Some GeForce RTX 5080s started leaking thermal pads after a month of use

It seems that Gigabyte has not cured one of the “childhood diseases” of its video cards. In some models of accelerators, the company uses so-called liquid thermal pads, and apparently, they are not of high quality, since over time they begin to leak from the accelerator. This problem was reported by one of the users of the Quasar Zone forum, whose Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 “leaked”.

Image source: VideoCardz

The problem appeared on the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 Aorus Master ICE graphics card, which is notably one of the manufacturer’s flagship solutions. The company used a new compound as a thermal interface for memory chips, replacing traditional thermal pads. Gigabyte calls this solution “server-grade thermal conductive gel.” When applied, the material really does resemble a gel.

«”To enhance quality and reliability, we have introduced a new thermal conductive gel to cool critical components including VRAM and MOSFETs. This highly deformable, non-flowing gel provides optimal contact with uneven surfaces and effectively resists deformation during transportation or long-term use, unlike traditional thermal pads,” Gigabyte said.

However, this statement was called into question after the first complaints about the new thermal interface began to appear. A user from the Quasar Zone forum reported that his RTX 5080 graphics card from Gigabyte was installed vertically in a PC case. And, more importantly, it began to “leak” just a month after purchase.

Source of images here and below: Quasar Zone

Although this thermal gel does not conduct electricity, vertical installation of the card and subsequent gel flowing down to the PCIe slot can create a serious problem over time. Many users have encountered a situation where thermal paste gets on the CPU socket. Without the right tools, cleaning such contamination can be very difficult or even impossible. In the photos of the owner of the RTX 5080, you can see that the gel is already getting to the PCIe slot, and very soon this can become a real problem if nothing is done.

Gigabyte didn’t specify any restrictions on how to install graphics cards that use thermal gel. It’s possible that this particular card was built with too much gel or it was applied incorrectly. Either way, it’s not something you’d expect from a card that currently sells for nearly $1,993. Quasar Zone also showed how the thermal gel was applied to a card with a similar cooling system, the RTX 5090 Master ICE. As you can see, someone clearly overdid the amount of thermal interface material when building this card.

A video card distributor joined the Quasar Zone forum thread where this issue is being discussed and said that he had contacted Gigabyte to discuss the issue. However, he did not explain the subject of the discussion. Perhaps it was about accepting the recommendation not to install cards with thermal gel vertically, or the discussion could be about the procedure for filing warranty claims in such cases.