Bad news: I opened up my GTX 1070 FTW DT to check for these gaps and yes there were gaps on virtually all VRAM pads. Only 2 pads were touching the VRAM chips and only by a little bit of the corner. You can tell how it looks like if there was actual contact by looking at the thin thermal pad on one of the pictures.
 
Good news: I didn't wait for thermal pads from EVGA for the VRMs or VRAM etc and got my own (Fujipoly / mod/smart Ultra Extreme XR-m Thermal Pad 17 w/mk 100 x 15 x 1.5mm) and cut them up to 15x12mm portions. After putting them on my VRAM (the dots on them are from where I pushed them to make them stick to the vram) and placing the original 1mm VRAM pads onto the VRMs (there are enough to cover the VRMs) I put everything back together. I used Noctua thermal paste on the GPU. MY TEMPERATURES DROPPED 10-12C. I used to idle at 43-45C and playing Battlefield 1 would get me to about 63-65C (using Precision X). Now my idle temperature is 30C and Battlefield 1 temperature is 45-54C. I doubt the Noctua thermal paste explains the huge difference because the original paste looked like it was good paste with good spread. I think the VRAM thermal pad gaps were causing heat from the VRAM chips to soak into the GPU.
 
I'm still missing the thermal pad for the backplate but I feel so much more at ease knowing that the VRAM is being cooled now and the GPU is operating closer to the temperature range it should be at. 
 
Other news: Got the powerlink in the mail today! Woot! Thanks EVGA! Just hurry it up with the thermal pads, etc please so I can get back to overclocking my card!

brenansalgado
Bad news: I opened up my GTX 1070 FTW DT to check for these gaps and yes there were gaps on virtually all VRAM pads. Only 2 pads were touching the VRAM chips and only by a little bit of the corner. You can tell how it looks like if there was actual contact by looking at the thin thermal pad on one of the pictures.
 
Good news: I didn't wait for thermal pads from EVGA for the VRMs or VRAM etc and got my own (Fujipoly / mod/smart Ultra Extreme XR-m Thermal Pad 17 w/mk 100 x 15 x 1.5mm) and cut them up to 15x12mm portions. After putting them on my VRAM (the dots on them are from where I pushed them to make them stick to the vram) and placing the original 1mm VRAM pads onto the VRMs (there are enough to cover the VRMs) I put everything back together. I used Noctua thermal paste on the GPU. MY TEMPERATURES DROPPED 10-12C. I used to idle at 43-45C and playing Battlefield 1 would get me to about 63-65C (using Precision X). Now my idle temperature is 30C and Battlefield 1 temperature is 45-54C. I doubt the Noctua thermal paste explains the huge difference because the original paste looked like it was good paste with good spread. I think the VRAM thermal pad gaps were causing heat from the VRAM chips to soak into the GPU.
 
I'm still missing the thermal pad for the backplate but I feel so much more at ease knowing that the VRAM is being cooled now and the GPU is operating closer to the temperature range it should be at. 
 
Other news: Got the powerlink in the mail today! Woot! Thanks EVGA! Just hurry it up with the thermal pads, etc please so I can get back to overclocking my card!

what do you mean by "placing the original 1mm VRAM pads onto the VRMs (there are enough to cover the VRMs) I put everything back together"???
did you change the stock vrm pads? or you put stock vram pads on top of the stock vrm pads? 

i am using noctua h1 too, but evga thermal paste is not bad at all, i doubt the improvement of gpu temp is related to the vram and vrm temp.
 

I took the 1mm thermal pads that are placed on the front plate for VRAM chips and placed them side-by-side on the VRMs. The VRMs are the problem area that EVGA originally sent out these thermal pads for. The VRMs originally don't have any thermal pads at all. I put the new 1.5mm thermal pads that I bought and placed them on the VRAM.

acxcoolerssuck
i am using noctua h1 too, but evga thermal paste is not bad at all, i doubt the improvement of gpu temp is related to the vram and vrm temp.
 

I don't know what else could explain the difference though. The temperatures I took were within one hour of each other. If the heat from the VRAM chips weren't getting transferred to the front plate because of the gap, then that means the heat was getting soaked into the PCB and into the GPU. That's the only explanation that makes sense to me. The VRAM chips surround the GPU so since they generate heat, they had nowhere else to place that heat.

brenansalgado
I took the 1mm thermal pads that are placed on the front plate for VRAM chips and placed them side-by-side on the VRMs. The VRMs are the problem area that EVGA originally sent out these thermal pads for. The VRMs originally don't have any thermal pads at all. I put the new 1.5mm thermal pads that I bought and placed them on the VRAM.

what do you mean the vrm's didnt originally have any thermal pads? your 4th picture shows the vrm pad. the pads they sent out are for the chokes and for the back plate for under the vrm's (to touch the backplate) 

Still at "awaiting shipment". This is getting ridiculous.

brenansalgado

acxcoolerssuck
i am using noctua h1 too, but evga thermal paste is not bad at all, i doubt the improvement of gpu temp is related to the vram and vrm temp.
 

I don't know what else could explain the difference though. The temperatures I took were within one hour of each other. If the heat from the VRAM chips weren't getting transferred to the front plate because of the gap, then that means the heat was getting soaked into the PCB and into the GPU. That's the only explanation that makes sense to me. The VRAM chips surround the GPU so since they generate heat, they had nowhere else to place that heat.

how about your vrm? using stock vrm pad?? 

acxcoolerssuck

brenansalgado

acxcoolerssuck
i am using noctua h1 too, but evga thermal paste is not bad at all, i doubt the improvement of gpu temp is related to the vram and vrm temp.

I don't know what else could explain the difference though. The temperatures I took were within one hour of each other. If the heat from the VRAM chips weren't getting transferred to the front plate because of the gap, then that means the heat was getting soaked into the PCB and into the GPU. That's the only explanation that makes sense to me. The VRAM chips surround the GPU so since they generate heat, they had nowhere else to place that heat.

how about your vrm? using stock vrm pad?? 

There is no stock VRM pad so I took the pads from the VRAM and lined them up on top of the VRMs.

brenansalgado

acxcoolerssuck

brenansalgado

acxcoolerssuck
i am using noctua h1 too, but evga thermal paste is not bad at all, i doubt the improvement of gpu temp is related to the vram and vrm temp.

I don't know what else could explain the difference though. The temperatures I took were within one hour of each other. If the heat from the VRAM chips weren't getting transferred to the front plate because of the gap, then that means the heat was getting soaked into the PCB and into the GPU. That's the only explanation that makes sense to me. The VRAM chips surround the GPU so since they generate heat, they had nowhere else to place that heat.

how about your vrm? using stock vrm pad?? 

There is no stock VRM pad so I took the pads from the VRAM and lined them up on top of the VRMs.

what? no stock vrm pad??
 
you cant use 1mm pads on top of vrm...too thin