Schlomo

owhatnow6

DrunkMexican
Very tempted to try this, just not overly excited to take apart my GPU. I have replaced the stock cooler in the past with a gigantic after-market cooler and was not a fun job, although the results were totally worth it.

Yea I was pretty nervous when taking mine apart since this is the nicest/newest graphics card I've ever owned and EVGA put a "warranty void if removed" sticker over one of the backplate screws so there wasn't any turning back once I started, now that its done though and my computer doesn't sound like a jet engine every time I boot up a game I'm pretty glad I made the switch

Is warranty really voided though with installing the G12? I thought EVGA covered removing the heatsink / cooler.

I've read that too but if you break it in the process of making the switch I know its not covered by warranty, maybe someone from EVGA could clarify what the exact rules are though because I'm not sure how it works to be honest.

owhatnow6

Schlomo

owhatnow6

DrunkMexican
Very tempted to try this, just not overly excited to take apart my GPU. I have replaced the stock cooler in the past with a gigantic after-market cooler and was not a fun job, although the results were totally worth it.

Yea I was pretty nervous when taking mine apart since this is the nicest/newest graphics card I've ever owned and EVGA put a "warranty void if removed" sticker over one of the backplate screws so there wasn't any turning back once I started, now that its done though and my computer doesn't sound like a jet engine every time I boot up a game I'm pretty glad I made the switch

Is warranty really voided though with installing the G12? I thought EVGA covered removing the heatsink / cooler.

I've read that too but if you break it in the process of making the switch I know its not covered by warranty, maybe someone from EVGA could clarify what the exact rules are though because I'm not sure how it works to be honest.

It's been clarified before - that is a tamper sticker only, for when you send it back for RMA or for step up so that they check it out more closely.
 
The warranty is not voided, same as it was before, as long as you do not physically damage the card and put it back the way it was before sending it in.

arestavo

owhatnow6

Schlomo

owhatnow6

DrunkMexican
Very tempted to try this, just not overly excited to take apart my GPU. I have replaced the stock cooler in the past with a gigantic after-market cooler and was not a fun job, although the results were totally worth it.

Yea I was pretty nervous when taking mine apart since this is the nicest/newest graphics card I've ever owned and EVGA put a "warranty void if removed" sticker over one of the backplate screws so there wasn't any turning back once I started, now that its done though and my computer doesn't sound like a jet engine every time I boot up a game I'm pretty glad I made the switch

Is warranty really voided though with installing the G12? I thought EVGA covered removing the heatsink / cooler.

I've read that too but if you break it in the process of making the switch I know its not covered by warranty, maybe someone from EVGA could clarify what the exact rules are though because I'm not sure how it works to be honest.

It's been clarified before - that is a tamper sticker only, for when you send it back for RMA or for step up so that they check it out more closely.
 
The warranty is not voided, same as it was before, as long as you do not physically damage the card and put it back the way it was before sending it in.

That's good to know! I assumed the worst and figured there was going to be some loophole like "Yea you can change the cooler but you took off the "warranty void if removed" sticker so you voided your warranty" lol

looks awesome and cold too :D

Nemes1s89
looks awesome and cold too :D

Thanks!

Just wanted to update this after a week of using the G12/H90 combo for anyone still on the fence about going through with this mod, mostly to share the things I like about the way I did things and what I would do differently.
 
 
First and foremost I wish I had went with an AIO with longer tubing so that I could have used a top/rear exhausting push/pull radiator mounting rather than the current front intake pull/(kind of push?) setup I was forced to use. I definitely underestimated how much the Cryorig R1 I am using would effect radiator placement, which did in fact have a decent amount of room for a radiator and fan above and behind it, but collided with the hoses coming out of the radiator in both top and rear exhaust setups which was something I hadn't considered. Because of the tubes still being somewhat inflexible, even a front mounting put more strain on the card than I was comfortable with so I used some radiator mounts I had on hand as spacers which you can kind of see below.

 
Next, I wish I would have taken the money I spent on heatsinks and thermal pads (~$30?) to instead buy a Noctua PWM fan to replace the 3 pin fan on the G12, along with some thermal probes compatible with my Mobo to place on the VRM/VRAM so that I could use Ai suite to control the G12's fan and set an alert in case they reached temps over 120C. It seems that the VRM/VRAM will do fine without the stock midplate (In my specific setup at least) as long as you have decent airflow in your case and the ambient temperature in your room isn't 50C. Also, if you decide to go without heatsinks you have the added benefit of not having to worry about causing a short circuit or of them falling off since they will be hanging upside down. The Arctic pads I used have held up well so far, but it has only been a week, so time will tell if they fall off or not.
 
All in all though I am very happy with my choice of water cooling my 1080 Ti FE, which performs much better with the lower temps thanks to how GPU boost works, and has the advantage of being able to use the G12/H90 on my next card as well which was a big selling point for me.
 

Not to crash your parade OP and thanks for sharing this info but this technically isn't a mod since all it is is a GPU bracket w/out the AIO cooler.  This was designed the way you just installed it.  You just get the shroud with fan and the AIO is bought separately.  I like it better that way because it gives the user the opportunity to grab say a 240mm AIO for better cooling performance.  You also didn't need those heatsinks as you already pointed, is a risk in of itself if one of them makes contact and shorts the board but regardless, the fan from the shroud is there for those cooling needs just like a typical hybrid cooler.  I've been echoing this product for weeks for those looking for a hybrid cooler since EVGA had run out of stock very quickly as all those folks have to do is, buy the Kraken G12 (Newer revision and easier to install apparently.) and purchase the AIO separately.

GTXJackBauer
Not to crash your parade OP and thanks for sharing this info but this technically isn't a mod since all it is is a GPU bracket w/out the AIO cooler.  This was designed the way you just installed it.  You just get the shroud with fan and the AIO is bought separately.  I like it better that way because it gives the user the opportunity to grab say a 240mm AIO for better cooling performance.  You also didn't need those heatsinks as you already pointed, is a risk in of itself if one of them makes contact and shorts the board but regardless, the fan from the shroud is there for those cooling needs just like a typical hybrid cooler.  I've been echoing this product for weeks for those looking for a hybrid cooler since EVGA had run out of stock very quickly as all those folks have to do is, buy the Kraken G12 (Newer revision and easier to install apparently.) and purchase the AIO separately.

Yea I know its not a mod as in the technical sense but you are taking apart your GPU to change the cooler so it's not exactly adding a sticker either.  And I agree with you on not needing the heatsinks, but if someone does a google search for the G10 for example you'll see alot of conflicting information on whether they are needed or not so I went ahead and did it anyway, but made sure to point out they are probably unnecessary at several points. I know most people already know all of this, but I wanted to do a write-up for someone like me who hadn't done it before and couldn't find any information on this specific combo

Could you have squeezed the backplate on if you wanted too? I did with my G10 bracket a couple cards ago.

Jesso2k
Could you have squeezed the backplate on if you wanted too? I did with my G10 bracket a couple cards ago.

You can put the backplate on but you will need nuts for the screws that held the old cooler on for it to actually brace your card since the backplate screws fasten into the cooler mounting screws. You could put it back together without any nuts for the cooler screws though and have it just sit on top of the card, it wouldn't offer any support though