# RAM heatsinks



## Shrek (Oct 23, 2021)

Does RAM really need heatsinks?

All the RAM I have never seems to get very warm.


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## theFOoL (Oct 23, 2021)

To me no. Even OC I don't feel one needs them. Now for Storage MVME I'd say yes *Kinda


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## 27MaD (Oct 23, 2021)

RAMs running @high frequencies & low timings / heavily overclocked might slightly benefit from heatsinks, they're mostly bling bling that's it.


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## tabascosauz (Oct 23, 2021)

Most lower end heatspreaders are absolute crap and have no surface area (see Viper Steels), probably would do about the same thermally without them. Honestly I'm not even aware of any DDR4 heatspreader that actually looks like it has impressive surface area. Trident Z could be okay if it didn't have that plastic piece/stupid RGB diffuser on top - I removed the plastic piece on my E-die Tridents but for the RGB/Neo/Royals you can't just take off the diffuser. I took the heatspreaders off my 4133CL19 Viper Steels for clearance, they've been running naked fine at 4200 17-18-18 1.45V for a while now.

It's really only a specific subset of DDR4 that might benefit. Within DDR4 there are only a few ICs that can safely handle 1.5V or more > within those there are only a few that can do tight timings (B-die) or high freq (Rev.B, DJR) > within those there are a few that are temp sensitive and destabilize at x temp so actually need the cooling. DJR comes with crazy factory XMP up to 1.65V.

Mostly it's airflow that matters much more than what heatspreader is on there. Heatspreaders with poor airflow are useless, but not vice versa. I'm not so sure about dual rank sticks, a heatsink might knock off a few degrees (again, not just any old dual rank 3200CL16, but dual rank B-die/Rev.E/(Rev.B?)/(DJR?) @ 1.5V+).

But then again, people love parroting the idea that watercooling RAM is useless, but a properly put-together waterblock setup can actually be beneficial for a B-die daily system pushing 1.55-1.6V (say, 4000CL14 on Zen3, 4600CL16 on CML etc). Especially with a 200W+ GPU in the system dumping heat onto the DIMMs.


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## caroline! (Oct 24, 2021)

Yes, depending on what kind of RAM is it, and what kind of heatsink. My old DDR2 memory was OC'd from 800 to 1066 MT/s, that thing used to get HOT so I did what any ghetto modder would: glue some heatsinks on it. 
Those modules are really sturdy, ran at 2.3V for years and are still alive, case cooling was simply a box fan standing next to the barebones case blowing as much air as possible, it was ugly and noisy but managed to play a ton of games with it, even Half-Life 2 which was quite the feat, I even added MODS to it when I got my hands on an used 40GB drive which was literally as twice as big as the original 20GB it came with (prebuilt). Those were the years.


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## Braegnok (Oct 24, 2021)

+1,..  properly put-together waterblock setup can actually be beneficial for a B-die system pushing 1.55-1.6V.

I started water cooling my memory a few years ago, as B-die modules quickly become unstable when the RAM IC's go above 52c,.. 

I'm running Hynix IC's now on my daily driver @ 5866MHz 1.725V,.. with custom made copper heatspreaders & watercooling.


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## ir_cow (Oct 24, 2021)

@Braegnok!!!!!!!!!! I was going to ask you how you manage that clock but I see you are rocking that Apex MB 

My answer is yes for most things that is 1.35v or above. I can tell you right now that if you don't have a heatspreader on for 1.45v+ it will create errors. Dual rank is the worse. Requires active cooling (aka fan directly on it). Even though ram is rated for 85c (JEDEC Specs). If you pass 45c on Samsung-B die either the system crashes or you will get crazy errors.


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## RyzenMaster.sys (Oct 24, 2021)

Most ram won't need heatsinks. Usually it's just for looks. However, higher voltage ram or overclocked ram may begin to want at least some airflow or a heatsink.


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## tabascosauz (Oct 24, 2021)

ir_cow said:


> @Braegnok!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> My answer is yes for most things that is 1.35v or above. I can tell you right now that if you don't have a heatspreader on for 1.45v+ it will create errors. Dual rank is the worse. Requires active cooling (aka fan directly on it). Even though ram is rated for 85c (JEDEC Specs). If you pass 45c on Samsung-B die either the system crashes or you will get crazy errors.



Can never get a clear answer on Bdie temp sensitivity. Is it 45 or 50? Or is 45 just a sub-140ns tRFC or 1.55v+ thing? I have my single rank and dual rank B-die down to 133ns and 140ns without destabilizing at 1.45-1.53v during long repeated TM5/LinX/HCI sessions, as long it stays below 50 - hence why I treated 50 as the magic number. 



