shannonjpower

gregoryvSorry you cannot understand my English and what I am saying.
1. Why EVGA saying thermal PAD is not necessary and only optional?
2. I am attaching picture of other manufacturer and you can see that flat surface was designed and not fins.
Maybe now you understand what I am saying and if you have some issues with my professional level, we can discuss it.
 

 
 

1. I'll quote EVGA's article directly:

EVGA has investigated these reports and after extensive testing, below are our findings:

• On ACX 3.0, EVGA focused on GPU temperature and the lowest acoustic levels possible. Running Furmark, the GPU is around 70C +/- and the fan speed is running approximately 30% duty cycle or lower.
• However, during recent testing, the thermal temperature of the PWM and memory, in extreme circumstances, was marginally within spec and needed to be addressed.

Conclusion: EVGA offers full warranty support on its products, with cross-ship RMA*, and stands behind its products and commitment to our customers.
To resolve this, EVGA will be offering a VBIOS update, which adjusts the fan-speed curve to ensure sufficient cooling of all components across all operating temperatures. This VBIOS will be released in the next few days and users can download it and update their cards directly. This update resolves the potential thermal issues that have been reported, and ensures the card maintains safe operating temperatures.
 
For those users who want additional cooling beyond the VBIOS update, EVGA has optional thermal pads available. This update is not required, however; EVGA will make it available free of charge to any customer who is interested.

 
2. You're looking at 2 different designs, one with a mid plate and one without. You're comparing apples and oranges. Even still Gigabyte is using thermal pads which would no doubt have a thermal conductivity rating.
 
But if we are referring to the current EVGA design then I have already shared my opinion in my previous posts.

1. The update is not required? So what does this do???
2. I am not looking on two different design. I am looking on correct design and some "repair" design which is not optimal in my opinion.
3. I would really like to see some thermal images with the pads attached and WITHOUT pads but with VBIOS update.

bcavnaugh

gregoryv

bcavnaugh

gregoryv
Sorry you cannot understand my English and what I am saying.
1. Why EVGA saying thermal PAD is not necessary and only optional?
2. I am attaching picture of other manufacturer and you can see that flat surface was designed and not fins.
Maybe now you understand what I am saying and if you have some issues with my professional level, we can discuss it.
 

 
 
 

Where is the Mid Plate?

Not Really
This is a Mid Plate
 

I showed the metal plate that touching the thermal pads and not fins touching pads directly.

gregoryv

bcavnaugh

gregoryv

bcavnaugh

gregoryv
Sorry you cannot understand my English and what I am saying.
1. Why EVGA saying thermal PAD is not necessary and only optional?
2. I am attaching picture of other manufacturer and you can see that flat surface was designed and not fins.
Maybe now you understand what I am saying and if you have some issues with my professional level, we can discuss it.
 

 
 
 

Where is the Mid Plate?

Not Really
This is a Mid Plate
 

I showed the metal plate that touching the thermal pads and not fins touching pads directly.

WOW! That is a Really Tiny Plate compared to the Full Card Length Mid Plate that EVGA uses. 
The Thermal Pads are cover by the Mid Plate in this image so you cannot see them

NeroRay
I would really like to see some thermal images with the pads attached and WITHOUT a backplate. The same way Tomshardware did. Are there even any reports whether the pads will make any difference? 

They certainly will make a difference. The VRM's are not really the only problem though. as long as the VRM's are below 100°C I'd be happy. The thing that bothers me more is seeing the spread of heat to the RAM modules although I couldn't seem to find a metric for the actual value within that area.
 
For me, waterblock is the only way to be sure. As far as I can tell the ek block and back plate contact mosfets,chokes,RAM,GPU, and I believe on the back plate they have thermal pad to backplate across VRM area.

95 degres in furmark test I think
 
http://www.gamersnexus.ne...rmal-pads-on-evga-gpus

ilyama
95 degres in furmark test I think
 
 

Yea it certainly looks close to that and as you can see the lower 2 modules have nearly %75 of their surface at that temp. Imagine gaming for 4 hours and they are like that every day. I don't feel comfortable with that. I'm sure 97°C is their ceiling would need the data sheet to confirm though.
It appears that is without the backplate and thermal pads though and a just higher RPM curve.

This is furmark... in game you wont have this temperature at all !

shannonjpowerSure the contact surface area on one side would be better, I'm not doubting that. However the metal plate will still need to be attached to the fins somehow. This is where you are also still going to have minimal contact!

 
let me try to help you understand.


placing those heatsinks flatside down will pull 100% of the heat away from the thermal pad, having complete contact and transfer all of it to the fins.
placing them flatside up with only the fins touching will not have nearly the amount of contact (which you know) BUT not nearly the amount of heat will be dissipated efficiently; more like ~10% of the heat.

so even though the fins touch the thermals pads or are connected to the base plate the same, they are be used more efficiently; its conduction.

@ gregoryv this is EVGA's Mid Plate, here you can see the Thermal Pads.

looniam

shannonjpowerSure the contact surface area on one side would be better, I'm not doubting that. However the metal plate will still need to be attached to the fins somehow. This is where you are also still going to have minimal contact!

 
let me try to help you understand.

 

placing those heatsinks flatside down will pull 100% of the heat away from the thermal pad, having complete contact and transfer all of it to the fins.
placing them flatside up with only the fins touching will not have nearly the amount of contact (which you know) BUT not nearly the amount of heat will be dissipated efficiently; more like ~10% of the heat.

so even though the fins touch the thermals pads or are connected to the base plate the same, they are be used more efficiently; its conduction.

Thanks