Hot take: skipping the GPU backplate made my thermals drop 5 degrees

Everyone told me I was crazy for leaving the backplate off my RTX 3070 when I rebuilt last month. But after testing with my infrared thermometer, the bare PCB was running 5 degrees cooler under load. The trick was adding a slim 80mm fan on the back of the card zip tied to the bracket. Has anyone else tried ditching parts that are supposed to be 'necessary'?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige87016h ago

Exactly this. It reminds me of how people think you have to follow every instruction manual to the letter, even when common sense says otherwise. Like car air filters, everyone swears the expensive K&N ones are mandatory, but a clean paper filter does the same job for way less money. We get so used to believing something is necessary just because it came with the product or someone on a forum said so. But half the time, parts are just designed for mass manufacturing or looks, not for real performance. If your mod works and doesn't cause damage, then it's not crazy, it's just smarter than following the herd.

susanh4612h ago

And the thing about the paper filter is it's scientifically proven to filter better than oiled gauze, K&N just won on marketing hype. People forget that "OEM spec" usually means the cheapest part that won't get them sued, not the best one.