difference in temps??thx..

 

umm how did you get that GPU? sorry it is off topic but i am really curious

 

That GPU was initially available about a month ago. Some resellers decided to clear out what remained of their 6970M stock recently for dirt-cheap. I don't think you can find them anymore, because they were being phased out for the 6990M (which I am personally waiting for ).

 

how difficult is it to change out the GPU PSU and heatsink? for NP8130 (sorry its off topic but at least I am bumping it

 

i bought it from an excellent member here in forum pkhetan..

 

I'm guessing he order an upgrade kit that includes the GPU, heatsink, and the more powerful PSU and installed it himself.

I don't think there will be much of a difference between those two paste. I think they're both equally good, one is non-conductive, the other is.

Those load temps looks awfully scary. I personally wouldn't feel safe running a GPU that high for a long period of time, but that's just me. I've read that quite a few others with 6970m reach those kinds of temps too. Not sure if that's the norm with that GPU or not, I hope not. But then your laptop is a P151HM1 instead of a P150HM, so I don't know if there are any differences between the chasis. You use a cooling pad with that laptop?

 

no i dont use a cooling pad.is my temps right???

 

Your temps are a bit high. You should really only see load temps between 70C-85C. 90+C is getting high enough it's worth looking in to. You can try repasting as you suggested and that may make a difference. Either that or contact your reseller. If you got the whole heatsink + GPU combo though, I can't see why your temps would run high unless the heatsink wasn't seated well.

 

my room temp is high as well.its 30-31 celsious.this effects the full load temps much??my idle temps are good?u suggest to repaste with arctic silver 5 or ceramique again??do u know some good guide for how to paste???thx for the help.

 

Couple of things to remember about thermal compounds:
They need to be applied correctly - no air bubbles.
They need to cure to work fully (times vary between compounds)
You probably won't see huge differences unless the paste you have now was applied incorrectly resulting in lots of air bubbles, or the heatsink was seated wrong.

I personally use Arctic Silver 5.

Huge review of compunds here: 80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test

Fun video of compound spreading here: How Thermal Compound Spreads

 

no the heatsink is seating good..the air bubbles are made if u put too much paste??i put a thin layer of paste to cover the gpu die..

 

OT: buy a laptop cooler like the zalman nc 3000, and your temps will go down significantly especially while on load

 

Using too much paste can actually act as an insulator and cause air bubbles, too.

I used the thin-layer method on my first desktop core-i7 build, then did it again using the pea method and had better temps. The video shows what the air bubbles look like. I'm not sure if they disappear in the curing or not.

If you do reapply the paste, remember to clean all the old gunk off.

 

some other opinions???do u recommend to repaste with as 5??now i use as ceramique..

 

pls post some idle and load temps(also room temp) of yours 6970m..also which is the best method to apply the paste??thx.

 

Google the different methods. Personally, I put a blob in the center and let the weight of the heatsink spread it out. The amount to be used is something you need to figure out from trial and error. Get any paste, put a small drop then press down on it to get it spread. Then lift the heatsink and see how much of the die it covers.

 

^^ second that. I'd also recommend cleaning the residue from the HS after the initial press down.

 

is my temps good enough???my room temp is 30.

 

Nope. Even for Crysis 2 and ambient 30C it's an overkill. For comparison, my 6970M's never go past 78C in Crysis 2 (room 27C), no cooler pad and no elevation. You may benefit from re-pasting. I'd also check if the HS is sitting properly and clean the vents and grills from dust.

 

vents and grills are clean.i repaste 2 times but with the same results....the heatsink is sitting prorerly too.can u recommend a good method for repaste??thx for ur help.

 

Same laptop, same card, same temperatures. It is imposibble to stay below 90oC with this hot weather when you play Crysis 2 or any other heavy game.

 

Grain method works the best for me. Try ICD24 paste.

 

do u recommend to put paste at the middle of the gpu die and press it with the heatsink or cover it with a credit card then put the heatsink??

 

Put it at the middle, put back the HS back and tight up all the scews. Then remove the HS, check if the entire die is covered, remove any residue from around the die and from the heatsink, put the HS back.

 

The amount of TC you use is the clincher - you want to cover the die w/o extra gushing out the side, and without introducing air bubbles. This way may introduce bubbles.

The nice thing is that you can get 4 or 5 applications from a tube of compound, so if the temps are high you can always reapply.

Remember to let the compound cure (about two weeks) for best temps.

 

That's why you lift the HS, to check how the paste was spread and remove the residue.

 

which are the best thermal pads to use with my 6970m??

 

I'm with you on the removal of residue, but removing the sink introduces the possibility of bubbles since you can't get the two sides to go back exactly the same. Otherwise the credit card method wouldn't be a bad way to go - but that can introduce bubbles.

To the OP: Ultimately, try something and see what works. You're not going to kill your GPU by running it a few degrees hotter for a few days. If the temps don't come down, try something else.

Remember, you're not going to get a huge reduction in temps (unless the original application was seriously fubared).

 

ill buy and try ac diamond 7 and arctic mx-4 to see if that makes and difference..

 

Sweet! Let us know the results.

 

if i use the same paste for one week ill see better temps??sure..thx for the help!!

 

That depends on the paste. Some like Arctic Silver require longer cure times, where temps will get better once that time is reached. Others cure immediately and there isn't any benefit to waiting. Giving it a few days won't hurt though in either case

 

I use Arctic Silver 5. It has a 200 hour curing time. Check the instructions with the paste.

 

get a cooling pad or place something under the laptop. That allows your laptop to sit higher and the system of wind flow gets better.

I have overheat problem as well. but only with the i7 950. around 53c idle and 82c fully load. I guess that's just because the 950 is producing much more heat than a mobile cpu. Hopefully a I7 990X will get better with the 32nm lithography (it's on the way of shipping ^ ^)
I also tried coolermaster and NT-H1 thermal compounds, they didn't achieve a reasonable outcome (maybe just for me). I ordered a IC7, it's also shipping to me. I would try that one and see how it go. If it does reduce more heat, i will let you know.

BTW, my gpus are just fine. 33c idle and >70c on fully load. (GTX 485M sli)
The room temp. is around 23c here.

 

if you take my suggestion to place something under your laptop, beware of the wind holes, dont block them.

 

thx all for the help!!

 

pls post some idle and full load temps of yours 6970m.!!

 

Remember some pastes require burn in time. Arctic Silver took something like 200 hours.

 

tommorow i ll recieve mine ic diamond 7.hope this is better!!

 

guys i tried ICD 7 and my full load temps are 8-9 degrees lower.for 91-92 in crysis 2 now im at 82-83 stock clock without undervolt!!!my room temp is 30!!thats great news!!!best paste ever!!!

 

Glad it worked for you. That's a big improvement. I'll bet it was really easy to do, too.

 

yeah it was!!i tried many pastes but ICD 7 rocks big time!!!im so happy!!if i undervolt my card at 1.000 volt my temps never exceed 79-80 celsious..room temp is 31!!