The Arctic Accelero R9 290X-Xtreme III

[Z15CAM]

INFO: I initially Titled this Post to discuss Thermal Adhesives & Pastes related to attaching Heatsinks specifically to the Video Cards VRM modules when installing aftermarket Hi-End Air Coolers; however, with the participation of some very interested and informative members the thread has taken a light of it's own and should be appropriately Titled : "The Arctic Accelero R9 290X-Xtreme III"

The only thing I ask is that contributing Members keep the Red Vs Green Rivalry to a Minimum Taunt and focus on finding a more efficient method to mount the Arctic Accelero Xtreme III on the Reference R9 290/X Cards or for a nVidia card for that matter but it is general conses that the latest AMD cards would benefit more from a better Air Cooler.

I'm sure this thread will be very useful to others wanting to try something different and keep our interests active.

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I just bought a Gigabyte Ref R9 290X and the Arctic Accelero Extreme III cooler.

From what I've read the Heat Sink Adhesive in the Accelero Extreme III Kit is no good.

A side from using Thermal Tape such as 3M™ Thermally Conductive Adhesive Transfer Tapes 8805 5ml (0.125mm thick) where tape may not be a suitable solution, I've read that Arctic Silver Premium Silver Thermal Adhesive (None Electrical Conductive) is the Best; BUT, its Epoxy and once applied it's on there forever and one cannot remove the Heat Sinks without damaging the chips.

I've also read that if one mixes a 1:1 Ratio of Arctic Silver Premium Silver Thermal Adhesive with Arctic Silver Alumina Premium Ceramic Polysynthetic Thermal Compound (Also None Electrical Conductive), one can remove the Heat Sinks if you place the Card in a Freezer for 30 mins, the Adhesive Epoxy mix crystalizes and you can pry off the Heat Sinks. I do not know what mess is left though. I am willing to experiment with this method on some old cards.

Another credited Thermal Adhesive that remains Flexible and Heat Sinks can be removed is FUJIK Thermal Glue, Silicone (50ml Grease Like). Apparently not as efficient as Arctic Silver's Solution but you can remove Heat Sinks without Damaging chips.

As you see I do not want to permanently mount the Heat Sinks of the Accelero Extreme III Kit but I do want Good Adhesion with Descent Heat Transfer where the Heat Sinks can be removed with out damaging the chips: That is, I want to be able to return the Card back to it's Original Ref Cooler Design if need be.

Right now I am leaning toward the FIJIK Thermal Glue solution but have no idea how dependable the product is at preserving Thermal Efficiency or its ability to keep the Heat Sink on the chip.

I would appreciate anyone with experience in this matter to please provide some In-Put as I do need advice.

Thanks: Ron

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i7 2700k/ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3/Corsair H110 AIO (running @ .996v/1600Mhz to 1.376v/4600Mhz 24/7 between 36 to 67C), 4 x's 4GB sticks of Samsung MV-3V4G3D-US DDR3 running at 1.34v/1866Mhz 9-9-9-24 1T with 4GB's assigned to a RAMDisk drive to handle Win7 64 Bit Sluff and negate writes to the SSD, Samsung 840 Pro 256 SSD, 2 x's WD5001AALS HDD's in Raid-0, 1 x's WD1002FAEX 1TB, ASUS DRW-24B1ST DVDRW, Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 PCIe, 2nd Intel NIC for Dual Networking, XFX 850W Pro Black Black Edition modular PSU, AMD Ref Gigabyte 1000Mhz R9 290X/Accelero Xtreme III, eVGA GTX 280 in reserve for Physic's-X support, Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 case, QX2510 Samsung PLS 2560x1440 res display at 120Hz.

TOTAL Investment on this Platform including 13% HST Tax Plus Shipping is approx $2,534.00 spent over a period of a year.

Aside from Mfgr's 10 to 15% price markup selling to the CDN Market the killer is the 13% HST Tax and cost of shipping in Canada. I pd $3000 for a 386-40 DX in 1994 - LOL.

