MSI Radeon RX Vega 56 Air Boost 8GB OC

[macs_forever]

MSI Radeon RX Vega 56 Air Boost 8GB OC

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078DZR5YK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

If anyone buys this, can they try it in Windows 10 and report back please?

I own the Vega 64 version of this card. I under-clock it. I don't do windows outside of a VM.

 

[macs_forever]

For a used graphics card like the Vega 56 or RX 580, what thermal paste would you recommend? Any tips?

I use Noctua NT-H2 or NT-H1 because I have a lot of it. Sometimes arctic silver 5. The advantage of the arctic silver 5 is the fact that it remains fluid over long periods of time. The mating of surfaces is much more important than the paste. ALL paste kinda sux. The more direct contact with the metal, the better. I've always wondered if copper leaf or copper foil would be better than paste. maybe gold or silver leaf. great care would be required.

 

[pastrychef]

I use Noctua NT-H2 or NT-H1 because I have a lot of it. Sometimes arctic silver 5. The advantage of the arctic silver 5 is the fact that it remains fluid over long periods of time. The mating of surfaces is much more important than the paste. ALL paste kinda sux. The more direct contact with the metal, the better. I've always wondered if copper leaf or copper foil would be better than paste. maybe gold or silver leaf. great care would be required.

There are carbon pads that work pretty well...

Thermal Grizzly High Performance Cooling Solutions - Carbonaut

Hochwertige Wärmeleitlösungen für Computerchips

thermal-grizzly.com

 

[macs_forever]

For a used graphics card like the Vega 56 or RX 580, what thermal paste would you recommend? Any tips?

if the chips have heat spreaders on them like CPUs. Diamond dust based thermal paste should be good because the micro diamonds will actually embed themselves in spreader and heatsink creating a very efficient thermal bridge. Diamond dust on silicon dies will likely kill the chips.

https://www.amazon.com/IC-Diamond-24-Carat-Compound/dp/B0042IBAOG

I have not used this stuff yet.

 

[pastrychef]

if the chips have heat spreaders on them like CPUs. Diamond dust based thermal paste should be good because the micro diamonds will actually embed themselves in spreader and heatsink creating a very efficient thermal bridge. Diamond dust on silicon dies will likely kill the chips.

https://www.amazon.com/IC-Diamond-24-Carat-Compound/dp/B0042IBAOG

I have not used this stuff yet.

IC Diamond has a reputation for scratching the surfaces they are used on.

 

[macs_forever]

There are carbon pads that work pretty well...

Thermal Grizzly High Performance Cooling Solutions - Carbonaut

Hochwertige Wärmeleitlösungen für Computerchips

thermal-grizzly.com

yeah, but we are just trying to fill the voids. 400wm-1k-1 is much better than 30wm-1k-1 carbon pads. Diamonds at 1000 or better are best. The problem is they tend to mash into the materials rather than sliding into the voids.

 

[macs_forever]

IC Diamond has a reputation for scratching the surfaces they are used on.

Yes it does. Not a problem if you spread it with a razor blade and mash down the heatsink on the heat spreader without a lot of side to side movement. You are essentially forcing the softer materials to "weld" to the diamonds. It is best for something you put together and never take apart again. The diamonds will penetrate both the heatsink and the heat spreader. It would likely make a good lapping compound.

 

[pastrychef]

Yes it does. Not a problem if you spread it with a razor blade and mash down the heatsink on the heat spreader without a lot of side to side movement. You are essentially forcing the softer materials to "weld" to the diamonds. It is best for something you put together and never take apart again. The diamonds will penetrate both the heatsink and the heat spreader. It would likely make a good lapping compound.

In the comparisons, I've seen the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is the best of the conventional thermal pastes.

Thermal Paste Round-up: 85 Products Tested

This much-needed update to our thermal paste round-up now includes 85 contenders. It's one of the most comprehensive comparisons available, so we hope you find it useful!

www.tomshardware.com

 

[macs_forever]

IC Diamond has a reputation for scratching the surfaces they are used on.

maybe this stuff is better...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W9KYP32/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE3Mk9IVElCQ1JPTUEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzNDAwMTdNMThPQUM0SjJTQ04mZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDY3NDk1NEhCQ05FQUFDR0dNRiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbDImYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

 

[macs_forever]

In the comparisons, I've seen the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is the best of the conventional thermal pastes.

Thermal Paste Round-up: 85 Products Tested

This much-needed update to our thermal paste round-up now includes 85 contenders. It's one of the most comprehensive comparisons available, so we hope you find it useful!

www.tomshardware.com

View attachment 440953View attachment 440954

Again, making sure the contact surfaces are flat are far more important than the paste. Also note the 24k is closer to your Thermal Grizzly. I frankly use what ever I have. If I really want a better coupling, I'll use my mill to lap the heatsink.