Does GPU heatsink need to be replaced?

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iMac Intel 27" EMC 2429

Model A1312 / Mid 2011 / 2.7 & 3.1 GHz Core i5 or 3.4 GHz Core i7 Processor, ID iMac12,2

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Juan Pablo @juanp001

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发帖于: 2020年8月11日

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Does GPU heatsink need to be replaced?

Hi,

I have a 2011 27” iMac with the AMD Radeon HD6770 512MB GPU that stop working properly.

I want to change it so I can also get an upgrade with the AMD Radeon HD6970 2GB. I know this card works on my iMac but the heatsink looks larger because the card itself is larger than the HD6770. Do I need to find and replace the heatsink for one that is for the HD6970?

Thank you very much for your time. Have a great day and stay safe.

BTW: I have already try the baking method on my old GPU, but I don't know if my oven was not good or the card is just bad after I send it for maintenance and when I open it, one screw was off and I think that might ruin the old GPU. I had it work for 2 days after baking XD was fun while it last.

Now is back on box and hope to replace it ASAP.

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Dan @danj

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The 27” GPU heat sink is quite large and is the same size across all of the GPU options. The 21.5” GPU heat sink is smaller! Did someone put in a 21.5” heat sink instead of the proper one?

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Hi Dan, No that I know. but my question is about the HD6770 on my 27 inch looks little smaller than the HD6970 for the other 27 inch 2011 imacs. the GPU is little longer so I was thinking that I need also a new heatsink to upgrade my GPU. My Heatsink is in perfct conditions, shiny and no dents. But because the small chips on the HD6970 GPU are larger I might need to protect them.

由 Juan Pablo 完成的 2020年8月12日

The heat sinks are the same across all of the GPU's used in this series as far as I know. The older 2010 model used a slightly different heatsink.

I haven't made a detailed study and I've repasted and/or replaced quite a few never noticed any sizable differences. The thermal block is the same across them (part that mates with the GPU).

Knowing Apple as I do, I don't see them making different heat sinks for the different GPU's as that would have been costly. The amount of thermal load (wattage) between the different GPU series is well within the systems ability to shed the expected heat (CFM).

It sounds like you are confused on how to deal with the Video RAM chips that surround the GPU. You need to use thermal pads not thermal paste! Only the GPU chip gets the paste.

Apple did try using a special thermal paste (gapping) as it was easier to use during the assembly process. Sadly, its not very good ;-{

由 Dan 完成的 2020年8月12日

Hi Dan, Thank you for your comments.

Finally my iMac mid 2011 2.7GHz is working and running a 2GB GPU which is awesome. I also bought the heatsink for the HD6790 and is little bit different, I am glad I decide to buy that one, it was used and also is not as good looking as my original one but so far is working and that is whats matter now. I used thermal paste for the Main chip and used thermal pads for the rest of the smaller chips. I recomend who ever one to upgrade the GPU of this iMac for 2GB from 512MB get an AMD original card, It was super easy plug and play process. Also get the specific Heatsink which is differente for the smaller chips and fits PERFECT!!!

I also took down the DVD unit that was broken and replace it for an SSD , I plugged it to the other SATA port with the same cable that I had for the DVD, I took the DVD heat sensor and paste ir to the SSD so I don't hear that ugly beep or the FANS at super fast speed all the time.... IT WORKS!!!

Computer is running amazingly faster, photoshop, aperture and everything is working way better than before for now ;-)

I also installed the Mac Fan control so I monitoring the GPU and heatsink temperatures and even using it manual mode to increas the speed my iMac is so quiet like always was. I am super happy with my fix. Thank you for your comments and I hope mine help someone else. YOU CAN FIX IT!!!!

Hasta pronto

由 Juan Pablo 完成的 2020年9月24日

@juanp001 - Happy to here you got things going!

Just a small note on your replacing the optical drive with a SSD. Do take note the optical drive's SATA connection is slower than the others! It's only SATA II (3.0 Gb/s) Vs SATA III (6.0 Gb/s) your other two drive ports offer. If you are using it as your boot drive I would recommend moving the connection to the spare port.

由 Dan 完成的 2020年9月25日

Well, sad new :-( .

Yes I change the port 3 for the port 2, I knew that one was SATA3.

