Hi, the weather here in the UK has been quite warm for several weeks now, and I'm struggling keeping the FTW3 temp in the mid 60's and it means loud fans. So I'm looking into getting the Hybrid kit. I can't seem to order it from the US, and EVGA's EU webshop has it priced quite high. But I can order it from EVGA's eBay shop. And get it shipped over from the US, at a decent price. All good.

My main concern, is the issues people have been having fitting the kit (correctly) and permanently damaging the card from what seems like the Hybrids own poor design, and then having to go through the trauma of rma'ing the gpu or hybrid kit or both.

Do we know if evga have recognised a fault? fixed the fault? And how can I protect myself from fitting a duff Hybrid kit, is there a revision number, or serial number to look out for, or is it just a case of pot luck!
Any advise appreciated.

Mick

No, it is not safe to install.

https://forums.evga.com/1...-Problem-m2721450.aspx

It is probably safe to install, but there is a chance that you will receive a defective shroud; so it is not a guarantee.

EVGA says that it is a part of the shroud which is damaging components on cards. EVGA says that it is not the metal mesh, but is another part of the shroud. EVGA says that some tape or padding is missing or installed in the wrong spot on some shrouds. But, for some crazy reason, EVGA won't show us pictures of a "good" shroud versus a "bad" shroud in order to assist customers; they are leaving us guessing. Even crazier is that EVGA can't seem to control its inventory in order to identify and quarantine the bad shrouds. So, it sounds super crazy, but EVGA has even requested that some concerned customers, after receiving their hybrid kit, take pictures of their shroud, prior to installing the hybrid kit, and send the pictures to EVGA so that EVGA can advise whether the shroud is safe to install. Insane. Wouldn't it be nice if EVGA could determine that a shroud is safe to use before sending it out to the customer?

Good luck!

Safe bet would be to just buy a ek ftw3 water block and a rad and pump and res or combo pump/res and some fans and some coolant and get it done.

Can even use it to cool your CPU with a CPU block in the same loop! Go with a large rad 120.3 or 120.4.

Or buy a ftw3 hybrid.. though dont have this issue.. only the kit.

Not trying to hijack the thread but might aswell post here, I'm interested in the SC Hybrid kit for the non FTW 1080ti. I have a SC Black and my gaming temps hit 75C on 4K with an OC on the card. At 100% fanspeed the temps stay below 70C but it's REALLY loud, I can hear the gpu fans over my headphones and with my personal room fan on. So, is the SC Hybrid kit good? Should I even bother? I've never changed coolers on a GPU but it can't be super hard compared to building a PC, which I've done dozen of times. 

SammyKiller
Not trying to hijack the thread but might aswell post here, I'm interested in the SC Hybrid kit for the non FTW 1080ti. I have a SC Black and my gaming temps hit 75C on 4K with an OC on the card. At 100% fanspeed the temps stay below 70C but it's REALLY loud, I can hear the gpu fans over my headphones and with my personal room fan on. So, is the SC Hybrid kit good? Should I even bother? I've never changed coolers on a GPU but it can't be super hard compared to building a PC, which I've done dozen of times. 

Hello there. Installing the Hybrid on your model is fairly simple. Be aware however there is a installation error for mounting the PWM block. It calls out for using the wrong screws. This thread here
https://forums.evga.com/H...HY5598B1-m2834576.aspx
 
will explain the issue and the solution. Other than that, installing the kit wasn't that difficult, just take your time, have a clean organized work area and the right tools.

Cool GTX
If you want to go custom loop  EVGA ebay store  

That would be a great idea but it would be a costly 'upgrade' as I don't have any current water cooling setup, and I doubt my case is large enough to house one.
The Hybrid kit ticks all the boxes for size and price. Just don't want to bork my FTW3.
I've always built my own pc's since the first one 20 years ago, even done water cooling in the early days.

Mick

The FTW3 Hybrid kit is difficult to install properly. Require tools and patience. Each kit needs two hours in the process of disassembling and reassembling.

Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns on the FTW3 Hybrid kit. Firstly, this issue only ever affected a small number of FTW3 Kits, we are not aware of it occurring on any other Hybrid models or the FTW3 Hybrid card (standalone).
The issue never caused the cards to beyond unstable when going over base clocks. This is obviously not how we want the card to run, as it should reach full boost clocks stably. The issue should not occur as it only affected a small number of units.
As with any video card issue, should anything occur with your card or kit, your warranty will ensure that we will get you a fully working unit.
 

Good luck!

NexusSix

FlyingFish73
Thanks for the response, do you know why this happened and what we need to look out for?

Mick

It's covered here
 
https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2750963
 
I just bought one from Amazon. The mesh was loose and the metal retainer in the incorrect position. It's not difficult to fix.

