GeCube x1950xt AGP cooling mod

Biggrich76

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Messages
411
I promised some folks in another thread that I would post a short tutorial on how to fix the cooling issues that some people are experiencing with this card. I cannot take credit for the discovery of this mod, but in my experience it works wonders.

First, some background for people unfamiliar with this card. The cooler is a large heat pipe/TEC contraption that is rather large and heavy. I would appear that GeCube did not take the proper steps to ensure the functionality of this cooler because they forgot one important piece - proper contact of the cooler with the GPU. The sheer weight of the cooler hung upside down on the GPU coupled with improper force from the backplate cause the cooler to peel slowly away from the GPU.

Prior to this mod, my card would not function at all. During games like DoD:Source, Oblivion, STALKER and FEAR the card would reach temperatures in excess of 85 C degrees and lock up my whole system. I spoke with GeCube tech support several times and they were unable to resolve the issue. They even suggested remounting the cooler with some AS5 but that alone did not solve the problem either. After stumbling across a review on Newegg, the obvious solution become clear. There was not enough pressure on the backplate holding the cooler tight to the GPU. So, I took the reviewers advise (the usual disclaimers apply - YMMV, attempting this moid may cause damage to your card or void your warranty. I will not take any responsibility for damage to your card. Attempt at your own risk.)

Step 1:
Remove the copper colored backplate from the card.

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Step 2:
Remove the gray tape affixed to the 'bump' on the reverse side of the copper backplate.
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Step 3:
Take some folded up electrical tape (about 1/8 inch) and place it where the gray tape was previously - this will create an extra layer of padding to ensure more pressure on the GPU.

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Step 4:
Place the gray tape over the electrical tape and ensure that the gray tape is the only portion making contact with the rear of the GPU.

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Step 5:
Replace the backplate and tighten screws to ensure proper torque - you may need to use more or less electrical tape to get the right amount of torque on the backplate. This may take some experimentation.

The picture is a little blurry, but you can somewhat see the extra 'padding' serving it's purpose between the back of the GPU and the copper backplate.

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Completing this mod, my temperatures went from 50+ C idle and 85+ C at load to 40 C idle and 62 C degrees at full load playing the same games. Note: I also have AS5 on the GPU, and I have ATI Tray Tools set to run my fans at 100% all the time. Again, YMMV - but this mod saved me from having to RMA the card and dealing with any prolonged headaches in the event that I received another 'defective' card.

In summary, the engineers at GeCube overlooked this very significant piece on an otherwise amazing video card. If you have the technical knowledge and patience to perform this mod, you will be glad that you did. If you are attempting this mod, please post your results before and after so the rest of the community can learn form your experiences.

 
Great job!!! Well done. That's the first thing I will do as soon as I get the replacement and start giving me the same issues again, thanks so much!!! :p
 
That looks really simple as well as safe to do. It also appears easiily reversable in case you do need to RMA the card. Definitely adding this to my favorites.
 
Thank you for posting this.

I will be purchasing the XT AGP for my friend's birthday (in lieu of the HIS 1950 512DDAN-R-V2) now that this appears to be a simple fix without altering the card. I was wondering if thin card stock ( [1/32" thick?]; packaging inserts that typically are included with undershirts) would better under the gray tape as electrical tape turns into a black mess with heat.

Thank again.
 
Thank you for posting this.

I will be purchasing the XT AGP for my friend's birthday (in lieu of the HIS 1950 512DDAN-R-V2) now that this appears to be a simple fix without altering the card. I was wondering if thin card stock ( [1/32" thick?]; packaging inserts that typically are included with undershirts) would better under the gray tape as electrical tape turns into a black mess with heat.

Thank again.

I used electrical tape because it was the only thing I had handy, I'm sure there are much better materials to be used in that environment. I've had the tape there for over a week now and it hasn't melted or changed consistency at all. The back of the GPU where the tape sits is not hot to the touch so I think it's pretty safe. However, I definitely would recommend against any type of paper/cardboard material due to flammability.

If anyone knows of any non-conductive tape with a high melting point, please let us know. I'm sure this would be the right place to use it.
 
Awesome job!!!!! I just can't thank you enough because I'm from serbia and I bought this card in Germany! It would have costed me a fortune to RMA it every time! Not to mention 2 weeks without a decent PC! Now I hit 70s only when running 3dmark. Playing Oblivion 1024 x 768 everything on max it doesn't go over 58. I think that the electric tape will be enough but you could always look for silicone tape which resists up to 100c°. And now since everything is installed I'm going to turn on my AC and play my brains out. Thank you once again.:cool:
 
Well things never go smoothly for me. After 2 days it overheated again so I took off the pelt and installed water cooling. Unfortunately the back of the card now has no cooling so the card overheats again. I will go and buy some passive coolers to put on the hot spots on the back. However my advice is to take off the peltier as soon as you get the card. I hope that the card will finally function properly after I put the coolers. I have to say that with the peltier CPU temp was 51C and after I removed it 33C. It is probably the worst cooler ever. Fresh technology from the 19th century (Peltier's invention dates 1834). It spreads heat in the worst possible way and heats up everything but the GPU which is quite cool.
 
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