GTX 470/480 TIM replacement, Afterburner, updated w/SLI temps

[Hauk]

Owners who've replaced TIM are apparently seeing measurable temp drops. The cooler design puts the GPU at your disposal without having to mess with pads! Nice..
http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?&m=310095&mpage=1


Very nice to see Afterburner support! Apparently voltage tweaking is possible. I'd hold off on that (beta), but would certainly do a custom fan profile! Mild OC's with a good fan profile, even without a TIM replacement.. lower temps??
http://downloads.guru3d.com/Afterburner-1.6.0-Beta-1-download-2510.html


Update:
I just finished replacing the TIM on my new 470's with AS5. I'm running Afterburner with a good fan profile and 3D clocks @ 650/1300/1700. Compared to what I've seen in reviews, I'm happy with my idle and load temps! Remember, this is w/ SLI:


GTX 470 SLI idle temp:

GTX 470 SLI load temp:

Heaven 2.0 no tesslation:

Canuck's scores:

Heaven 2.0 w/ tesslation:

Canuck's scores:

Rig Pic:

Disclaimer:
Be wise with this type of info. If you've never messed with heatsinks/TIM, or overclocking before, don't let an expensive card be your first test subject. Work on a spare junker, better yet, don't mess around at all.

 

[nitromullet]

Some of us on AT are already using the Afterburner Beta: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2068107

 

[Hauk]

oops..

 

[nitromullet]

oops..

lol, it wasn't meant like that... The info on the TIM is pretty useful.

 

[Hauk]

lol, it wasn't meant like that... The info on the TIM is pretty useful.

No worries.. I missed the OC thread, otherwise I'd have seen y'all were already tinkering with Afterburner. That, plus the ease in TIM replacement are good news for these things. I'm grabbing a couple 470s. I can't resist..

 

[ramj70]

No worries.. I missed the OC thread, otherwise I'd have seen y'all were already tinkering with Afterburner. That, plus the ease in TIM replacement are good news for these things. I'm grabbing a couple 470s. I can't resist..

I thought I would wait to get a new card to replace my 275 but like you I couldn't resist and picked up a 470, couldn't find any 480's. When running games like crysis or mass effect 2 the temp gets up to 80c. The only time I can hear the fan is if I turn my speakers off or remove my headset and its not that loud.

I've been debating on whether to get another 470 though

 

[Hauk]

I thought I would wait to get a new card to replace my 275 but like you I couldn't resist and picked up a 470, couldn't find any 480's. When running games like crysis or mass effect 2 the temp gets up to 80c. The only time I can hear the fan is if I turn my speakers off or remove my headset and its not that loud.

I've been debating on whether to get another 470 though

Tesslation performance may not be a primary factor now; but I suspect it'll be a primary factor soon enough.

470 SLI yields instant gratification in DX9/10/11 games. Down the line, I'm betting 470's hold their value over a 5850 due their tesslation performance alone. Hardware Canucks 470 SLI review is a good read.

 

[ramj70]

Tesslation performance may not be a primary factor now; but I suspect it'll be a primary factor soon enough.

470 SLI yields instant gratification in DX9/10/11 games. Down the line, I'm betting 470's hold their value over a 5850 due their tesslation performance alone. Hardware Canucks 470 SLI review is a good read.

I just ordered my second 470, will be getting it on Monday, this will be my first SLI machine

 

[Hauk]

I just ordered my second 470, will be getting it on Monday, this will be my first SLI machine

Enjoy!

 

[Hauk]

I just ordered my second 470, will be getting it on Monday, this will be my first SLI machine

bump.. check my heaven score & temps..

 

[ramj70]

bump.. check my heaven score & temps..

Looks good, how is the MSI afterburner compared to evga precision?

I don't OC anything so I imagine my 750W psu will be fine for SLI

I notice you have two SLI bridges, so I will need two of those?

 

[Hauk]

Looks good, how is the MSI afterburner compared to evga precision?

I don't OC anything so I imagine my 750W psu will be fine for SLI

I notice you have two SLI bridges, so I will need two of those?

