This Thermal Paste Mod Dropped ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Temps by 20°C
A user on Reddit is claiming a massive 20°C temperature drop on an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card simply by removing the stock thermal compound it shipped with and replacing it with a phase change thermal pad based on Honeywell's PTM7950, a proprietary material that gained some notoriety a couple of years ago.
Part of what brought PTM7950 to prominence among enthusiasts was Igor Wallossek from Igor's Lab highlighting the results from an investigation into reports of degraded cooling performance after just a few months on third-party graphics cards.
He found a "cheaply cobbled together concoction" of paste when taking apart a Manli-brand GeForce RTX 4080, saying it consisted of an oily mixture that degrades and dissolves after just a just a short time. When that happens, it leaves behind an oily film that isn't as effective at transferring heat, which in turn raises temps.
"It is sad that no one has noticed this so far, although the number of cases has increased significantly and many buyers are certainly not even aware of the ticking time bombs they have in their computers. The paste used has been designed solely to achieve the highest possible test values as cheaply as possible for short periods of time," Wollossek wrote at the time.
Fast forward a couple of years and this is still a concern, arguably even more so now that PC gamers are in a position of needing to maximize the lifespan of existing parts. Demand for AI has upended the market, causing a spike in price for key components. This mainly affects PC memory and storage, but it's not like GPUs are cheap, particularly mid-range to high-end models. Case in point, an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 Super sells for $1,299.99 on Amazon.
Over on Reddit, user khobiza posted before and after shots of their ASUS-brand GeForce RTX 4080 (presumably not the Super model). The user said they decided to give PTM7950 a whirl after digging through posts on the site and seeing it being consistently recommended.
"Swapped out the stock paste and applied PTM7950 instead.
Results after just one gaming session:
Hotspot dropped from ~100°C → 79°C Fans are noticeably quieter Overall temps feel much more stable. Honestly, I didn’t expect this big of a difference. The hotspot delta is way better now and the card feels 'normal' again.
If you're seeing high hotspot temps on your GPU, especially with loud fans, this might be worth trying," the user wrote.
One thing to keep in mind is that depending on how long the user owned used the GeForce RTX 4080 in question, reapplying any sort of thermal paste or pad could result in a temperature drop. And as one of the commenters pointed out, "it looks like the original paste didn't just dry out, but was badly applied from the start." That is certainly a possibility.
Regardless, it's an impressive drop in temps, assuming it's as claimed. Applying PTM7950 is also relatively cheap in the grand scheme of things. Finding 'genuine' Honeywell PTM7950 is a little tricky, but if you're willing to try your hand with third-party options, this this PTM7950 kit from JOYJOM (fulfilled by Amazon) measuring 40x80x0.25mm is on sale for $15.99. There are also smaller, cheaper kits available, like this 31x50x0.25mm kit for $9.93 (5% off).
Top image source: Reddit (khobiza)