I'm going to put some Kapton tape over the exposed solder leads on the PCB and coat the metal bracket with a layer of conformal coating just to be safe.

Be sure to avoid scratching the PCB components while installing the shroud. 

NexusSix

FlyingFish73
Thanks for the response, do you know why this happened and what we need to look out for?

Mick

It's covered here
 
https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2750963
 
I just bought one from Amazon. The mesh was loose and the metal retainer in the incorrect position. It's not difficult to fix.

I'm going to put some Kapton tape over the exposed solder leads on the PCB and coat the metal bracket with a layer of conformal coating just to be safe.

Nope. According to an EVGA representative in that same thread, it is NOT the metal mesh which is the problem. He said that very specifically, too. He said it is a plastic portion of the shroud itself and is caused by missing tape/padding or incorrectly placed tape/padding. But he would not give further specifics. Keep reading that thread, you'll see.

https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2833907
After speaking to an EVGA rep he said it's an issue with part of the shroud shorting a component on the board and the card refusing to apply additional voltage after that point to avoid damage. He didn't specify what part it was that caused the short but did reply "no" when I asked if it was the loose grill on the back of the card, responding "it's part of the shroud itself." He sounded very casual about the fact that EVGA just can't tell when they ship a hybrid cooler with the proper electrical tape (preventing the issue) versus one without the tape and suggested calling back in and sending them "pictures of the new coolers" once on the phone with a support rep so they could "make sure it has the electrical tape in the right spot" prior to installation.

EVGA agreed to RMA the cards (at my shipping expense both ways) ...

So sad. After nine months, EVGA still has no inventory control over the situation and resorted to asking the customer to take pictures of the new replacement kit, after receipt, to verify that the new kit wasn't also defective.

ty_ger07

NexusSix

FlyingFish73
Thanks for the response, do you know why this happened and what we need to look out for?

Mick

It's covered here
 
https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2750963
 
I just bought one from Amazon. The mesh was loose and the metal retainer in the incorrect position. It's not difficult to fix.

I'm going to put some Kapton tape over the exposed solder leads on the PCB and coat the metal bracket with a layer of conformal coating just to be safe.

Nope. According to an EVGA representative in that same thread, it is NOT the metal mesh which is the problem. He said that very specifically, too. He said it is a plastic portion of the shroud itself and is caused by missing tape/padding or incorrectly placed tape/padding. But he would not give further specifics. Keep reading that thread, you'll see.

https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2833907
After speaking to an EVGA rep he said it's an issue with part of the shroud shorting a component on the board and the card refusing to apply additional voltage after that point to avoid damage. He didn't specify what part it was that caused the short but did reply "no" when I asked if it was the loose grill on the back of the card, responding "it's part of the shroud itself." He sounded very casual about the fact that EVGA just can't tell when they ship a hybrid cooler with the proper electrical tape (preventing the issue) versus one without the tape and suggested calling back in and sending them "pictures of the new coolers" once on the phone with a support rep so they could "make sure it has the electrical tape in the right spot" prior to installation.

EVGA agreed to RMA the cards (at my shipping expense both ways) ...

So sad. After nine months, EVGA still has no inventory control over the situation and resorted to asking the customer to take pictures of the new replacement kit, after receipt, to verify that the new kit wasn't also defective.

There's really no question it's the metal shroud bracket. Mine has some tape where it would contact the PCB. That said build QC is still crap since mine came with the bracket not fully attached and the mesh loose.

ty_ger07
More than once an EVGA representative has specifically said that it has nothing to do with a loose metal mesh.  But, ok, we can agree that something is junking the cards and that it isn't being properly addressed.

That's great. It's also technically correct. The mesh being loose isn't a problem.
 
The metal bracket that holds the mesh being out of place is a huge problem. They cover the part of the bracket with tape specifically to keep it from bridging the exposed solder contacts on the PCB. But when the bracket is shifted, the tape won't likely be in the right place, causing a short.
 
That is without a doubt why the cards are dying upon installation.
 
That being said, my cooler reassignment surgery is complete and the card runs like a top. After I fixed the bracket and covered the contacts on the PCB with kapton tape.
 

 
Also, unscrewing the rear bracket and rotating it out of the way makes installation of the shroud infinitely easier and the installer significantly less likely to cause damage, so do that.

You missed the sale last week or so on EVGA's website they where only $79 and Free Shipping.
$99 on Amazon ATM

FlyingFish73
I tried to buy one when they were on offer last week, but EVGA's US site won't allow orders from over here in the UK 🙁 EVGA's EU site is over priced at an equivalent 220 dollars!
So Amazon US is best value 132 dollars Inc shipping and import tax. 👍

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