{"id":255340,"date":"2025-07-30T22:59:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T20:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/?p=255340\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T01:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:24:25","slug":"asus-tuf-rtx-5070-ti-a-closer-look-at-thermal-paste-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/en\/asus-tuf-rtx-5070-ti-a-closer-look-at-thermal-paste-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"Asus TUF RTX 5070 Ti: A Closer Look at Thermal Paste Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

We don\u2019t typically disassemble graphics cards in our reviews\u2014and for good reason. Once you take one apart, it\u2019s hard to get it to behave exactly like it did in its original state, especially after replacing the factory thermal paste. With manufacturers who don\u2019t skimp on thermal paste, repasting may not bring any improvement at all. In detailed measurements, we\u2019ll look at how different paste and mounting pressure affect the card\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n

Every now and then, readers comment on the lack of teardown photos in our graphics card reviews. I get it\u2014I\u2019m curious too about what various gadgets look like on the inside. But disassembling graphics cards has one major pitfall\u2014factory-applied thermal paste and thermal pads.<\/p>\n

In graphics card reviews, my priority is to test the cards in the same condition as they arrive from the manufacturer. Sure, it might be interesting to see how a card’s behavior changes when the thermal paste is replaced\u2014but very few people choose a card based on a review with the plan to disassemble it and repaste it the moment they bring it home. Hardly anyone wants to “fix” something themselves on a card for which they just paid hundreds, or thousands, of dollars.<\/p>\n

Many years ago, when manufacturers used all sorts of hard, chewing-gum-like or low-quality pastes, repasting might have made sense. Since then, though, power consumption has multiplied and cooling requirements have significantly increased. Manufacturers understand that it doesn\u2019t pay to skimp on thermal paste or its application\u2014if they save on paste, they\u2019d have to spend more on the cooler to stay competitive. These days, unless you’re using the best thermal pastes available, repasting could actually make things worse.<\/p>\n

It may seem like there\u2019s nothing to mess up and that anyone can do it. You\u2019ll even come across well-meaning advice suggesting you change the paste regularly because it degrades over time. I would actually advise against it unless there\u2019s a serious reason. It\u2019s not without risk\u2014and unless you do it regularly and know what you’re doing, there’s no guarantee you’ll improve anything by repasting.<\/p>\n

Unlike CPUs\u2014where the paste is typically applied to a large metal heat spreader that contacts the entire chip surface\u2014graphics card coolers are usually in direct contact with the silicon. If you\u2019re not regularly repasting your GPU, it\u2019s hard to judge how much paste to apply and how to spread it across the chip\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

With a CPU, it\u2019s no big deal if part of the heat spreader ends up dry. With a GPU, that should never happen. On the other hand, if there\u2019s too much paste, it can create a thick layer that actually impairs heat transfer.<\/p>\n

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If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it<\/h2>\n

You\u2019re definitely doing the right thing if you run a stress test on a brand-new card and use GPU-Z or HWiNFO to log its operating characteristics. Don\u2019t forget to note down the ambient temperature, too. Only consider repasting if the card\u2019s performance noticeably deteriorates\u2014don\u2019t do it \u201cpreventively.\u201d I wouldn\u2019t say this if I didn\u2019t have bad experiences with repasted cards that ended up in my tests. I can\u2019t recall ever receiving a repasted card that was in better condition than when it left the factory. Occasionally, someone treats manufacturer samples as disposable, assuming they\u2019ll be worn out during testing. For low-cost products, manufacturers usually don\u2019t mind sending out samples for reviewers to do as they please.<\/p>\n

Apparently, even the manufacturers themselves have had bad experiences with some reviewers. That\u2019s probably why many review guidelines now include a note to measure the card\u2019s behavior before any disassembly.<\/p>\n

For graphics cards costing north of a thousand dollars, manufacturers typically only have one or two samples of each model in our region\u2014which have to be passed between several reviewers. It\u2019s rare for a repasted card to behave exactly as it did originally. Temperatures can vary by several degrees\u2014which affects fan speeds, noise levels, and, depending on how much the temperature changes, potentially also clocks and performance.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we have an unspoken agreement with manufacturers not to disassemble the cards. I also remind all manufacturers from time to time that I don\u2019t want to test any cards that someone has already taken apart. I usually test most cards as the first or second reviewer\u2014so over time I\u2019ve become a bit complacent and don\u2019t check as thoroughly. That backfired recently when testing the TUF RTX 5070 Ti from Asus.<\/p>\n

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During the photo shoot, I didn\u2019t notice that one of the screws had a warranty seal pierced by a screwdriver. I only realized this later, when I was investigating why fan speeds in silent mode were unusually high fort the model from TUF family. The results also didn\u2019t stack up well against other tests of the same card that are available online.<\/p>\n

By an incredible stroke of luck, I ended up receiving two units of that exact card from Asus (second one was mistakenly shipped to me instead of going elsewhere). The second one didn\u2019t have a broken seal, so I could retest it right away. After analyzing its operating characteristics, it was clear that the originally planned comparison of \u201cnormal production variance\u201d between two different units of the same model was off the table.<\/p>\n

But since I now had the disassembled card on hand anyway, I figured\u2014why not take another look under the cooler and try the repasting process again? This time, we\u2019ll apply the thermal paste in a way that\u2019s different from most guides.<\/p>\n

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