TheKyr
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Edit: Failure, I say GeForce 6 and thought it meant 600 series. Someone please help me move this to the right forum, thank you. Hello everyone, I recently (about four months ago), bought a GTX 660SC and was pleased as punch with the performance but I even more recently (two months) moved to a country where the temperatures are much higher than in the US with ambient temperatures in my room at about 32-34c. I then decided to replace the reference heatsink for a closed loop liquid solution and was once again pleased as punch with temperatures (idle at 1c over ambient, 12-14c at load). Now here comes the sticky part, a fellow I know has decided to sell his 670 4gb and I decided to sell off my 660 to raise some funds for it. I thought, how hard can putting the stock heatsink back together be? Well, it's been a nightmare. Four hours of applying and reseating the heatsink and I've about given up. I'm honestly not sure whether these temps were here from before since I haven't been playing a lot of very graphic intensive games till recently but I'm now witnessing temperatures that initially shot to 100c within seconds. After applying a whole lot more TIM because it seemed as if the contact between the copper coldplate and the GPU die was very, very weak (as in almost non-existant), it takes about a minute of slowly creeping to hit 96 before I killed the game. This also happens using EVGA OC Scanner to stress test. Thing is, idle temps are actually pretty good going at 4-5c over ambient but it's the load that really spoils the whole thing. My hardware is as follows: Motherboard: GA-H77N-WIFI Chassis: Modified BitFenix Prodigy PSU: Seasonic M12II 520W Processor: i5 2500k RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 1333Mhz 8gb x2 CPU Cooler: Antec Kuhler 620 with air being exhausted out of the case Fans: 1x 230mm front intake, 1x 140mm back exhaust, 4x 120mm+2x 120mm rad for CPU and GPU closed loop. None of my hardware is OC'd As you can well imagine, with an issue like this, it makes it impossible to sell my current card unless I have no scruples or morals and I'm trying to get it to work. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
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rjohnson11
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 09:41:18
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This really belongs in the 600 series forum so I'll move it there. Hopefully someone who has taken this apart can give you some tips.
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:13:43
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Thanks for helping me move the thread. I tried one last time to reapply the TIM using Arctic MX-4 using the pea sized method and I'm calling it quits unless someone can figure out why on earth the temperatures are so terrible As is, because of this issue, I missed out on being able to buy the GTX 670s. Just to know whether it was something with my other hardware, I stuck in my old other brand GTX 560Ti and it's running at under 70c on 100% load, granted with a non-reference cooler but still.
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Baltothewolf
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:17:03
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Hmm... This is most interesting... Are you sure absolutely no thermal pads or anything is blocking it from being fully seated...? Other then that, this is very wacky... Even in a no-air flow case it would take a while before it got super hot, let alone 100c... If your 100% sure nothing is blocking it from being fully seated correctly... I got nothing... I really hope someone here can cast some light on this.
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:25:56
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I'm honestly not sure. The first time I applied a thin coat of TIM, when I removed the heatsink to make sure it was seated properly, there was absolutely no contact between the die and the copper coldplate. To fix this, I applied much larger blobs and I know for sure now that there's contact because the paste will show up on both the coldplate and the die. It doesn't hit 100c on idle, only on load. Before my last attempt, the idle temps were actually pretty nice but they still went so high that I had to kill the process to make sure it didn't fry my card. Another interesting thing is that the card does not downclock at all once hitting 80+. I too hope someone can shed some light on this. It's really, really annoying.
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Lordred
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:28:35
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Only because I've done this myself, is the fan plugged in?
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Baltothewolf
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:30:18
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Lordred Only because I've done this myself, is the fan plugged in? LOLOLOLOL. I JUST remembered I did this as well when I retimmed my 8800GTX. I was like "**** 105C?!?!?!?!" I took the card out to look at it and I was like "......................" forgot to plug fan in, lolz.
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:32:06
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Absolutely sure it's plugged in. The main reason I originally bought reference cooler is because I run an ITX build so I can't have the hot air exhausting into the case so I always make sure the how air is being exhausted out the back by putting my hand at the exhaust to feel for air. Most definitely not a fan issue.
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Lordred
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:37:56
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It sounds like a poor seat job then, I know its annoying taking it apart over and over, but how does the spread look?
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 18:46:44
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This latest spread, I'm not absolutely certain. The last one looked pretty good and evenly spread out. Even if it was a poor seat job, though, I've literally reseated it 10 times now and the temps always hit 100c~, it just depends on how long it takes to hit that temp. Longest was about 60 seconds. Can't be that I'm reseating it badly 10 times in a row. My biggest issue with handling this, though, is how much space there is between the copper cold plate and the GPU die. There's enough space to slip something between them. Not sure if this is intentional or not.
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Lordred
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 19:56:30
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there should be no space, is there by chance anything stuck on it from the other cooler?
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/25 20:37:41
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The other cooler was an Antec Kuhler 620, using it the same cooler for my CPU so it's just a single copper cold plate as well. Like I said, though, that one worked swimmingly. The gpu die is absolutely bare and so is the cold plate on the reference heat sink because I had to clean off the residual stock TIM on the heatsink. I'm almost absolutely certain there's a space between the stock cooler's cold plate and the gpu core.
