What thickness thermal pads should i use to replace mine?  These cards(akimbo 8800gt SC) used to idle at 35c and now 45c even after tim replacement so im thinking the pads may not be doing their job. I have researched and cant seem to find it. Thanks!

My 8800GT Akimbo has always idled at 45C....even after TIM replacement. Sorry, I do not know the answer to your pad thickness question.

I used this 1mm thick stuff..Was kinda worried the 0.5mm stuff might be a little too thin and figured even if the 1mm stuff was a little too thick it would compress and conform, it did, it's all good..That will be enough pad to easily do 2 8800 GT's, maybe 3..Take the covers off them and clean the HSF while you're at it..That might be the problem anyway (partially clogged)..Try blowing them out with canned air first if you haven't already..But really, I wouldn't worry about 45C idle..I wouldn't start to be concerned untill much over 90C on a regular basis under load..The max GPU temp is 105C.

Thanks, Im not worried about the temps being too high, they never go above 48c in BFBC2 with my fan profile set up....just wanted to try and lower the idle temps back to where they used to be...Thanks fore the tips...Just waiting till i can get my 2 460's :)

You can also get the pad's from here.
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=580

Hey i have a 8800gt sc with regular heatsink, temps go up as high as 107C. i applied AC5 but temps are around 105C still. Does anyone know a guide or something to know if i applied AC5 ok? I didnt know how to clean the heatsink though.

are you using a fan profile on those? seems way too high, running furmark mine never go above 60c at 80% fan speed. gaming they never go above 50c.  Are both cards doing it? if so you have a airflow problem.   I cleaned my heatsink with artic silver cleaning solution then used IC diamond TIM. You can use alcohol also with qtips.