Eisblock Aurora RX 7800 XT on 7900 GRE

[Woyta]

I got XFX 7900 GRE and I am looking for water cooling solution for this card.
From my search on internet I have foun out, that my card shares same board design (PCB number 109-D712A7-00_02.) as reference 7800XT for which Alphacools offer Eisblock Aurora.

Reference 7800 XT: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-rx-7800-xt.c3839
XFX 7900 GRE: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/xfx-rx-7900-gre.b11745

From Image comparision it looks that only different thing is core and one DP replaced by USB. I dont know if there si die height difference between Navi 31 a nd 32 (i was not able to find this information) but GRE cards are using coolers designed for 7800XT and 7900XT. It seems that it should be direct fit with no interference as memory type is same, VRM are same and area contacting core is flat and large.

I tried to asked on FB group and I got pointed to email tech support where I got generic answer that 7900 GRE will not be supported.
I was hoping for more specific answer from somebody who got access to drawings and could compare die heights betwen 7900XT and 7800XT. If this height is same or difference is so smal that thermal pads will cover this difference.

It seems, that lot of 7900 GRE are based on this 7800XT PCB design. This knowledge could be usefull for booth sides. Card owners and Alphacool. With current overclocing options it seem that 7900 GRE will be popular card.

 

[Vanzin]

Hi,

I am sorry but we don´t have a water block for the RX7900 GRE Serie and we won´t produce a water block for this series.

 

[Woyta]

Well. I was hoping for more technical answer like 7900GRE core is 0,5mm thicker. Not just marketing response.

So I had to found it by myself. I had bought waterblock, Measured all gaps and checked for other differences.
For mounting to PCB I had to use 0,3mm thick M2 spacers. Included 1mm thermal pads were replaced with 2mm thick ones.
And 7900GRE is also cooling two small chips near outputs that are not on 7800XT. This area on waterblock is machined out so I had to use 11x8x6mm? cooper block to fix that.

And now I had probably world first watercooled 7900GRE. This means, that with tiny revision on heatsing an bit of mounting accesories Alphacool could have solution that would fit both cards 7800XT and 7900GRE.

// Temps are not final. I am still doing optimalisations of loop and fan curves and it is summer time.

 

[Sath0Rn]

Hi @Woyta,
Are you telling us that you realised to watercool one AMD 7900GRE reference design with an Eisblock RX7800XT ?
Can you update us with your result ?

/G.

 

[Woyta]

Yep.
For half year have watercooled 7900GRE with no issues.
First tries were with thermal paste but hot spot was high (80-90C). Then I have replaced it with 0,25mm PTM7950. Temps you can see on image in previous post. After some time hotspot temp dropped to 60C.
So I am happy with result.

 

[Baka76]

Salut à toi
Je pense faire la même chose que toi.
J'ai regardé les PCB sur TECHNOPOWER et je ne vois pas les puces près des arrivées d'eau??
Où as-tu trouvé les entrecroises de 0.3mm.
J'aimerais échanger avec toi

 

[Sath0Rn]

Salut à toi
Je pense faire la même chose que toi.
J'ai regardé les PCB sur TECHNOPOWER et je ne vois pas les puces près des arrivées d'eau??
Où as-tu trouvé les entrecroises de 0.3mm.
J'aimerais échanger avec toi

ENGLISH => https://www.deepl.com/fr/translator

 

[Baka76]

Yep.
For half year have watercooled 7900GRE with no issues.
First tries were with thermal paste but hot spot was high (80-90C). Then I have replaced it with 0,25mm PTM7950. Temps you can see on image in previous post. After some time hotspot temp dropped to 60C.
So I am happy with result.

Hi there @Woyta
I'm thinking of doing the same thing as you.
I looked at the PCBs on TECHNOPOWER and I don't see the chips near the water inlets?
Where did you find the 0.3mm spacers?
I'd like to talk to you

 

[Woyta]

I have forgot to fix that in post. I have used plastic washer M2 DIN125

Podložka plochá DIN 125A M2 / 2,2 plastová - Spojovaci-material.net

Spojovací materiál zaručené kvality, dodání do 24 hodin. Spojovací materiál jako šrouby, matice, podložky, hřebíky, závlačky, segerovky, kolíky, vruty, závitové tyče.

www.spojovaci-material.net

It is standart material so it should not be hard to find.

First test washers (on pictures) were made from plastic sheets of different thickness from local stationery shop with crimping tool.

What chips do you mean? Chips that I have marked on transparent sheet near PCB slot? Mine 7900GRE had USB-C instead of one HDMI that is on 7800XT. PCB is populated bit different in in this area. Stock cooler had provision for cooling these chips. I had to use piece of copper block so I can transfer heat from them to waterblock.

I think, that will be best if I post final build of materiaI have used:

-100pc pack of plastic washers M2 DIN125 (you need 13pcs?)

