I thought those cheap thermal pads from the online marketplace were junk.

For a while, I refused to use anything but the expensive brand name pads for GPU repairs. A client brought in a card with a specific 0.5mm gap, and the good stuff was out of stock. I tried a generic blue pad from a kit, expecting terrible results. After running a stress test for an hour, the temps were actually two degrees lower than my usual fix. Has anyone else been surprised by a no-name part that just worked right?

3 comments

3 Comments

david9203d ago

So the cheap stuff actually worked better this time?

craig.olivia3d ago

Are you sure you tested it right? Two degrees is basically margin of error, and that generic pad is gonna dry out or pump out in a month. I've seen those blue ones turn into crusty plastic sheets after one heat cycle. The good stuff lasts years. You got lucky with that one gap, but try it on a memory chip or a hot VRM and watch the temps spike. Cheap pads are a gamble you don't want to take with someone else's hardware.

iris_thomas853d ago

My buddy used a generic pad on his 3080 last year. Temps looked fine for about three weeks, then the memory started hitting 110c. Opened it up and the pad had basically turned to dust. Craig's right, it's not worth the risk.