Braegnok said:


> +1,..  properly put-together waterblock setup can actually be beneficial for a B-die system pushing 1.55-1.6V.
> 
> I started water cooling my memory a few years ago, as B-die modules quickly become unstable when the RAM IC's go above 52c,..
> 
> ...



Sweet DJR setup. Have you noticed any temp sensitivity on Hynix? Heard somewhere that DJR is, but could never confirm and CJR doesn't seem to be


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## ir_cow (Oct 24, 2021)

@tabascosauz I think it is Kit dependent. I usually have problems between 43-48c for Samsung-B Die. But if it is stable for you with no errors during memory stress testing, that is a win!
I have no idea for Hynix DJR temp. Just that you can abuse the crap out of the voltage. 1.6v is not a problem. Considering I will do hours of stress testing at 1.6v, I think DJR is the bomb. I do put a direct fan on them though, which is why I haven't ever looked at the temps.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 24, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Does RAM really need heatsinks?
> 
> All the RAM I have never seems to get very warm.


It does help, ive felt ram get plenty hot.



Braegnok said:


> +1,..  properly put-together waterblock setup can actually be beneficial for a B-die system pushing 1.55-1.6V.
> 
> I started water cooling my memory a few years ago, as B-die modules quickly become unstable when the RAM IC's go above 52c,..
> 
> ...


Alphacool wb there.

Been wanting to WC the ram lol.


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## Mussels (Oct 24, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Does RAM really need heatsinks?
> 
> All the RAM I have never seems to get very warm.


At stock voltages, no.
Even overclocked, often no.


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## Toothless (Oct 24, 2021)

Some server ram sure does need it. Been almost burned by ECC when it was in my SR-2 rig.


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## delshay (Oct 24, 2021)

CAUTION: Strong Recommendation By Me.

When inserting any DDR Memory module I recommend inserting the memory module by pressing utilizing the edge of the PCB "if visible". I don't have enough evidence to support why, but it's been look at here why so many are going faulty. It's to do with stress on the solder balls & solder pads why they are lifting so easy when worked on. Below is a example where I recommend to apply pressure when inserting the memory. Personal I have stop inserting memory module via the heatsink. I have been doing this for some time now but have never posted this.

QUESTION: Does anyone know the best way to take memory modules apart that have been glued? Heating it up does not work very well.


Strong Recommendation: Insert memory module where marked with a red circle (press here). Not on the heatsink like most of us do.


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## ir_cow (Oct 24, 2021)

delshay said:


> QUESTION: Does anyone know the best way to take memory modules apart that have been glued? Heating it up does not work very well.


Hair dryer. 30 seconds - go back and forth. Try to peal one side. If it fights you, keep heating it up. Try the other side as well.

Most kits only need one round to come apart. It is also easy to bend the heatsink, so be aware that is likely to happen.

I've only do 30 or so kits so far. Im sure someome who does it all day for custom WC builds might have a better and easier way.


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## delshay (Oct 24, 2021)

ir_cow said:


> Hair dryer. 30 seconds - go back and forth. Try to peal one side. If it fights you, keep heating it up. Try the other side as well.
> 
> Most kits only need one round to come apart. It is also easy to bend the heatsink, so be aware that is likely to happen.
> 
> I've only do 30 or so kits so far. Im sure someome who does it all day for custom WC builds might have a better and easier way.



Sorry, should have pointed out the heatsink is directly glued to the chips.  Even with a very strong heat source it very difficult to get it apart.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 24, 2021)

delshay said:


> CAUTION: Strong Recommendation By Me.
> 
> When inserting any DDR Memory module I recommend inserting the memory module by pressing utilizing the edge of the PCB "if visible". I don't have enough evidence to support why, but it's been look at here why so many are going faulty. It's to do with stress on the solder balls & solder pads why they are lifting so easy when worked on. Below is a example where I recommend to apply pressure when inserting the memory. Personal I have stop inserting memory module via the heatsink. I have been doing this for some time now but have never posted this.
> 
> ...


If not enough contact area press on the ends of the HS.

Never had a ram failure due to pressing the IHS, only ESD, DOA- defect


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## ir_cow (Oct 24, 2021)

delshay said:


> Sorry, should have pointed out the heatsink is directly glued to the chips.  Even with a very strong heat source it very difficult to get it apart.


Are you sure its really glue and not super sticky tape? I would still heat it up, but I guess use a knife to cut/peal as you go. It will ruin the heatspeaders if its really glued, but that is the only option really.


