Gigabyte's "Server Grade Thermal Gel" is a Disaster: Aorus 5090 Teardown

Gigabyte's Controversial Thermal Material

• 💡 Gigabyte's Aorus 50-series GPUs use a "server grade thermal gel," which is actually a putty that has been reported to ooze out.
• ⚠️ This putty liquefies when the graphics cards get warm, leading to it pumping out, especially over long durations in a vertical position.
• 🎯 Unlike typical thermal paste which can pump out but is often dense, this putty's tendency to liquefy is a significant concern.

Teardown of an Aorus Master 5090

• 🚀 The video details a teardown of an Aorus Master 5090 to investigate the thermal putty issue.
• 🤢 Upon opening, a large amount of the putty was found to have oozed out, described as "liquidy" and "like a whole tub of it."
• 📊 The author notes that the card was primarily used in a horizontal position, suggesting gravity may not have been the primary factor in the oozing for their specific card.

Reapplication and Thermal Performance

• 🛠️ The process of cleaning off the old putty and reapplying new thermal material is described as a "complete nightmare."
• 🧩 Due to insufficient quantity, a mixture of different thermal putties (Thermal Grizzly, EVGA, and some Gigabyte) was used, with the Thermal Grizzly applied to the memory chips.
• 📈 Temperature tests showed a slight increase in GPU temperature (about 3°C) after replacing the stock putty with Thermal Grizzly's, but clock speeds remained largely unaffected.
• 🌡️ Memory junction temperatures showed no significant change between the stock and replaced putty, though the author speculates that oozing putty could lead to rising temperatures.

Concerns and Recommendations

• ⚠️ The author expresses shock that such an expensive flagship card lacks more visible sensors, such as VRM temperature.
• 🚫 Gigabyte's decision to use putty everywhere instead of thermal pads is questioned, with speculation that it may be a cost-saving measure.
• 🚫 For users experiencing the oozing putty issue, the recommendation is not to attempt a DIY fix due to the difficulty in cleaning and reapplying, suggesting it removes consumer serviceability.
• ⚠️ If running a Gigabyte/Aorus card vertically, there is a potential concern due to the putty migrating away from critical components.