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 01:50:53
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post photo's of both mating surfaces please one of us should be able to see where the problem is stemming from
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 05:33:21
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 05:34:22
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Sorry for double post, images were having issues.
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loveha
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 05:39:42
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Strange. I don't see anything that would stop it from making contact. I would just RMA it at this point. Should be no reason why you would have to put that much TIM to make contact at all.
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 05:43:31
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This actually is not the most TIM I have tried using. The best results in terms of temperatures came from the last application where I literally piled on the TIM on both sides. Already started a support request and last message I got from EVGA support was 27 hours ago. I've since replied to the first message but nothing from them yet. I'm honestly really tired of this and am almost tempted to jump ship to the red team. Went back down to my 560Ti and am really quite upset that I both can't use this card because of this issue and I couldn't sell it in time to nab the EVGA GTX670 4GB that I wanted to get on sale.
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 05:59:34
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don't evga's SC cards have the plastic frame like the reference design?
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:04:06
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You'll need to elaborate on where this plastic frame is supposed to be.
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:10:19
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the reference 670 and 680 pcb's are much longer and a plastic plate sits across the top of the main parts of the pcb. Sorry, i searched for 670 instead of 660 lol! heres what the 660ti SC should look like with the heatsink installed
post edited by squall-leonhart - 2013/02/26 06:15:39
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:18:04
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It's underneath the shroud, I didn't remove the shroud when I took the pictures. That said, my 660 does not have the plastic frame. By the way, mine's the 660, not 660ti. I only have one 6 pin power slot.
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:19:20
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remove the shroud, you can clip it back on after getting the heatsink mounted correctly.
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:20:35
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I actually can't. The shroud is screwed onto the heatsink. Can't re-attach the shroud with the heatsink already seated.
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:28:24
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according to this image, the heatsink does not interfere with the shrouds removal and attachment at all i have seen video's of the 670SC (with the shortened custom PCB) getting dismantled with the shroud removed prior to the heatsink - it uses generally the same shroud configuration, with a few cosmetic differences. 660ti SC 670 SC quite likely you haven't properly taken the shroud apart (removed the fan plate from the cover plate that is) which is why it looks impossible to do.
post edited by squall-leonhart - 2013/02/26 06:34:38
CPU:Intel Xeon x5690 @ 4.2Ghz, Mainboard:Asus Rampage III Extreme, Memory:48GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600 Video:EVGA Geforce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, NVidia Geforce GTX 1060 Founders Edition Monitor:BenQ G2400WD, BenQ BL2211, Sound:Creative XFI Titanium Fatal1ty Pro SDD:Crucial MX300 275, Crucial MX300 525, Crucial MX300 1000 HDD:500GB Spinpoint F3, 1TB WD Black, 2TB WD Red, 1TB WD Black Case:NZXT Phantom 820, PSU:Seasonic X-850, OS:Windows 7 SP1 Cooler: ThermalRight Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:34:56
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Once again, GTX 660, that's GTX SIX SIX ZERO. Notice the differences between the GTX 660 and GTX 660Ti. Mine has a single SLI connector vs the tri-SLI on the one you linked. Mine is a single six pin power vs the double six pin in the one you posted. Please refer to: http://www.overclockers.c...d-graphics-card-review
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:35:57
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oops, thought i was double posting then. found the correct image now (where the heck was i getting 660ti from). so this is more or less what it looks like then?
post edited by squall-leonhart - 2013/02/26 06:39:20
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:40:56
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Yes, that's exactly what it looks like.
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:41:50
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the thermal shim at the bottom of of your heatsink image appears to be folded over itself, this could account for the lack of contact. that could just be a trick of the light though, since the camera flash masks half of it.
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TheKyr
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:44:29
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The bottom most pad in the last image? 99% sure that's the light but I'll look at it again to be sure. Edit: Yeah, it's the light. Everything is perfectly flat.
post edited by TheKyr - 2013/02/26 06:50:05
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squall-leonhart
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Re:GTX 660 SC Temperature issue
2013/02/26 06:57:33
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alright, well, for now remove the heatsink from the shroud and see if it lays snug/flat against the gpu. far as i can see the central die is the same height as the protective shim around the edges. clean off the current goop though, theres so much there it will just insulate the core when you do get it all fitted back together. if the base sits flush without the shroud, then some photo's of it would be good to inspect for damage. Theres not alot of detail in this pic to compare to
CPU:Intel Xeon x5690 @ 4.2Ghz, Mainboard:Asus Rampage III Extreme, Memory:48GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600 Video:EVGA Geforce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, NVidia Geforce GTX 1060 Founders Edition Monitor:BenQ G2400WD, BenQ BL2211, Sound:Creative XFI Titanium Fatal1ty Pro SDD:Crucial MX300 275, Crucial MX300 525, Crucial MX300 1000 HDD:500GB Spinpoint F3, 1TB WD Black, 2TB WD Red, 1TB WD Black Case:NZXT Phantom 820, PSU:Seasonic X-850, OS:Windows 7 SP1 Cooler: ThermalRight Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme
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