Should I consider changing my GPU's thermal paste and pads?

MK77P · Jul 13, 2023

I've been using the card daily for almost 3 years (between 12-20 hours a day), half of the time it's gaming and the rest is simple use between watching movies/TV shows and browsing.

Is it time for a thermal paste and pads change for the card?

bobkn · Jul 13, 2023

I suggest testing first.

GPU-Z ("sensors" tab) can show the GPU's processor and VRAM temperatures.

MSI Kombustor can stress the GPU.

If the temps are OK, I wouldn't mess with it.

I have done the paste/pad replacement in the past. The main complexity is finding the correct thickness of thermal pads for the replacement. If you can find a source for that information, then it's a reasonably simple job.

MK77P · Jul 14, 2023

bobkn said:
I suggest testing first.

GPU-Z ("sensors" tab) can show the GPU's processor and VRAM temperatures.

MSI Kombustor can stress the GPU.

If the temps are OK, I wouldn't mess with it.

I have done the paste/pad replacement in the past. The main complexity is finding the correct thickness of thermal pads for the replacement. If you can find a source for that information, then it's a reasonably simple job.

The temps are high but then it's summer and the weather is pretty hot here so I don't think looking at the GPU's temps can really identify if the card itself is going high or not, if I wanted to test temps then I'll have to wait for winter to do so as only then I can know if the temps are normal or not.

So was hoping to find out depending on the duration usage only if the card is near needing its thermal paste and pads replacing or not.

Gramps · Jul 14, 2023

Which GPU are you using? Over clocked?

ShamrockRig · Jul 14, 2023

bobkn said:
I suggest testing first.

GPU-Z ("sensors" tab) can show the GPU's processor and VRAM temperatures.

MSI Kombustor can stress the GPU.

If the temps are OK, I wouldn't mess with it.

I have done the paste/pad replacement in the past. The main complexity is finding the correct thickness of thermal pads for the replacement. If you can find a source for that information, then it's a reasonably simple job.

Jeeez kombuster is old, Just use MSI afterburner and use the stress test there.

Ghot · Jul 14, 2023

MK77P said:
I've been using the card daily for almost 3 years (between 12-20 hours a day), half of the time it's gaming and the rest is simple use between watching movies/TV shows and browsing.

Is it time for a thermal paste and pads change for the card?

DON'T MESS WITH THE THERMAL STUFFIES, UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.

Btw... GPU-Z (free) also has a stress test, built in... just click the teeny question mark to open it.

The stress test is really just to force the Bus Interface numbers to read properly... but it's also a great little stress test.

AIDA64 Extreme has a GPU stress test too...

ShamrockRig · Jul 14, 2023

Ghot said:
DON'T MESS WITH THE THERMAL STUFFIES, UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.

Btw... GPU-Z (free) also has a stress test, built in... just click the teeny question mark to open it.

View attachment 64763

The stress test is really just to force the Bus Interface numbers to read properly... but it's also a great little stress test.

Lol it literally says it the render test that it IS NOT a stress test, Like literally right in the pane you've highlighted red boxes lol.
If it all it does it put it into its highest power state, Just set it to max performance in the control panel and thats the same lol.

Afterburner stress test it, Aida64 has one too, Run a game, monitor temps. Or hwinfo is excellent too. I'd rate any of those above anything thats been recommended already. Especially when some of those contradict each other.

Ghot · Jul 14, 2023

ShamrockRig said:
Lol it literally says it the render test that it IS NOT a stress test, Like literally right in the pane you've highlighted red boxes lol.
If it all it does it put it into its highest power state, Just set it to max performance in the control panel and thats the same lol.

Afterburner stress test it, Aida64 has one too, Run a game, monitor temps. Or hwinfo is excellent too. I'd rate any of those above anything thats been recommended already. Especially when some of those contradict each other.

I know what it says... it's also a stress test, despite what it says.

If you want to "really" work a vid card... FurMark for the win.
FurMark is to GPUs, like Prime95 is to CPUs.

FurMark Homepage

FurMark - GPU stress test and graphics card benchmark

geeks3d.com

Use it gently though....
It can fry a vid card if you're not careful. ^^

Dru2 · Jul 14, 2023

MK77P said:
I've been using the card daily for almost 3 years (between 12-20 hours a day), half of the time it's gaming and the rest is simple use between watching movies/TV shows and browsing.

Is it time for a thermal paste and pads change for the card?

I did it on my AMD Radeon VII GPU. But it's a five-year-old card, and I was having issues where I thought it might help. The issue turned out not to be the GPU, and the re-pad / re-paste didn't yield any great decrease in temps or performance, so...

One thing I suggest is taking pictures along the way of the teardown so you now where things go during to rebuild.

I would also suggest you be very careful with Furmark cause if your card is weak it could destroy it, especially from the heat and stress. Yes. Furmark is a good GPU bench tool, you just need to be careful.

Good luck.

Ghot · Jul 14, 2023

Dru2 said:
One thing I suggest is taking pictures along the way of the teardown so you now where things go during to rebuild.

Excellent advice. ^^

bobkn · Jul 14, 2023

ShamrockRig said:
Jeeez kombuster is old, Just use MSI afterburner and use the stress test there.

Huh?

I use Afterburner. It has a button for a a stress test. It calls Kombustor.

Actually FurMark can stress a GPU more than Kombustor. (Even though Kombustor appears to be derived from FurMark.)

bobkn · Jul 14, 2023

MK77P said:
The temps are high but then it's summer and the weather is pretty hot here so I don't think looking at the GPU's temps can really identify if the card itself is going high or not, if I wanted to test temps then I'll have to wait for winter to do so as only then I can know if the temps are normal or not.

So was hoping to find out depending on the duration usage only if the card is near needing its thermal paste and pads replacing or not.

In the absence of numbers, I can't guess whether your card is running too hot.

If the GPU doesn't exceed 75°C, I'd think you're OK.

ShamrockRig · Jul 15, 2023

bobkn said:
Huh?

I use Afterburner. It has a button for a a stress test. It calls Kombustor.

Actually FurMark can stress a GPU more than Kombustor. (Even though Kombustor appears to be derived from FurMark.)

Really? , I've got an OC test which stresses the card but nothing else. Kombuster if showing on you're end means its been installed separately , Where kombuster would be is greyed out as it isn't installed with msi afterburner, according to msi anyway. Kombuster is still used you're correct but i believe MSI Kombustor is MSI's exclusive burn-in benchmarking tool based on the well-known FurMark software. So 6 and half a dozen i suppose! Just haven't seen or heard of kombuster in years!

Ghot · Jul 15, 2023

bobkn said:
Even though Kombustor appears to be derived from FurMark

True as toasted toads.

MK77P · Jul 17, 2023

Gramps said:
Which GPU are you using? Over clocked?

GIGABYTE 1660 SUPER GAMING OC 6GB.

As for everyone talking about the temps, the card is reaching 71c in gaming, which if I'm not mistaken is the first time it gets this hot but again as I've mentioned before, the weather is pretty hot so it only makes sense that the card will get higher temps and that's why I'm looking for an answer about the usage duration only.

I just want to have an idea as a card like this with almost 3 years of use daily when should someone expect its thermal paste and pads need to be replaced.

How long do they usually last?

spapakons · Jul 17, 2023

71°C is not very hot for a GPU or even a CPU. I would start worrying over 85°C. Unless you know what you are doing, replacing the thermal paste and thermal pads incorrectly may make the card hotter. Better leave it to a more experienced friend or a professional.

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