Gigabyte RTX 3070 owner finds protective film on thermal pads after five years
The RTX 3070 worked for almost five years before its owner found protective film still attached to several VRM thermal pads. According to the owner, the Gigabyte card had never been opened or repaired before.
He eventually took it apart after experiencing black screens and unusual fan behavior, with the fans sometimes jumping to around 3,500 RPM despite a custom fan curve.
Protective film remained on the VRM pads
FurMark and OCCT testing showed the GPU reaching around 80°C, with the hotspot hitting 105°C. When the card was opened for cleaning and repasting, the owner found MEITEK protective film still covering several VRM thermal pads.
Factory protective film on thermal pads on my Gigabyte RTX 3070 Gaming OC rev 2.0
by u/buczi94 in pcmasterrace
After removing the film and applying fresh thermal paste, GPU temperature dropped by 15°C and hotspot temperature by 30°C. The card then completed three hours of FurMark and OCCT testing without errors, although one black screen reportedly returned during a later cold boot.
Gigabyte says you are on your own in this situation
The owner later contacted Gigabyte and asked for compensation or an equivalent replacement. Note that’s after he had already ‘fixed’ most of the issue himself. Gigabyte was not interested in offering further help, which is convenient for them given that the card was already outside its warranty period. Still, the card appears to have left the factory with an assembly defect.
The owner probably shouldn’t receive a new card, but Gigabyte could have at least offered professional testing and replacement of the thermal pads. Given the apparent factory assembly issue, that seems like the minimum they should have offered.
