Scott_W
It is odd that some people have "gaps" and others don't with the same model card. I can only conclude that there is some variation in the parts.... Either different thickness thermal pads, or different thickness VRAMs, or different length standoffs resulting in a "mixed" part supply at the factories, so some cards are fine and others have gaps.

I just took a photo of my 1080FTW. This card is about 6 weeks old, and has never been disassembled. There are clearly gaps between the VRAM and the thermal pads. No problems so far, but obviously those thermal pads aren't doing their job when they aren't touching the VRAMs.

dont need to post photo anymore dude. 
i highly suggest you stop overclock on vram now and go buy at least 1.5mm thick pads for vram and replace them by yourself.  also, if i were you i will also change the stock vrm pads too, of course buy thicker one, 2mm~2.5mm should be fine as someone said the stock vrm pad is 1.5mm thick.

Just checked a GTX1070. Same issue gaps between the thermal pad and VRAM chips. They clearly used the wrong pad thickness.

pawelblyskal
Just checked a GTX1070. Same issue gaps between the thermal pad and VRAM chips. They clearly used the wrong pad thickness.

Yes as i stated before done 3 evga cards thus far all had gaps ...


 
And its very strange some are worse than others ....I suspect the one in the jay2cents vid was a later rev build with thicker pads i bet ...
 
All in all this whole evga saga as gone from bad to worse
 
On a brighter note there is a new EVGA promo and tbh i am kind of tempted seems a great deal for being stuck inside keeping warm and stuffing one's face during the cold winter months ...
 

 
 
 
 

Scott_W
It is odd that some people have "gaps" and others don't with the same model card. I can only conclude that there is some variation in the parts.... Either different thickness thermal pads, or different thickness VRAMs, or different length standoffs resulting in a "mixed" part supply at the factories, so some cards are fine and others have gaps.

I just took a photo of my 1080FTW. This card is about 6 weeks old, and has never been disassembled. There are clearly gaps between the VRAM and the thermal pads. No problems so far, but obviously those thermal pads aren't doing their job when they aren't touching the VRAMs.

In the Master Thread about this issue users were told that they Should RMA their cards if they have a gap or two on their card.

pawelblyskal
Just checked a GTX1070. Same issue gaps between the thermal pad and VRAM chips. They clearly used the wrong pad thickness.

Are you going to post images of the three cards or did you just return the cards or RMA the Cards?

bcavnaugh

Scott_W
It is odd that some people have "gaps" and others don't with the same model card. I can only conclude that there is some variation in the parts.... Either different thickness thermal pads, or different thickness VRAMs, or different length standoffs resulting in a "mixed" part supply at the factories, so some cards are fine and others have gaps.

I just took a photo of my 1080FTW. This card is about 6 weeks old, and has never been disassembled. There are clearly gaps between the VRAM and the thermal pads. No problems so far, but obviously those thermal pads aren't doing their job when they aren't touching the VRAMs.

In the Master Thread about this issue users were told that they Should RMA their cards if they have a gap or two on their card.

Well, an RMA is certainly one option.  Or, I could just replace the pads myself, which (to me) is less hassle than an RMA.  Or I could install a Hybrid kit. 
 
Or....  I could just ignore it.   I have had the card about 7 weeks, pushed it pretty hard, and it has performed flawlessly.  No lockups, no artifacts, no reboots, no black screens.  Those gaps -- at least with my usage, my fan curve, my case fans and my temps -- has not caused any failure yet.
 
It is certainly possible the chips may be getting hotter than desired, and that may reduce their lifespan.  If I was planning to keep the card beyond the 3-year warranty, that might worry me.  But I typically upgrade every 18-24 months, and I don't sell my old boards.  So why do a preemptive RMA now, when it is working perfectly?   If it eventually fails, I can always RMA it if and when that happens.
 
So for me, ignoring the gaps might be the best choice.  But that might not be my advice to someone who plans to use their card beyond the warranty expiration.  Since there is a question of "reduced life", it might be best to address the problem NOW, one way or another.

The VRAM chip gaps can also be caused by different factors or a combination.
Variety in height of the spacers, torque of the screws as well as the order in which screws need a specific amount of torque. For instance step by step tightening crossed from the center to outside in stages of different torques. Or even different brands of chips. (micron/samsung)
This is well known in other industries too where surfaces need to have a tight fit to keep fluids in, have it gas tight or also for cooling purposes.
This kind of all goes out of the window though when the PCB has significant wobble, is too soft or is curved. This can be different with individual cases.
When you use thicker cooling pads than specified you might causing a new problem somewhere else too.

bcavnaugh

pawelblyskal
Just checked a GTX1070. Same issue gaps between the thermal pad and VRAM chips. They clearly used the wrong pad thickness.

Are you going to post images of the three cards or did you just return the cards or RMA the Cards?

Im providing information to the community on the unit. You can verify my ownership as I have registered the videocard. Seems like every mod on this forum is trying to down play multiple major issues with these new cards.

Anyone have advice on what thermal pads to get for the VRAM?  And where to get them?

Starting next week we will ship thermal grease, memory thermal pads, along with PWM thermal pads in the package. It is recommended to remove the existing grease on GPU and memory pads and apply the new ones. For any customers that did not receive memory thermal pads, please contact us so we can arrange it.