Podložka plochá DIN 125A M2 / 2,2 plastová - Spojovaci-material.net

Spojovací materiál zaručené kvality, dodání do 24 hodin. Spojovací materiál jako šrouby, matice, podložky, hřebíky, závlačky, segerovky, kolíky, vruty, závitové tyče.

www.spojovaci-material.net

-Sheet of 1,5mm thermal pads. ARCTIC TP-3 Thermal Pad 120x20x1,5mm https://www.alza.cz/arctic-tp-3-thermal-pad-120x20x1-5mm-baleni-4-kusu-d7631272.htm
-termopad Honeywell PTM7950 40x40 0,25mm for core (way better than thermal paste)
-copper block 11x8x6mm (nicle plated at home with chemicals from electronic parts shop)

I am not sure how I secured that piece of cooper to heatsing. Double sided thermal tape or just bit of thermal paste? It is sandwiched (PCB-1,5mm thermaltape-copper block-thermal tape/paste-heatsink) so secured in place either way.

 

[Serhii]

I have forgot to fix that in post. I have used plastic washer M2 DIN125

Podložka plochá DIN 125A M2 / 2,2 plastová - Spojovaci-material.net

Spojovací materiál zaručené kvality, dodání do 24 hodin. Spojovací materiál jako šrouby, matice, podložky, hřebíky, závlačky, segerovky, kolíky, vruty, závitové tyče.

www.spojovaci-material.net

It is standart material so it should not be hard to find.

First test washers (on pictures) were made from plastic sheets of different thickness from local stationery shop with crimping tool.

What chips do you mean? Chips that I have marked on transparent sheet near PCB slot? Mine 7900GRE had USB-C instead of one HDMI that is on 7800XT. PCB is populated bit different in in this area. Stock cooler had provision for cooling these chips. I had to use piece of copper block so I can transfer heat from them to waterblock.

I think, that will be best if I post final build of materiaI have used:

-100pc pack of plastic washers M2 DIN125 (you need 13pcs?)

Podložka plochá DIN 125A M2 / 2,2 plastová - Spojovaci-material.net

Spojovací materiál zaručené kvality, dodání do 24 hodin. Spojovací materiál jako šrouby, matice, podložky, hřebíky, závlačky, segerovky, kolíky, vruty, závitové tyče.

www.spojovaci-material.net

-Sheet of 1,5mm thermal pads. ARCTIC TP-3 Thermal Pad 120x20x1,5mm https://www.alza.cz/arctic-tp-3-thermal-pad-120x20x1-5mm-baleni-4-kusu-d7631272.htm
-termopad Honeywell PTM7950 40x40 0,25mm for core (way better than thermal paste)
-copper block 11x8x6mm (nicle plated at home with chemicals from electronic parts shop)

I am not sure how I secured that piece of cooper to heatsing. Double sided thermal tape or just bit of thermal paste? It is sandwiched (PCB-1,5mm thermaltape-copper block-thermal tape/paste-heatsink) so secured in place either way.

I think you did a good thing. I congratulate you as the owner of such a video card with the same temperature problems in a small case. I asked the manufacturer of the water blocks about compatibility and received a negative answer. I was forced to apply a temporary solution, thermal paste RTM 7950 thermal pads НT 10000 Honeywell (the latter is recommended by the abbot instead of arctic) for reference cooling. Achieved a very significant temperature drop of 15 and 20 degrees from the reference thermal pad on GPU and memory respectively. Also put under backplate over all memory, now it is impossible to touch it during games.

 

[brianshannon]

I got XFX 7900 GRE and I am looking for water cooling solution for this card.
Reference 7800 XT: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-rx-7800-xt.c3839
XFX 7900 GRE: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/xfx-rx-7900-gre.b11745 Sprunki Game

From Image comparision it looks that only different thing is core and one DP replaced by USB. I dont know if there si die height difference between Navi 31 a nd 32 (i was not able to find this information) but GRE cards are using coolers designed for 7800XT and 7900XT. It seems that it should be direct fit with no interference as memory type is same, VRM are same and area contacting core is flat and large.

I tried to asked on FB group and I got pointed to email tech support where I got generic answer that 7900 GRE will not be supported.
I was hoping for more specific answer from somebody who got access to drawings and could compare die heights betwen 7900XT and 7800XT. If this height is same or difference is so smal that thermal pads will cover this difference.

It seems, that lot of 7900 GRE are based on this 7800XT PCB design. This knowledge could be usefull for booth sides. Card owners and Alphacool. With current overclocing options it seem that 7900 GRE will be popular card.

How I fastened that piece of cooper to the heating is a mystery to me. A small amount of thermal paste or double-sided thermal tape? In either case, it is held in place since it is sandwiched between PCB-1,5mm thermal tape, copper block, thermal tape/paste, and heatsink.

 

[OutlawWasTaken]

This thread has been really helpful to me, and I appreciate the write up.

I wanted to ask about the washers and thicker thermal pads (1.5mm vs 1mm), is that because the block that contacts the GPU is 0.2mm different in height between the water block and the stock cooler?