Video card heatsink ?

[Ironcat]

I think I know the way a heatsink basically works... you glue it to your processor and because it is a metal with higher conductivity and greater surface area it absorbs the heat from the processor and then sheds the heat into the surrounding air.

Right? :think:

My questions is this... Since video cards have the flat little processing blocks on them, would it be possible (or if yes, would it be advisable) to glue a heatsink onto a video card? :?

[nil8]

You're close, but not exact.

The glue you're referring to is known as thermal compound and fills in the gaps between the chip and the heatsink, allowing for heat transfer easier and faster than just having both touching. It's not really glue either, it's more like a thick, gritty oil.

You are correct on that the heat moves through the heatsink and through it's design gets taken away by the surrounding air.

There are many graphics cards that come with stock heatsinks on their processor. It's rather common for hobbyists to remove this heatsink in favor of one that removes more heat faster for overclocking or cooler temps inside the case.

It is definitely possible and these days mandatory. Modern graphics cards are computing powerhouses that produce as much heat as some processors and require a method to remove that heat.

If you have any other questions, please ask.

[GT40_GearHead]

what ever you do, DONT USE GLUE, your video card should have two or more hole around the GPU, that are used to mount the heatsink, the thermal compound its not a glue, its what nil sayd ^

so go find a nice heatsink that will fit, and will not touch nothing more than the chip, take soma pictures of it and the video card, post them here, and we will find a way to mount it (not glue it) ;)