KrazeyKAmi
New member
Hello there,
I've bought an Alphacool Eiswolf 2 for my Asus ROG Strix 3090. While my CPU temps were lowered by quite a bit, I still noticed a very high Memory Junction VRAM temperature of 90c+, even running up to 100c when playing very demanding games at Ultra / custom + (e.g. RDR2).
I decided to re-pad the chips, and when I removed the waterblock from the GPU, I saw what the problem was:
The 1 mm padding that is supplied with the AIO for the 'front' side of the GPU is not thick enough, and is not making contact with the VRAM:
Image 1: The side I'm referring to.
Image 2: No imprints of the VRAM whatsoever.
Image 3: No imprints for the VRAM.
Image 4: No imprints for the VRAM.
So, above are the thermal pads that come with the Alphacool Eiswolf 2 AIO, and are 1 mm in height.
I've replaced these with 1.5 mm padding and re-seated the waterblock. This time, you can clearly see the VRAM making the imprints. I've also taken care to make sure the height was correct, so the GPU main processor and the mosfets etc are still making contact with the block when using 1.5 mm VRAM padding:
Image 5: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
Image 6: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
Image 7: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
Image 8: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
For the record, the VRAM on the backplate was showing correct imprints, and these are 2 mm (as supplied by Alphacool).
Another thing I noticed, was that Asus is padding the VRM chips also, but AlphaCool is not supplying these, or mentioning this in the guide.
In fact, there is a rather large 'gap' in the waterblock, so the VRMs are not even touching the block:
Image 9: Incorrect sizing for supplied padding / VRM not making contact.
I've filled the gaps with 2.5 mm padding, making sure that the VRM is now also making contact with the block:
Image 10: Clear imprints for the VRM.
The results.
The difference after applying the correct padding is amazing. Mind you this card is running a slight overclock @ +165 gpu mhz & 112% TDP.
Before (using the supplied padding by AlphaCool) while running heavy benchmarks (Unigine SuperPosition, RDR2 @ Ultra+):
VRAM temperature: ~90 - 98 degrees.
After repadding (using another brand, but thicker padding, now VRAM making contact):
VRAM temperature: ~60 -66 degrees.
This is a whopping 30 degrees celcius difference in GPU Memory Junction temperature. Also, the VRM is now ~10 degrees lower (from ~44 degrees to ~34 degrees).
@AlphaCool, I hope you can make adjustments to the way the 3090 Strix is currently being padded.
Also, could you contact me in private to discuss a compensation of some sort?
For the record: I'm VERY happy with the Alphacool Eiswolf 2. Compared to the (not so bad) stock coolers delivered with the Asus ROG Strix, it chewed off a large piece of temperature, and obviously it's running extremely silent. I'm hoping very much that an active backplate will be devised soon, so I won't have to mod it with my own heatsinks and fans
Hope this helps anyone who wonders why their Memory Junction VRAM temperature is still rather high with this AIO.
I've bought an Alphacool Eiswolf 2 for my Asus ROG Strix 3090. While my CPU temps were lowered by quite a bit, I still noticed a very high Memory Junction VRAM temperature of 90c+, even running up to 100c when playing very demanding games at Ultra / custom + (e.g. RDR2).
I decided to re-pad the chips, and when I removed the waterblock from the GPU, I saw what the problem was:
The 1 mm padding that is supplied with the AIO for the 'front' side of the GPU is not thick enough, and is not making contact with the VRAM:
Image 1: The side I'm referring to.
Image 2: No imprints of the VRAM whatsoever.
Image 3: No imprints for the VRAM.
Image 4: No imprints for the VRAM.
So, above are the thermal pads that come with the Alphacool Eiswolf 2 AIO, and are 1 mm in height.
I've replaced these with 1.5 mm padding and re-seated the waterblock. This time, you can clearly see the VRAM making the imprints. I've also taken care to make sure the height was correct, so the GPU main processor and the mosfets etc are still making contact with the block when using 1.5 mm VRAM padding:
Image 5: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
Image 6: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
Image 7: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
Image 8: Clear VRAM imprints with 1.5 mm padding.
For the record, the VRAM on the backplate was showing correct imprints, and these are 2 mm (as supplied by Alphacool).
Another thing I noticed, was that Asus is padding the VRM chips also, but AlphaCool is not supplying these, or mentioning this in the guide.
In fact, there is a rather large 'gap' in the waterblock, so the VRMs are not even touching the block:
Image 9: Incorrect sizing for supplied padding / VRM not making contact.
I've filled the gaps with 2.5 mm padding, making sure that the VRM is now also making contact with the block:
Image 10: Clear imprints for the VRM.
The results.
The difference after applying the correct padding is amazing. Mind you this card is running a slight overclock @ +165 gpu mhz & 112% TDP.
Before (using the supplied padding by AlphaCool) while running heavy benchmarks (Unigine SuperPosition, RDR2 @ Ultra+):
VRAM temperature: ~90 - 98 degrees.
After repadding (using another brand, but thicker padding, now VRAM making contact):
VRAM temperature: ~60 -66 degrees.
This is a whopping 30 degrees celcius difference in GPU Memory Junction temperature. Also, the VRM is now ~10 degrees lower (from ~44 degrees to ~34 degrees).
@AlphaCool, I hope you can make adjustments to the way the 3090 Strix is currently being padded.
Also, could you contact me in private to discuss a compensation of some sort?
For the record: I'm VERY happy with the Alphacool Eiswolf 2. Compared to the (not so bad) stock coolers delivered with the Asus ROG Strix, it chewed off a large piece of temperature, and obviously it's running extremely silent. I'm hoping very much that an active backplate will be devised soon, so I won't have to mod it with my own heatsinks and fans
Hope this helps anyone who wonders why their Memory Junction VRAM temperature is still rather high with this AIO.
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