I was told not to use the correct size pads for my EVGA RTX 2060S/2080S? Also need fans.

[Cyber Akuma]

I have a 08G-P4-3062-KR (EVGA RTX 2060 Super SC Black ACX 3.0) and a 08G-P4-3081-KR (EVGA RTX 2080 SUPER Black)

For the 2060, the fan sometimes makes a grinding noise (Shown here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLUOB9xM-5E
) and the noise gets louder if I touch the card. I was told that the fan model this card uses is "PLA09215B12H" but I can't find a good one. Sure if I type in that number I get results, but they all appear to be knockoffs from China or used fans pulled from another card that may or may not be in good working condition. Is there any place to get good ones? Without paying something ridiculous considering this card is going for around $150 or less used these days?

But my bigger problem is the thermal pads. The 2060S isn't too bad, but the 2080S runs rather hot, and I am worried the pads might have dried out. When I asked EVGA for the measurements however I got this:

https://imgur.com/a/PqoRevO

View: https://imgur.com/a/PqoRevO


That's..... a lot of differently sized pads, especially for the 2080. And due to there being multiple pads in increments of .25mm instead of .5s, it's hard to find them (especially, again, ones that aren't bootleg Chinese ones claiming to be a copy of a good brand). The only place I could find that carries them in those sizes was Kritical, but the pads for the 2060 from them would cost about 1/3rd the price of the card, and the 2080 almost what I paid for the card.

Furthermore however, to add to my confusion, I was also told "They are extra squishy. You need to find the equivalents in normal pads." and "If you buy the sizes they used it won't work. Like I said they use extra squishy pads that are not regularly available." and to start searching in forums for what sizes I would actually need, since apparently I can't use the advertised sizes due to them being "extra squishy"???

Can anyone please help me with this? What size or type of pads am I supposed to use for these cards? Can I get a set of good pads without paying nearly the price the card itself goes for used these days?

 

[kronLaky]

I had a similar situation. I bought GPU coolers. Often, such coolers from third-party manufacturers are already included with fans and help cool more than standard fans. And of course, from time to time it is necessary to carry out a technical inspection, cleaning of dust, etc.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I have a 08G-P4-3062-KR (EVGA RTX 2060 Super SC Black ACX 3.0) and a 08G-P4-3081-KR (EVGA RTX 2080 SUPER Black)

For the 2060, the fan sometimes makes a grinding noise (Shown here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLUOB9xM-5E
) and the noise gets louder if I touch the card. I was told that the fan model this card uses is "PLA09215B12H" but I can't find a good one. Sure if I type in that number I get results, but they all appear to be knockoffs from China or used fans pulled from another card that may or may not be in good working condition. Is there any place to get good ones? Without paying something ridiculous considering this card is going for around $150 or less used these days?

But my bigger problem is the thermal pads. The 2060S isn't too bad, but the 2080S runs rather hot, and I am worried the pads might have dried out. When I asked EVGA for the measurements however I got this:

https://imgur.com/a/PqoRevO

View: https://imgur.com/a/PqoRevO


That's..... a lot of differently sized pads, especially for the 2080. And due to there being multiple pads in increments of .25mm instead of .5s, it's hard to find them (especially, again, ones that aren't bootleg Chinese ones claiming to be a copy of a good brand). The only place I could find that carries them in those sizes was Kritical, but the pads for the 2060 from them would cost about 1/3rd the price of the card, and the 2080 almost what I paid for the card.

Furthermore however, to add to my confusion, I was also told "They are extra squishy. You need to find the equivalents in normal pads." and "If you buy the sizes they used it won't work. Like I said they use extra squishy pads that are not regularly available." and to start searching in forums for what sizes I would actually need, since apparently I can't use the advertised sizes due to them being "extra squishy"???

Can anyone please help me with this? What size or type of pads am I supposed to use for these cards? Can I get a set of good pads without paying nearly the price the card itself goes for used these days?

What exactly is running hot? Because if its the GPU core, you need thermal paste for the chip not pads for the VRMs and memory. Any non conductive TIM like Arctic MX4 will be fine yiull find guides online.

Maybe @Lutfij would have some thoughts on the thermal pads? I would think any brand would do as long as theyre the right thickness, I'm dubious about the extra soft stuff, but I'd think if you used slightly thicker it would condense down just fine when you tighten the cooler, to thin would be a problem because you wouldnt get contact.

I'd be willing to bet the 'knock off' fans youre talking about from China are probably the exact same ones EVGA used. Nearly everything is made there and rebranded as something else with PC parts.

One thought: have you tried taking the cooler off and checking the plastic housing around the fan to see if its warped or anything?

 

[Cyber Akuma]

What exactly is running hot? Because if its the GPU core, you need thermal paste for the chip not pads for the VRMs and memory. Any non conductive TIM like Arctic MX4 will be fine yiull find guides online.

It's the 2080 that is running hot. The only measurement the card has is the GPU core and hotspot, it sadly does not have a sensor for the memory (or if it does, multiple applications that are supposed to report the temp don't see it). I was planning to use NT-H2 for the GPU core anyway, but I was wondering if the pads could have dried out too.

I would think any brand would do as long as theyre the right thickness, I'm dubious about the extra soft stuff, but I'd think if you used slightly thicker it would condense down just fine when you tighten the cooler, to thin would be a problem because you wouldnt get contact.

Yeah, that's somewhat the problem. The cards have oddball thicknesses like 0.75, 1.25, 1.75, etc that almost nobody carries, and the diagrams EVGA sent me in that Imgur link don't mention how soft/hard the pads are.

I'd be willing to bet the 'knock off' fans youre talking about from China are probably the exact same ones EVGA used. Nearly everything is made there and rebranded as something else with PC parts.

That's actually a good point.

One thought: have you tried taking the cooler off and checking the plastic housing around the fan to see if its warped or anything?

Not yet, I have been trying to find guides on how to open it, but I can't find my exact models. I an hoping there is a way to get to the fans without having to take off the heatsink and disturb the pads/paste.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I seem to remember Nvidia not having sensors on the VRM and memory but last card I had was 900 series. Removing coolers is fairly easy if youre careful, just try and run the card a bit warm for a while before starting and twist a little rather than pulling if its a bit stuck.

I usually repaste my cards but thermal pads dont usually need replacing unless theyre dry. I imagine that you can just use something 0.25mm thicker than you need if you cant find teh right size. but understand you want someone who knows for sure.

I see youre over at H. I thought that place closed down years ago, someone there should have a decent idea I would think. Sorry I cant be more useful here.

 

[Brian Boru]

Useful-looking discussion on this topic also on HardForum.