The graphics card gets very hot under full load and makes a lot of noise? A YouTuber has shown how you can significantly reduce the temperature for 10 euros. However, this trick should not be tried by everyone.
Some of you may know this: As soon as a graphics card or the PS4 reaches high temperatures, the console becomes very loud. At high temperatures, the hardware also often throttles performance to prevent problems. You can also do some things against a loud and hot PS4, such as properly cleaning the console.
A YouTuber has now shown how to improve the cooling of a graphics card by 45% with an investment of around 10 euros. However, this trick is not suitable for every system.
YouTuber replaces thermal pads with copper pads
What exactly did the YouTuber do? The YouTuber DandyWorks grabbed his GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and adjusted the cooling.
Asus uses an additional heatsink in the TUF model of the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to cool the video memory. However, according to the YouTuber, this does not work optimally. Especially when the temperatures of the video memory reach 110 degrees under full load.
In his video, he removed the thermal pads that are located between the heatsink and the video memory and replaced them with copper plates. The price for such copper plates is between 7 and 10 euros.
Why does he choose copper? Copper is not only a good electrical conductor but also has excellent heat conduction properties. Therefore, copper conducts heat much better than conventional thermal paste.
By the way, the YouTuber cannot completely do without thermal paste. It has to minimize the unevenness between the copper and the memory chips. That’s why he puts thermal paste both between the memory and the copper and between the copper and the heatsink.
How do the temperatures change? In a test, he looks at how the temperatures change. Previously, the video memory reached a temperature of 110 degrees and pushed the maximum that the video memory allows. With the copper plates, the temperatures drop significantly to only 64 degrees. That’s an improvement of 41% compared to the thermal pads.
Working with copper is dangerous and you should not try this
That’s why you shouldn’t try this video: Copper has a very good electrical conductivity. Similar to liquid metal, which some users use as cooling for their processors, copper is not a toy and is only recommended for people who are knowledgeable about the matter.
The copper should definitely not come into contact with other components, as it can short-circuit your hardware and, in the worst case, even cause a fire if not handled cleanly.
For this reason, the YouTuber also taped off the PCB in the area of the copper beforehand to minimize the risks of a short circuit.
Already during the installation of the copper, copper dust is created, which conducts electricity just like the copper pads. If the copper pads shift during later operation, it can also cause major damage or an electrical fire. Conventional thermal paste is therefore still the first and best choice for many users and is among our recommendations if you want to speed up your PC without effort.
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The exchange of old thermal paste is worthwhile and does not cost much
A small upgrade can help: Those who want to improve the performance or at least the temperature of their graphics card often do not need to resort to copper or liquid metal. Often, it is enough to replace the manufacturer’s thermal paste with better thermal paste. But don’t forget that this may void the manufacturer’s warranty.
If you also want to spend no more than 10 euros and give your graphics card a little boost, it is worth grabbing a screwdriver and 5 euros. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann tried this and explains why it is definitely worth it.
