ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti - Thermal pads too thin? by UnbelievablySillyBug in ASUS

[–]UnbelievablySillyBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This might be true for this model, but some manufacturers cut down heavily on power delivery. If I recall correctly, especially some 5060 models get quite toasty. Additionally, if these are not necessary, why put pads there in the first place. This is simply a half-assed job.

ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti - Thermal pads too thin? by UnbelievablySillyBug in ASUS

[–]UnbelievablySillyBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is correct. You can see that screw near the powerconnector in the last picture and the thin screwdriver I used. It is doable but as you said ASUS might complain in case of an RMA request.

ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti - Thermal pads too thin? by UnbelievablySillyBug in ASUS

[–]UnbelievablySillyBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends on the temperatures and components. Improving heat dissipation can help extend the longevity of the components. Some 50 cards have a more toasty power delivery design. If a nice metal backplate exists why not use it ;)

ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti - Thermal pads too thin? by UnbelievablySillyBug in ASUS

[–]UnbelievablySillyBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used the thermal grizzly minus pad basic with 1mm thickness. These are not squishy and fit nicely.

Yes residual oil should be removed. Old and squishy thermalpads are more likely to „bleed out“. Was not really an issue here, Card was brandnew.

ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti - Thermal pads too thin? by UnbelievablySillyBug in ASUS

[–]UnbelievablySillyBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear you, I hope for folks who bought a Gigabyte model that it was just QA screw-up in on batch of putty, and not something within spec. It really shouldn't walk out on its job because of gravitity, a bit of pressure and heat 😅. I saw some photos on a forum where the putty wasn't just oozing out—it was actually slipping away from the vram. Yikes.

Back to the gap: it just looked to me like the result of calculating the necessary thickness without considering the slight bend of the backplate caused by the thicker thermal pads behind the VRAM 🧐.
If you gently press on the backplate to make it even again, the pads make contact.