GTX295 Disassembly Guide

By David Hollingworth, Justin Robinson
16:42 Jan 30, 2009 | 16 Comments
Tags: GTX295 | dissasembly | nekkid | guide

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Now before we start unscrewing and other fun things, keep in mind that this is quite difficult to do at times, and will definitely void any warranty you have. Don't start if you're not prepared to lose it.

The gear
You'll need a few tools to get started here, as well as a few supplies.
• Philips head screwdrivers, in very small sizes, preferably multiples for choice
•Isopropyl alcohol (or your preferred thermal goop cleaner) and paper towel
•Pair of pliers
•Chair, and a large flat surface such as a table to work on

Uninstall the card from your system (watch out for any leftover heat), and place it down on the table. Along the top edge of the card will be three screws, as well as three matching screws on the bottom. Remove these, and gently pull off the rubberised shroud. You can see the screws just below:

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16 Comments

orcone Jan 30, 2009 4:54 PM	You brave bastards.
LordBug Jan 30, 2009 5:14 PM	Having an irritating bastard like me pipe up about the Alienware photos must've motivated the cameraman to do better :D
nesquick Jan 30, 2009 6:09 PM	The GPU die size on the gt200 cores even at 55nm is so large, it makes me appreciate ATI's rv770 die much more.
TheFrunj Jan 30, 2009 6:26 PM	LB, sure did :) -JR
V1RUS Jan 30, 2009 7:04 PM	hmmm you are brave very brave wish i had the money to do that
emccat Jan 30, 2009 7:21 PM	poor GTX295 i bet it has to go to a psychiatrist every day for the rest of its life ;)
Sxio Jan 31, 2009 4:09 PM	Wow, so brave. I have a 9800GX2 and I would NEVER do this. Reason? It works fine now. But nice job guys. Really interesting to see how they actually fit the 2 pcbs together like that.
SNAKE_1337 Feb 1, 2009 12:56 PM	:O i wont even take off my heatpipe heatsink on my 8600gt very brave but whats the reason for taking it apart
index680i Feb 1, 2009 8:22 PM	You guys have way to much fun in the labs :P
V1RUS Feb 1, 2009 9:20 PM	hahah they have to much fun period lol i thing they do it because they want to and its how they have fun thats my opinon oh were can i make a suggestiona botu a game to test graphics and fps on
Hawkeye Feb 2, 2009 11:07 AM	Snake: There are a lot of reasons we love getting into the guts of stuff. For one thing, it's fun, and for another, we figure (correctly, it seems) that this is something we are able to do that a lot of people would not feel at all comfortable doing, but may well be very curious about. The other reason, and this only became apparent after we took the thing apart, was that factory applied thermal paste is damn sloppy! Just adding better paste, and applying it well, kept card temps down a few degrees. It may not sound like much, but in an overclocked, enthusiast-grade system, we think every degree counts. V1RUS: Check out the Atomic Feedback section of the forum - always glad to hear suggestions and comment there :) - DH
xtort Feb 3, 2009 4:07 PM	what no lapping? lol
toru173 Feb 5, 2009 1:50 PM	Well done! I must admit, it's always a first step of mine (after making sure it works) to disassemble and reapply thermal compound where possible. Just makes the project feel a lot more personal, and the extra few degrees are often worth it
tictac2 Feb 6, 2009 1:49 PM	Impressive piece of tech. Be fascinating to see how the factory assembles these things. Any chance of some sneak peeks from the Jolly Green Giant?
tictac2 Feb 6, 2009 1:52 PM	Oh, the second and third pics are the same too - the 3rd pic should be the one showing the 13 screws on top of the card. PS. Can't edit the post? Am I missing something?
Dazzler May 10, 2011 12:57 AM	Great guide, i would have run into strife without it. Interestingly, on my reference model card (inno), temps dropped 10 deg C across the board after a disassembly, dust and new thermal compound. quite a dramatic change and worth the time...

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