INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this group is to devote and assist in the growing interest of using a conventional self contained CPU cooler as a GPU cooler. There has been a growing group of people taking the risk and modding there GPU cards to accommodate a conventional CPU cooler. This group is established to share and inform peoples experiences and results when undertaking "The Mod"
I was orginally inspired by the great cravinmild and his intial undertaking of "The Mod" http://www.overclock.net/t/1086286/complete-build-log-zotac-560ti-corsair-h70/0_50
His help was invaluable and helped tremendously in getting this going. ![]()
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DISCLAIMER
If you don't feel comfortable tearing apart your GPU with the possibility of forever destroying it, then DONT DO IT.
Modding any GPU can and may void you warranty.
PARTICIPATION
For those undertaking the mod they are encouraged to create a full work log here on OCN with benchmarks before and after using at least Furmark and or Heaven. Pictures are strongly encouraged before, during and after the mod.
There is a AMD/ATI GPU Mod Club - AKA "The Red Mod" for those that have AMD cards. Thanks to bmgjet for kicking it off!
"THE MOD"PROCESS
Q: Most commonly asked question and concern: What about the VRM's?
A: Ideally the mod is not to replace the cooling fan for the VRM's. On most reference cards it is encouraged to retain the fan assembly to us in conjunction with the cooler head. If it is not a reference card and the fan has to be replacedm then it encouraged to use a spot fan to aid in cooling the VRM's. Even though I have run my cards without the fan assembly cooling the VRM's, I eventually reinstalled them after getting some new Thermal Pads from Frozen CPU.
Q: Where do I fit the Rads?
A: Wherever you can! You can try any place that you would typically put a CPU fan as long as it reaches. In my rig I had to stack at least 3 fans in front of the RAD to make it reach the front intakes on my case. However that also means I had to relocate the 2 hdd and 1 ssd. the also fit up top as exhaust but the temps were no where as good as the front intakes.
Q: Will it void my warranty?
A: No. One of the greatest things about this mod is that it is non destructive to the card and to the cooler. When done properly you can return the card to stock if needed.
Whats needed?
1) CPU Cooler, so far there has been a mix of conventional CPU Coolers being used successfully.
Antec 620
Corsair H100
Corsair H70
Corsair H80
There is a difference between the Corsair models that needs to be considered. The Antec water lines are longer then the Corsair's. Its important to consider where you are going to place the radiator and which model you choose to accommodate your case. They vary in prices but any conventional cooler should work just fine.
2) Zip Ties and Mounting Rings (or custom mounting rings.)
So far the mod has been done mostly using zip ties to fastened the cooler to the card. However there is an excellent bracket made by a fellow OCN Artisan that has made custom mounting rings to attach. See his information here. I would highly recommend Dwood's bracket.
In the USA places such as Home Depot, Lowes and some of the auto parts stores like Autozone carry them in bulk with and assortment of different sizes.
3) TIM (Thermal Compound)
Most coolers will come with TIM already applied. I rather do it myself. The cooler cold plate may not have enough to cover the entire IHS on the GPU.
Some people have used standard CPU TIM such as:
Arctic Silver 5
Arctic Cooling MX-4
IC Diamond 7
1) Remove existing cooler assembly to expose the GPU IHS. Clean off existing TIM and reapply if necessary.
Pictures courtesy of the great"cravinmild" - see worklog unless otherwise noted.
From his worklog: There are more or less three parts to the card......show here. Heatsink/fan, heatplate the heatsink it attaches to, the last is the pcb holding the vram,gpu and other circuitry.

2) Attach the zip ties to the cooler.


3) Feed zip ties thru existing screw holes on pcb and or pcb heatsink plate.

From angel88888 worklog

5) Fasten securely.

Photos from my worklog

6) Trim excess zip ties

7) Ready to Install!

The end result should look like this. Courteousy of "rttnpig]" - see worklog for details


The zip tie should be tied to the AMD bracket mount after it has been cut. Basically you want to zip the tie with the long end on the outside of the bracket and pointed down.
Then once you zip it tight, fish the 4 zip ties through the holes on the PCB.
Next, you want to take 4 more zip ties and basically use the lock ends on them as a sort of nut for the system. Do not zip the nuts tight or else you won't be able to attach the pump to the cooler. That will come later.
Once you have 4 of the zip ties through the PCB and secured by 4 other zip ties of the other end you can put thermal paste on the chip and mount the pump. Flip the card over and be careful not to swivel and twist around the pump on the chip, I had a problem with this but you might be better at it. Once you have the pump on the chip and the bracket secure to the pump tighten the zip ties from the other end of the PCB so that they act as nuts holding the bracket and pump tight to the chip and PCB.

Once that is complete you can trim the excess of the zip ties and make sure the bracket and pump is secure. You should be able to twist the pump very little on the chip after everything is tight, that is fine. I used pliers and pulled gently on the zip ties up and pushed the nuts down to make sure everything was nice and tight.

I don't have any evidence to suggest that if your chip gets over 60C with this Antec 620 mod that you should seriously consider either repasting the chip and resetting the cooler or checking to make sure everything is ok with the pump. You should have a great result and that should be it!


DON'T FORGET A VRM FAN!!!!
This process is not for the faint of heart. This is where you grab a hammer and razor and remove the stock heat spreader to reveal the GPU core. You will attach the cooler head directly to the GPU core. Is is also encouraged to lap your cooler head to get a perfectly flat surface. Some of these heads have a slight convex or concave surface. In order to take full advantage you will need to achieve a perfectly flat surface. See my lapping process here: GTX 480 SLI IHS Mod
The reward is significantly lower temps. I experienced a drop of 5c by attaching directly to the die.
[Official Guide] Modifying/Removing NVidia GPU Heat Spreader/IHS

cravinmild has a great worklog on this as well:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1086286/complete-build-log-zotac-560ti-corsair-h70/0_50#post_15576640
I also did this mod on both my GTX 480's and am very happy with the results.
GTX 480 SLI IHS Mod
MEMBERS
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*This thread has official status... officially! Keep up the great work, guys! - StarYoshi
Edited by Rage19420 - 4/22/12 at 3:00pm
