Not sure if Precision allows for a custom fan profile, otherwise the two programs are similar. Afterburner is very slick though, it's easy to use, and it's a tidy little program.

I think two SLI bridges are recommended for 2560 res, otherwise you only need one. I have two so what the heck.

Not sure about the PSU, if you post w/specs including 12v rail amperage, someone can answer.

 

[Keysplayr]

Looks good, how is the MSI afterburner compared to evga precision?

I don't OC anything so I imagine my 750W psu will be fine for SLI

I notice you have two SLI bridges, so I will need two of those?

You only need one for SLI. The secondary connectors are there for Tri/Quad SLI.

 

[tviceman]

Looks good, how is the MSI afterburner compared to evga precision?

I don't OC anything so I imagine my 750W psu will be fine for SLI

I notice you have two SLI bridges, so I will need two of those?

I think you could still get decent overclocks with a 750w PSU and be fine.

 

[ramj70]

Thanks guys, appreciate it.

 

[SHAQ]

Yep I am using a 750 watt continuous power supply. Precision isn't as good as Afterburner yet. No auto fan profile. You can set different fan speeds with hotkeys but that isn't as elegant a solution. And of course no voltage tuning with Precision. EVGA may have a separate program for that when it comes out. I'd rather have everything in one program.

 

[ramj70]

Yep I am using a 750 watt continuous power supply. Precision isn't as good as Afterburner yet. No auto fan profile. You can set different fan speeds with hotkeys but that isn't as elegant a solution. And of course no voltage tuning with Precision. EVGA may have a separate program for that when it comes out. I'd rather have everything in one program.

Good to know about the 750w, thanks

 

[Rubycon]

The reason why so much TIM is used is because the cooler is far from flat! I spread AS5 across the top of the GPU and pressed the heatsink down and the area on the heat pipes had no AS5 at all! I don't think AS5 is the best choice for these conditions. Ceramique may be better. My temps were slightly WORSE so I wound up pulling it off and applying even MORE compound. I guess if you're hardcore you could lap the cooler - sand it down until you reach the pipes and stop!

 

[SHAQ]

Nah...keep sanding until you reach the center. I heard there is nougat inside!

 

[Dark Shroud]

The reason why so much TIM is used is because the cooler is far from flat! I spread AS5 across the top of the GPU and pressed the heatsink down and the area on the heat pipes had no AS5 at all! I don't think AS5 is the best choice for these conditions. Ceramique may be better. My temps were slightly WORSE so I wound up pulling it off and applying even MORE compound. I guess if you're hardcore you could lap the cooler - sand it down until you reach the pipes and stop!

AS Ceramique would be better simply because it's cheaper while performing pretty much the same.

Sorry but AS5 is over priced.

 

[Keysplayr]

Those who have replaced the TIM on their 470 or 480, please report temp differences after a reasonable "burn in" time. (Lets the TIM ooze into all nooks and crannies).

Interested to see the differences.

I've noticed my GTX480s run a bit cooler now than when I first got them. When I first ran a single 480 through it's paces, it approached 94C (stock fan profile). Now I get mid 80s on same bench and stock profile. I could only attribute this to the TIM settling in. But I'd like to see other people's findings before and after TIM replacement.

Thanks!

 

[scooterlibby]

@ OP - Just out of curiosity, why do you have two SLI bridges hooked up with your dual GPU setup? I only used one bridge when I had two GTX260's.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Damn, nice rig and nice temps

 

[Rubycon]

AS Ceramique would be better simply because it's cheaper while performing pretty much the same.

Sorry but AS5 is over priced.

Point is Ceramique tends to do better with parts not fitting tightly together as opposed to AS5. AS5 is a good product and is proven and stable. Sadly application technique will produce a greater deviation of realized results vs. differences in TIM themselves!

 

[spinejam]

I've tried AS-ceramique on my o/c'ed Asus 5770. The 5770 was running mid 90's in furmark before i switched to AS-ceramique. Now it stays in the low 80's during the same testing. Never had temp issues w/ my xfx 5770.