replaced my tim on gtx480
was getting 42c idle and up to 90c on full load
now getting 37c idle and 77c on full load, very happy about that  :)

i used MX-3

not impossible, and that using furmark 99% load
my fan is on an afterburner profile only running 10% above autofan though

paste can go bad because certain types can settle and separate. it doesn't sound like it was actual AS5, it would definitely say so on the side.
 
it sounds like the paste is either junk now or that you applied it pretty well but there may be voids where there isn't good interface between the heatspreader and the heat sink.
 
you should never be worse off if you use good TIM and apply it right. i think you may have some weak sauce on your hands, that's all.

O.K, you are right, that stuff was "Junk"!!! I must have remove the heatsink 3 times before I finally realized that the old paste was no good. I pulled out the stuff that came with my Zalman 10X quiet, and applied an (((X pattern))) on the GPU...well success!!!
 
Now this is wierd.........
Underload GPU2 is cooler by 2*c (this is the one i worked on)
At idle GPU1 is cooler by 2*c  (this one has backplate + HFB)
 
Im happy with the results, but I'm not sure I improved anything.
 
For those attemping this....keep this in mind
Use quality paste, not stuff thats been sitting around for a while.
I used the X pattern, because of the size of the GPU.
I was smearing the last stuff, and I read that can creates "air pockets".
 
 

formula72
Now this is wierd.........
Underload GPU2 is cooler by 2*c (this is the one i worked on)
At idle GPU1 is cooler by 2*c  (this one has backplate + HFB)

Im happy with the results, but I'm not sure I improved anything.

For those attemping this....keep this in mind
Use quality paste, not stuff thats been sitting around for a while.
I used the X pattern, because of the size of the GPU.
I was smearing the last stuff, and I read that can creates "air pockets".

 
those results aren't really odd... there could be many reasons for this... not the least of which is location, airflow, etc. at idle, your temps are governed more by the environment than by the heat generated by the card. at load, it's the other way around.
 
yes, spreading can create voids... however, that heatsink is hardly polished... in fact... they just painted over it creating suboptimal transfer properties... couple that with the unpolished sink and you're going to have voids no matter what. to make matters worse, the sink doesn't mount tightly to the heatspreader... it sort of just rests on top... many report seeing light through the gap between the two.
 
either way... spread or cross or whatever makes you happy! i just do the spread to ensure it doesn't ooze anywhere i don't want it to (even though it when it's mounted it would run away from the chip)... and to ensure the entire spreader is covered with enough to fill the ridiculously large gap to maximize transfer... but not too much that it inhibits transfer or it runs down the sides.
 
all in all... one area of improvement for nvidia would be that heatsink/gpu mating. that could have gone a long way to creating a better quality product... however, i'm sure they did the cost/benefit analysis and found from a production standpoint... the diminishing marginal returns were too great to warrant increased focus in this area.

boatski
Should I have put a bit more on when doing this? My temps have changed maybe 1-3C since.

as long as you have solid contact between the two surfaces, that should be fine. each card/heatsink is a little different.

Thanks a ton! Now my 470 doesn't sound like a Leaf blower all the time. I replaced the TIM that came with the board with some el-cheap-o Zalman ZM-STG1 and dropped my temps by a ton!
 
If my fan is set to auto it never goes over 70% at 89*C. Before on auto the fan was hitting 88% and the temp was 93*C.
If I set the fan to 90% I was getting 91*C at full load. I was 60*C ~ 62*C at idle.
 
Now with the fan at 90% I'm 68*C at full load and my idle temp is 48*C !!!!
 
I was too scared to run the fan any lower as I was afraid I'd burn up the card.

I also think that there was a issue with the factory seating the heatsink correctly. It was a good turn and a half from being bottomed out on 2 screws. Then there was a TON of goop and you could tell that there was a bubble of air in it as well because there was a nice clean spot in the middle of my GPU!
 
Also the shroud wasn't completely snapped down.
 
Anyhow I'm really happy with the card now as it doesn't sound like a freaking leaf blower under my desk!
 
Thanks again for the DIY!

finally i find this post, great info! looking forward to replace TIM on my gtx480!

nice, looking foward to have the TIM reapplied on my gtx480s. doesn't the removal of the heatsink void the warranty with evga?

Just came across article for the TIM Replacement. Nice write-up. Just curious if this procedure would work on the 8800GT also?