 

[schmuckley]

Know that using straight thermal adhesive nixes any chance of RMA should something go wrong.
One way is to mix half-and-half epoxy and TIM..then MAYBE the sinks will pop off w/o taking RAM chips/VRMs with them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100005

The shorter Enzotech sinks are best..

 

[Z15CAM]

Know that using straight thermal adhesive nixes any chance of RMA should something go wrong.

Precisely the point. That's why I think that FIJIK Thermal Glue may be the way to go but have not found any reviews on the product.

Enzotech - I have them BRC's on my old 9800XT with a Zalman - Believe I used 3M™ Thermal Tape and it's still together.

I see Enzotech uses 3M™ 8815 Thermal Tape. Isn't 8815 rather thick? Would not the thinner 8805 conduct more heat?

 

[schmuckley]

Precisely the point. That's why I think that FIJIK Thermal Glue may be the way to go but have not found any reviews on the product.

Enzotech - I have them BRC's on my old 9800XT with a Zalman - Believe I used 3M™ Thermal Tape and it's still together.

I see Enzotech uses 3M™ 8815 Thermal Tape. Isn't 8815 rather thick? Would not the thinner 8805 conduct more heat?

I scrape it off and lap them ..and use the 50/50 mix.

 

[Z15CAM]

I scrape it off and lap them ..and use the 50/50 mix.

You do say! Not that I didn't mention it. You're making me brave. You can remove the Heat Sinks without damaging the Chips by using the Freezer Method - RIGHT - LOL

Do you use the Arctic Silver Alumina Premium Ceramic Polysynthetic Thermal Compound with the Arctic Silver Premium Silver Thermal Adhesive or can you use Arctic Silver 5 as well, although Electrical Conductive, should be of no consequence, I assume?

Be sure I will experiment on chips of an old Card before I attempt to implement the Arctic Silver 50/50 Epoxy Adhesive/Paste Mix.

I'm not too concerned about absolute cooling of the vRam but definitely want to concentrate on cooling the VRM's and I believe the 50/50 mix will give the best efficiency.

 

[schmuckley]

I mix 50/50 epoxy and Ceramique2 (bcuz..25G tube) Maybe a little heavier on the TIM..
apply with toothpick..does not take much..
I feel I should mention a 2-week old 5870 that is UN-RMAable because half the VRM came off stuck to the sink..(straight epoxy on that)

The mix worked last time.. ()

 

[Z15CAM]

Thanks for your input schmuckley - I'm thinking 3M adhesive Tape on the vRam and perhaps the 50/50 Epoxy/Ceramique paste it is then with a nice array of Copper Enzotech Heat Sinks on the VRMs.

That's Metal to Metal Right? I'll experiment 1st and be Brave on the final assembly providing my experiments hold true. Basically we are weakening the Epoxy Glue Adhesion with a Heat Conductive Ceramic paste so the contact can be broken without damaging things.

I've no qualms about polishing the VRM casing with 1200 Wet sand paper if residue remains but I would surely hate to see the Relay Casings break off in my attempt to remove the Heat Sinks - Just a Tooth Pick Dab on the VRMs you say ;o)

 

[schmuckley]

That is correct,sir.
Metal-to-silicon is always better.
PS:You may need a shim.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/20761/thr-215/Pure_Copper_Thermal_Shim_-_15mm_x_15mm_x_05mm.html

 

[Z15CAM]

Apparently the 290/X's do not require the shim as the GPU interface is above the containment.

Do you know anything about FUJIK Thermal Glue? It appears to stay flexible but doesn't quite match the efficiency of the 50/50 Mix. I thinking it may be safer on the VRMs.

 

[PliotronX]

I use alumina adhesive as its a lot cheaper and not electrically conductive. If you're going to boost the thermal conductivity while making the bond less permanent anyway which is what I've always done, the silver adhesive makes less sense. MEK should be able to get remnants off without resorting to sandpaper.

