03/05/2026 7:55 pm
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Ive been building and modding my own rigs for like a decade now so repasting a GPU is usually a walk in the park for me but man this 3080 I just picked up is giving me a headache. Found a decent deal on a used FTW3 model here in Austin but the memory junctions are hitting 104C-106C literally five minutes into Cyberpunk which is way too high even for GDDR6X. I opened it up and the stock pads are just leaking oil everywhere and look like total garbage.
Usually I just buy whatever generic blue pads are cheap on Amazon but I think I need the actual high-end stuff this time since I'm planning a long gaming marathon this weekend. I've heard mixed things about the Gelid GP-Extreme vs the Ultimate ones because the Ultimate ones are supposedly way stiffer and might stop the die from making good contact with the coldplate. Has anyone tried those new Valorods or maybe the Thermalright Odyssey II pads lately? I'm trying to figure out which ones actually have the best thermal conductivity without being so hard that they crack the board or mess up the mounting pressure. Is the K5 Pro putty actually worth the mess or should I just stick to high-end 12.8 W/mk pads...
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03/05/2026 7:55 pm
Yeah those 3080 memory temps are nasty, especially on the EVGA cards since they push the power limits so high. Ive been really satisfied with my recent swap and honestly it makes a world of difference. GDDR6X is basically a space heater so generic pads just wont cut it here.
- Thermalright Extreme Odyssey II 14.8 W/mK Thermal Pad is what I usually recommend because they have a great balance of squish and performance.
- Gelid Solutions GP-Ultimate 15 W/mK Thermal Pad works well but you gotta be careful with the thickness since they are pretty stiff.
- K5 PRO Viscous Thermal Paste for Thermal Pad Replacement is something I only use for those weird little components that dont quite hit a standard pad height. Ngl I saw about a 16C drop on my memory junctions just by switching to the Odyssey II pads. They compress enough to let the core make good contact but still pull heat like crazy. Just make sure you measure twice because the FTW3 uses different thicknesses for different spots... skip the cheap blue ones for this job.
