Poor Thermal Paste Quality Causes GPU Overheating

Recent reports from Igor’s Lab (thanks Wccftech) highlight a critical issue causing many new graphics cards to overheat. The culprit? Poor quality thermal paste.

Igor’s Lab conducted an in-depth analysis of various GPUs. They discovered that many graphics cards suffer from degraded cooling performance due to substandard thermal paste. This issue affects cards from multiple manufacturers, leading to high hotspot temperatures.

Impact on Performance

The poor-quality thermal paste causes GPUs to overheat after a few months of use. Initially, the paste performs well, but it quickly degrades. Users report their GPUs, such as the RTX 4080 models, reaching temperatures over 100°C at hotspots. This overheating leads to performance throttling, reducing the overall effectiveness of the GPUs.

Detailed Findings

Igor’s Lab tested a new Manli Geforce RTX 4080 16GB Gallardo and an Asus RTX 4080 TUF Gaming graphics card. They found that the thermal paste used contains large aluminum oxide particles and an oily liquid. The paste’s initial thin layer works well, but it starts to drip and lose conductivity over time. This degradation causes the GPUs to overheat, impacting performance.

Solutions

Replacing the poor-quality thermal paste with a better one can solve the overheating issue. However, this process is challenging for many users as it involves disassembling the GPU, which may void the warranty. Additionally, some manufacturers refuse to accept returns even when the GPU temperatures exceed safe limits.

The use of inferior thermal paste in GPUs is a significant problem affecting performance and longevity. Both users and manufacturers need to address this issue to ensure optimal GPU functioning.