I don't trust the thermal paste/pads on these preinstalled blocks. I have the Powercolor 6800XT Liquid Devil with its preinstalled EK block. During gaming, the GPU core temps were hitting mid-60°C and the hotspot actually hit 90°C a few times!
I took the block off and the thermal paste application seemed decent. Full coverage with a bit of excess squeezed out the sides so I have no idea what was wrong with the core temperatures. Thermal pads were some really soft ones that sort of fell apart when touched. I put Thermal Grizzly's Conductonaut liquid metal on the core and their Minus 8 pads on everything else. Core temps now stabilised at around 45-50 with hotspot in the 60s. VRM and memory also stayed in the 40s.
I purchased one of these a couple weeks ago. It just went back today because of a potentially poor paste job. It would basically instantly hit 95C hot spot temp and thermal throttle even before hitting anywhere near 100% gpu load. This is with a proper custom loop that would keep my previous MSi Seahawk X 1080ti EK at 42C (hot spot 60C) while running at full tilt.
I had to return it because where I live I can't legally break the warranty sticker. And it would be silly to break it out of the box to look for a crap paste job. When it is potentially something else wrong with it.
I don't trust the thermal paste/pads on these preinstalled blocks. I have the Powercolor 6800XT Liquid Devil with its preinstalled EK block. During gaming, the GPU core temps were hitting mid-60°C and the hotspot actually hit 90°C a few times!
I took the block off and the thermal paste application seemed decent. Full coverage with a bit of excess squeezed out the sides so I have no idea what was wrong with the core temperatures. Thermal pads were some really soft ones that sort of fell apart when touched. I put Thermal Grizzly's Conductonaut liquid metal on the core and their Minus 8 pads on everything else. Core temps now stabilised at around 45-50 with hotspot in the 60s. VRM and memory also stayed in the 40s.
That's fine, I had the same problems with this card. So you are free to contact xfx an explain your problems and like me will be allowed to change the thermal compounds without any warranty issues. But yeah, extra costs and time spent.
Calenhad:
I purchased one of these a couple weeks ago. It just went back today because of a potentially poor paste job. It would basically instantly hit 95C hot spot temp and thermal throttle even before hitting anywhere near 100% gpu load. This is with a proper custom loop that would keep my previous MSi Seahawk X 1080ti EK at 42C (hot spot 60C) while running at full tilt.
I had to return it because where I live I can't legally break the warranty sticker. And it would be silly to break it out of the box to look for a crap paste job. When it is potentially something else wrong with it.
Yeah, as described above, I had the same issue with this card. But switching to Thermal Grizzly Kyronout and Thermal Grizzly Pads sort them out. But it's a mess removing the trash pads...they are really soft and you have to clean most of the pcb afterwards. But now it runs without any issues and smart temperatures (35-40° gpu and 50° at the gpu hotspot). Modding the 1080ti Gaming X from MSI with a Waterblock was much easier.
br, Sebas
That's fine, I had the same problems with this card. So you are free to contact xfx an explain your problems and like me will be allowed to change the thermal compounds without any warranty issues. But yeah, extra costs and time spent.
Yeah, as described above, I had the same issue with this card. But switching to Thermal Grizzly Kyronout and Thermal Grizzly Pads sort them out. But it's a mess removing the trash pads...they are really soft and you have to clean most of the pcb afterwards. But now it runs without any issues and smart temperatures (35-40° gpu and 50° at the gpu hotspot). Modding the 1080ti Gaming X from MSI with a Waterblock was much easier.
br, Sebas
If I had been offered, by XFX support when I spoke with them, to re-paste this card and still keep my warranty I would've done the same. I have all the necessary tools, grease and pads on the shelf. But I wasn't.
I had better luck with the Seahawk. Did not disassemble it until the 3 year warranty had expired since the temps was never a problem. I removed the block and disassembled and cleaned that, and re-pasted after the warranty expired. Did not see more than a couple degrees difference. So that was a way better stock job in my case.
why not buy an aircooled GPU and a separate WB LOL, cost about the same, when you want to sell the card, just put the cooler back on.
i've done both.
my 6800xt (liquid Devil) was pre-blocked, but every new (at the time) gpu (Nvidia or AMD) that i buy gets a separate WB.
the reasons are price, availability, and time. for example, i bought the Asus TUF RX6900xt last month because i found it @ MSRP. and because i didn't save for it i have to wait to get a block (in this case Alphacool or Phanteks as block and backplate are incl.).
the 6800xt cost more money not just cuz of WB, but scalping (not so bad at the time but over retail).
XFX is always cheaper than the big aib's, but that's ok with an air-cooled card. to do the same with a WB i don't like the corners being cut with crap pads and paste.
Sure isn't $600($629+tax is not $600), but it is the same price on Amazon.
[URL='https://www.amazon.com/XFX-Speedster-QICK319-Graphics-RX-67XTYPBDP/dp/B091ZKN2RV/ref=sr_1_3?crid=NXMK3NQ0HVQ0&keywords=6700+xt&qid=1647099265&sprefix=6700%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-3']https://www.amazon.com/XFX-Speedster-QICK319-Graphics-RX-67XTYPBDP/dp/B091ZKN2RV/ref=sr_1_3?crid=NXMK3NQ0HVQ0&keywords=6700+xt&qid=1647099265&sprefix=6700,aps,100&sr=8-3
[/URL]
EDIT: Back to the high price on Amazon now. Another XFX model still available for $699.99...
Hey guys! I'm just doing the thermal pads/LM on this card now...I emailed ek and got back these.. Put it back together and I know my GPU to waterblock contact is off..gpu 70 and hotspot in the 90s at stock settings..anything in MPT I get an instant shut down under load..
Do those pad thicknesses look ok in the diagrams? I can't imagine it being the LM application itself as I have done numerous cards in the past with no problems..
Cheers for any info
Oh I'm using the gelid ultimate...now I know these aren't as soft as other pads but have used them successfully on a rog strix 6900xt lc and a gigabyte xtreme waterforce 6900xt..
Could the issue though with this card be that there isn't as much clamping force? And the pads just aren't squeezing up enough? So maybe I should drop .5mm off in pad sizes?
Mem temps/Junction temps are all amazing/mosfets vrm etc all mid 30s..
Put it back together and I know my GPU to waterblock contact is off..gpu 70 and hotspot in the 90s at stock settings..anything in MPT I get an instant shut down under load.. Do those pad thicknesses look ok in the diagrams? I can't imagine it being the LM application itself as I have done numerous cards in the past with no problems.. Cheers for any info