 

[Z15CAM]

Thanks PliotronX: You say have luck with using a 50/50 Mix of Arctic Alumina™ Thermal Adhesive with Ceramique2 Paste which becomes brittle in the freezer for disassemble. This stuff right: http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_thermal_adhesive.htm and http://www.arcticsilver.com/cmq2.html; in other words, Arctic Silver Premium Silver Thermal Adhesive is not necessary.

Enzotech MOS-C1 Forged Copper Heat Sinks for MOSFET. Are these the items we are referring to for the VRMs? : http://www.enzotechnology.com/mos-c1.htm

 

[schmuckley]

VRMs and/or VRAM
Just make sure they're the shorter ones..or else you have to bend each little "fin" down
Some thicker thermal tape for the VRAM that's just under the heatpipe base..probably already is some with stock cooler.

 

[Z15CAM]

probably already is some with stock cooler

Right.

Long and bent over to clear the rad would dissipate heat better - What not - Could always file them down if the shorts are not available. The demensios of these are 6.5(L)mm x 6.5mm(W) x 12mm(H).

 

[PliotronX]

Alumina/Ceramique; damn good combo. Remember if you ever have to remove them (knock on wood), twist them don't pull. You may not have to freeze it with the bond weakened (of course don't twist too hard before freezing, you'll know when to give up and freeze it).

 

[Face2Face]

I used this tape for a few memory heatsinks on my accelero. It works fine, pretty strong bond and easy to take off and remove.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...x_80_mm_Square_AK-TT12-80.html?tl=g8c487s1291

 

[Z15CAM]

Yah, I'm back with another question or say observance ;o)

I was going to ask what's the difference between using Arctic Alumina™ Thermal Adhesive Vs Arctic Silver ASTA-7G Thermal Compound Paste Adhesive Epoxy when you're mixing a 50/50 of either one with Arctic Silver CMQ2-2.7G Ceramique 2 Thermal Compound Paste. What's the purpose, if any, does the mixing of alloys between the Epoxy Adhesive and the Ceramic paste have?

Would you not think if I where to use the Arctic Alumina™ Thermal Adhesive that I should use Arctic Alumina Premium Ceramic Thermal Compound, and similarly, if I used Arctic Silver ASTA-7G Thermal Compound Paste Adhesive Epoxy that I would pair it with Arctic Silver CMQ2-2.7G Ceramique 2 Thermal Compound Paste.

This caught my attention and wondered if there is a purpose behind using Dissimilar Metals in the mix: For instance, does it make it easier to dissemble compared to if you had used the Same Alloy in the Mix and would a One-Alloy Alu-Mix have any benefit Vs the One-Alloy Silver-Mix for our purpose of attaching Copper Mosfet Heat Sinks to the metal casings of the VGA's VRM modules?

The main reason I'm asking is that I'm about to place and Order Online.

Thanks: Ron

 

[Wall Street]

I used the adhesive that came with my Accelero Twin Turbo II.

If they give you the "mix two packets" kind, it works very well as long as you follow the instructions to the letter. You need to mix the glue for five minutes. Don't just mix it for a while, take a watch out and count the five minutes. Then once you apply the glue you need to let it set overnight. Not a half hour or so, really overnight. The adhesive is very liquid, but non-conductive so letting a little spill over the side of the chip is not a problem.

I did this with my GTX 570 and all of the heatsinks are definitely permanently bonded. Arctic cooling supposedly packages some non-mixed type adhesive that should be easier to use but I have no experience with it (which type did you get?). The included thermal adhesive should have much better temps than thermal pads.

 

[PliotronX]

You can actually mix any thermal paste with the epoxy, ceramique just happens to be one of the better samples. The purpose is to weaken the bond while improving thermal conductivity.

 

[Z15CAM]

So it just the matter that the paste has to be Ceramic and the Alloys are irrelevant; other then, the Silver/Ceramic mix might be somewhat more efficient - Thanks PliotronX

The included thermal adhesive

But can you disassemble, using the Kits Thermal Adhesive, without damaging the VRM Casings?

 

[Wall Street]

But can you disassemble, using the Kits Thermal Adhesive, without damaging the VRM Casings?

I have never tried, and why would I? I would rather have an adhesive that holds very well than one that is easier to remove.

