Nazarus
I see so many posts in here on thermal pads.  I'm assuming most people are destroying them when they go to remove them from the card.  I just wanted to toss out some tips here to help people saving them and their integrity so they can be either reused or saved for a later installation.
 
First off, recommendation...  If you are doing a conversion do your best to save you thermal pads as you remove them from the video card and replace them with the conversion kit.  No telling if you are going to need them again in the future.  Maybe me thinking more on the frugal side, but I don't want to have to find matches for this stuff 3-4 years down the road when I'm trying to put my hybrid kit back on the video card.
 
The start...
Rather than just taking your finger and plucking the thermal pad off use your finger nail.  Get the peel started then place your fingernail on top of the memory that it's sitting on and lightly tap underneath the thermal pad.  Keep your fingernail pressure against the memory chip the entire time you are doing this.  The pad will naturally start to roll towards you since most of your applied pressure will cause it to fold towards you.  
 
Once you've removed the thermal pad, get a zip lock back and gently set it inside.  It's helpful to try and keep the pattern of how they were on the video card so you can easily reapply them in the future.  
 
Feel free to share your experiences and how you recommend dealing with thermal pads.  I know we all aren't fans of them...

RogueMaster

HeavyHemi
If EVGA is going to demand OE pads be reinstalled prior to RMA, they really should use better quality.

They'll actually work with you to get replacements, prior to sending in the card, if you ask them.

RogueMaster

Nazarus

Good to know.  I managed to remove all mine without issues, but I did have the gray ones.  I'm not sure I want to see white ones from the way everyone describes them.

In one of the other threads, Daniel confirmed they'd help folks out with pads. Unfortunately, the forums here (or maybe it's Firefox) make copying and pasting links a pain on mobile. I'll see if I can find the post when I get home from work.

That info really should be in a FAQ...

EVGATech_DanielM

RogueMaster

That may no longer hold true. In another thread, Daniel specifically states factory pads are required.

If I understood the replies correctly, it appears they will assist in getting folks the correct pads.

Seems to be enough confusion on this topic that we should probably get an official answer in a FAQ or somesuch to help avoid future issues.

I was also under the impression that pads were not a barrier to RMAs, but now I'm no longer certain of that.

This is correct. We can assist with getting the card back to factory condition prior to the RMA - however if anything shows that the card malfunctioned from using aftermarket/3rd party stuff the RMA can still be denied just with the same as using Liquid Metal. The RMA is simply a authorization to send it in for inspection - if anything shows that the card was damaged by an outside factor it is simply not covered. While we are an enthusiast company and always compel our customers to get the most out of their hardware - we are not responsible for other factors that result in the damage to the card. A RMA is not a guarantee for replacement so we want to be clear about this. Sending the product in with aftermarket pads is simply not supported as the card was shipped with factory spec thermal pads.