You can try putting aside your GPU’s thermal paste replacement and opt for fixes like adjusting the fan curve, cleaning off dust, or undervolting to limit the overall power draw and keep temperatures stable. However, at some point, replacing thermal paste becomes an inescapable task that every PC owner must tackle, no matter how intricate or daunting it may seem.
For modern GPUs, just a simple thermal paste isn’t sufficient. There are also thermal pads inside your GPU that, just like thermal paste, can dry out over time. When that happens, your GPU will silently throttle without you even realizing it.
Thermal paste isn’t the whole story
Your VRAM silently gets cooked while you’re too focused on the core temperatures
Your GPU is made up of several components, and the center die isn’t the only thing that matters. In fact, other components matter equally, such as the memory controller, VRAM, and VRM. Specifically, the VRAM chips also run quite hot, but they’re not given much importance in contrast to core temperatures.
Instead of thermal paste, VRAM chips are often covered with thermal pads, which are solid blocks of soft, conductive material that serve the same purpose: to fill gaps between your GPU and the heatsink by conducting heat away from the GPU to keep it cool. Over time, thermal pads can harden, lose their elasticity and compression, and become non-conductive.
Now, VRAM chips can run quite hot, and at high memory bandwidth they can easily exceed 90°C (194°F). Fortunately, they’re more tolerant than the GPU die, and they generally throttle beyond 100°C (212°F). Still, an old thermal pad can cause temperatures to exceed that limit, causing your GPU to throttle. In some cases, this can result in artifacts and system crashes if temperatures become extreme.
Some GPUs are equipped with thermal putty instead of thermal pads, which serve the same purpose but are liquid in contrast. Over time, it can also dry out, just like the rest of the cooling substances. In extreme cases, the thermal putty’s silicone oil starts to separate and seep into your PCB.
How to check if your thermal pads are past their prime
Run a diagnostic tool and a benchmark to note the VRAM temperatures
Usually, your GPU’s thermal paste lasts about three years of use, and when temperatures start climbing into the 80°C (178°F) range, you know a repaste is needed. The thermal pads last a bit longer, around 4–5 years, before they start giving out with age. I advise using HWiNFO64 alongside a tool like FurMark to benchmark your GPU and examine the VRAM temperatures. If they’re anything above 95°C (203°F), then I recommend changing the pads ASAP.
As a rule of thumb, I recommend replacing your GPU’s thermal pads whenever you repaste it. There’s a slight suction between the thermal paste and the heatsink that requires a bit of wiggling to break free whenever you open your GPU, and that same wiggle can damage the thermal pads or shift their places.
Also, opening a GPU a year after changing the thermal paste to install new thermal pads means you will have to reapply the paste, and air can quickly dry out a relatively fresh thermal paste.
Mistakes that can turn this simple fix into a bigger problem
Thick thermal pads work detrimentally
On paper, changing your GPU’s thermal pads seems easier than repasting, but there are still some overlooked mistakes most people make. For starters, the thickness of thermal pads is a major consideration.
Thicker pads can push the GPU die away from the heatsink, creating a gap that can cause the core to overheat. Also, you’d need more force to tighten the PCB to the heatsink to the point that it can start bending.
For a proper replacement, find out how thick your older pads were and buy newer ones with the same thickness. Take the older pads and cut out the newer pads to the exact same size for the replacement, using tweezers instead of your hands.
Don’t buy cheap thermal pads, since thermal conductivity plays a huge role in cooling, along with other factors like electrical safety and longevity. The Gelid GP-Extreme, Honeywell TGP8000PT, and the ARCTIC TP-3 are good options that are available on sites like Amazon.
A thermal pad replacement should be a part of your repasting ritual
Replacing thermal pads should be incorporated as a habit when replacing thermal paste. VRAM has become one of the most expensive components on your GPU, thanks to the AI-led worldwide memory shortage, and that alone is a big reason to start caring for them. VRAM temperatures are often ignored because they don’t appear in simple hardware overview tools and require tools like HWiNFO64. Diagnose first instead of panic-replacing your pads even when they don’t need a replacement.