 

[Z15CAM]

I just ordered the Arctic Silver Epoxy Thermal Adhesive and a tube of Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 Paste ;o)

I have never tried, and why would I?

How about selling the Card with the reference cooler and keeping the Acelero Xtreme III to put on a GTX 780 Ti - LOL.

Buy the way how many of them Enzotech MOS-C1 Copper MOSFET Coolers should I buy? There are 10 in a Pkg. Do I need 6, 12 or 14 VRM Heat sinks on a R9 290X?

 

[Z15CAM]

Thanks for all your help.

After the Arctic Silver Epoxy Thermal Adhesive and a tube of Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 Paste purchase I bought 2 Pkg's each of Enzotech MOS-C1 Copper MOSFET Cooler (10PK) and Enzotech BCC9 (BMR-C1L) Low Profile Copper BGA Heatsinks. I should have a fresh supply of Thermal Adhesive & Paste plus few Heat sinks left over.

My plan is to use the Enzotech Copper Heatsinks rather then the Xtreme III Aluminum Sinks and use Thermal Tape for the vRam chips and the Arctic Silver Epoxy Adhesive/Ceramique 2 Paste 50/50 mix on the metal Cased VRM modules.

This added approximately another $85 to the total of my Gigabyte REF R9 290X - Arctic Accelero Xtreme III combination.

It`s not cheap but this concludes my build at this point.

Next is BF4 with Mantle and inlist into STAR Citizen or go Hunting Green Martians - LOL

---------------------------------------
i7 2700k/ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3/Corsair H110 AIO (running @ .996v/1600Mhz to 1.376v/4600Mhz 24/7 between 36 to 67C), 4 x's 4GB sticks of Samsung MV-3V4G3D-US DDR3 running at 1.34v/1866Mhz 9-9-9-24 1T with 4GB's assigned to a RAMDisk drive to handle Win7 64 Bit Sluff and negate writes to the SSD, Samsung 840 Pro 256 SSD, 2 x's WD5001AALS HDD's in Raid-0, 1 x's WD1002FAEX 1TB, ASUS DRW-24B1ST DVDRW, Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 PCIe, 2nd Intel NIC for Dual Networking, XFX 850W Pro Black Black Edition modular PSU, AMD Ref Gigabyte 1000Mhz R9 290X/Accelero Xtreme III, eVGA GTX 280 in reserve for Physic's-X support, Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 case, QX2510 Samsung PLS 2560x1440 res display at 120Hz.

TOTAL Investment on this Platform including 13% HST Tax Plus Shipping is approx $2,634.00 spent over a period of a year which includes various miscellaneous items.

Aside from Mfgr's 10 to 15% price markup selling to the CDN Market the killer is the 13% HST Tax and cost of shipping in Canada. I pd $3000 for a 386-40 DX in 1994 - LOL.

 

[Subyman]

The Enzotech copper heatsinks come with adhesive, correct? Is that stuff "permanent?" I've got some coming in the mail and I was going to use the pad it came with, but if it makes it impossible to remove from the chips then I'll need to find an alternative.

 

[Z15CAM]

Enzotech copper heatsinks come with adhesive, correct?

Yes it's Thermal Tape and can be removed - Ideal for vRam Chips but not very efficient for metal Cased VRM modules.

I just read this: User reports, the Arctic Accelero Xtreme III Kit thermal adhesive to remain flexible and can optionally also be detached again; however, most enthusiasts are not impressed with it's efficiency.

I know for a fact that I will be doing some Mods to individual Enzotech copper heatsinks so that they fit either under or through the Fins of the Arctic Accelero Xtreme III Cooler but hey that's what customizing for performance is all about.

The purpose of my Video Card build is to achieve a Cool, Quiet and Efficient Air Cooled OC'g R9 290X under the Accelero Xtreme III Cooler with a few minor mods and be able to reverse the Customization back to the Reference Design with out damaging the Card.

 

[Subyman]

I need to figure something out for my VRMs. I bought 16 enzotech heatsinks for the VRAM.