I don't know What hapened, I start my computer this morning, and turns on well, and I try a full screen video to check temperatures to see how much change on this task. Well I sit to take a coffee and video run for ilke 20 or 30minutes and the computer just shuts down and do not want to turn on :-(

How frustrating this is after all this time and effort to fix it to have an old computer still running, and I am not counting the $$$ invested.

I unplugged the iMac to let it cool down, it was hot but not unusal hot for this computer, and wont start. I am so sad right now. the only reason i try to fix it and invest the money i ad was that i can use the photo software aperture which is outdated, has no support but still the only one I tr that works well. I might need a donation from someone who wants to help a photographer in COVID-19 situation.

Again, Thank you Dan for been so supportive.

由 Juan Pablo 完成的 2020年9月25日

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Hi Dan, No that I know. but my question is about the HD6770 on my 27 inch looks little smaller than the HD6970 for the other 27 inch 2011 imacs. the GPU is little longer so I was thinking that I need also a new heatsink to upgrade my GPU. My Heatsink is in perfct conditions, shiny and no dents. But because the small chips on the HD6970 GPU are larger I might need to protect them. — Juan Pablo
The heat sinks are the same across all of the GPU's used in this series as far as I know. The older 2010 model used a slightly different heatsink.

I haven't made a detailed study and I've repasted and/or replaced quite a few never noticed any sizable differences. The thermal block is the same across them (part that mates with the GPU).

Knowing Apple as I do, I don't see them making different heat sinks for the different GPU's as that would have been costly. The amount of thermal load (wattage) between the different GPU series is well within the systems ability to shed the expected heat (CFM).

It sounds like you are confused on how to deal with the Video RAM chips that surround the GPU. You need to use thermal pads not thermal paste! Only the GPU chip gets the paste.

Apple did try using a special thermal paste (gapping) as it was easier to use during the assembly process. Sadly, its not very good ;-{ — Dan
Hi Dan, Thank you for your comments.

Finally my iMac mid 2011 2.7GHz is working and running a 2GB GPU which is awesome. I also bought the heatsink for the HD6790 and is little bit different, I am glad I decide to buy that one, it was used and also is not as good looking as my original one but so far is working and that is whats matter now. I used thermal paste for the Main chip and used thermal pads for the rest of the smaller chips. I recomend who ever one to upgrade the GPU of this iMac for 2GB from 512MB get an AMD original card, It was super easy plug and play process. Also get the specific Heatsink which is differente for the smaller chips and fits PERFECT!!!

I also took down the DVD unit that was broken and replace it for an SSD , I plugged it to the other SATA port with the same cable that I had for the DVD, I took the DVD heat sensor and paste ir to the SSD so I don't hear that ugly beep or the FANS at super fast speed all the time.... IT WORKS!!!

Computer is running amazingly faster, photoshop, aperture and everything is working way better than before for now ;-)

I also installed the Mac Fan control so I monitoring the GPU and heatsink temperatures and even using it manual mode to increas the speed my iMac is so quiet like always was. I am super happy with my fix. Thank you for your comments and I hope mine help someone else. YOU CAN FIX IT!!!!

Hasta pronto — Juan Pablo
@juanp001 - Happy to here you got things going!

Just a small note on your replacing the optical drive with a SSD. Do take note the optical drive's SATA connection is slower than the others! It's only SATA II (3.0 Gb/s) Vs SATA III (6.0 Gb/s) your other two drive ports offer. If you are using it as your boot drive I would recommend moving the connection to the spare port. — Dan
Well, sad new :-( .

Yes I change the port 3 for the port 2, I knew that one was SATA3.

I don't know What hapened, I start my computer this morning, and turns on well, and I try a full screen video to check temperatures to see how much change on this task. Well I sit to take a coffee and video run for ilke 20 or 30minutes and the computer just shuts down and do not want to turn on :-(

How frustrating this is after all this time and effort to fix it to have an old computer still running, and I am not counting the $$$ invested.

I unplugged the iMac to let it cool down, it was hot but not unusal hot for this computer, and wont start. I am so sad right now. the only reason i try to fix it and invest the money i ad was that i can use the photo software aperture which is outdated, has no support but still the only one I tr that works well. I might need a donation from someone who wants to help a photographer in COVID-19 situation.

Again, Thank you Dan for been so supportive. — Juan Pablo