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## delshay (Oct 24, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> If not enough contact area press on the ends of the HS.
> 
> Never had a ram failure due to pressing the IHS, only ESD, DOA- defect


No. Press down/insert the ram stick by pushing down on the edge of the PCB (red marking) if exposed. Some heatsink covers this so you may have no choice but use the heatsink to insert in socket.



ir_cow said:


> Are you sure its really glue and not super sticky tape? I would still heat it up, but I guess use a knife to cut/peal as you go. It will ruin the heatspeaders if its really glued, but that is the only option really.



It's real glue. Large collection of DDR2 to repair/restore..


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## Shrek (Oct 24, 2021)

I seem to recall a video where cooling in liquid nitrogen helped with removing the heat sinks; not very practical, I know.

(1) Removing DDR Memory Heatspreaders with GamersNexus - Bing video

At 7:40 looks like tape to me


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## delshay (Oct 24, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I seem to recall a video where cooling in liquid nitrogen helped with removing the heat sinks; not very practical, I know.
> 
> (1) Removing DDR Memory Heatspreaders with GamersNexus - Bing video



Will try overnight freezing it.


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## Mussels (Oct 24, 2021)

delshay said:


> Will try overnight freezing it.


airtight bags, no condensation!


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## Shrek (Oct 24, 2021)

I wonder if soaking overnight in isopropyl alcohol would help.


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## maxfly (Oct 24, 2021)

delshay said:


> Will try overnight freezing it.


You don't need to keep it overnight. An hour or so will freeze it up. Be quick but gentle when prying the spreaders off or you'll have to refreeze. 
GL!


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## delshay (Oct 24, 2021)

maxfly said:


> You don't need to keep it overnight. An hour or so will freeze it up. Be quick but gentle when prying the spreaders off or you'll have to refreeze.
> GL!



Don't have time for monitoring. It's in a plastic bag in the freezer, will check on it in the morning.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 24, 2021)

delshay said:


> No. Press down/insert the ram stick by pushing down on the edge of the PCB (red marking) if exposed. Some heatsink covers this so you may have no choice but use the heatsink to insert in socket.
> 
> 
> 
> It's real glue. Large collection of DDR2 to repair/restore..


Dude i just explained it.


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## joemama (Oct 25, 2021)

It's always good to have something to cool down the modules, I don't know much about the effect of temperature on the chips but the heat cycle due to the computer turning on and off is definitely bad for any kind of component


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## delshay (Oct 25, 2021)

Here's the result after freezing the memory overnight (G.Skill PI DDR2). I like the bit where not a single chip remained on the PCB. This is a very poor result but it has no effect what will happen to the dram chips.

Second photo you can see reballed chips awaiting install on the PCB (G.Skill Trident DDR2)


EDIT UPDATE:

Just found the "perfect solution", I was wrong. Heat the memory module up to a very hot temperature. Keep it very hot at all times. Not sure of the temperature but I kept it on the preheater. Now lift/separate the heatsink away from the PCB, it should be easy to lift off when extremely hot.
I may upload the tool used to separate heatsink away from the PCB.

Don't worry about the first photo where it went wrong. It will be reballed & find a new home on a new PCB.


EDIT UPDATE2:

I have added a third photo with 100% perfect removal of the second G.Skill PI heatsink. I used that tool to separate the heatsink away from the PCB by placing it in between the gap & opening the pliers while the memory module is extremely hot.


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## Mussels (Oct 25, 2021)

Well, freezing certainly went well

Thanks for the feedback!


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## delshay (Oct 25, 2021)

Mussels said:


> Well, freezing certainly went well
> 
> Thanks for the feedback!



Yeah, completely wrong. I have lots of spare parts which allows me to carry out lots of experiments,. Plus I have the skill to restore., so no big deal 
You need to get it very hot but if you go a little over the top it will start to melt the label. I have no idea what the temperature requirements are but it must be over 80c+ & remain at this high temperature until heatsink is removed/separated. Funny enough it looks like if you put the heatsink back & let it cool down, it goes back super sticky & your back to where you started.


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## Mussels (Oct 25, 2021)

I'd test between 60 and 80C if you had a controlled heatbed, not hot enough to damage anything but hotter than expected running temperatures of the device (and they'd never use an adhesive that'd melt right off, close to expected running temps)


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## delshay (Oct 25, 2021)

Mussels said:


> I'd test between 60 and 80C if you had a controlled heatbed, not hot enough to damage anything but hotter than expected running temperatures of the device (and they'd never use an adhesive that'd melt right off, close to expected running temps)



It is controlled. Preheater is set to 300c but I have to remove the memory module before the label melt. I don't know what the real temperature of the memory module is, then again it's not really required. Just use your judgment when the heatsink parts away from the PCB. Just put the pliers in between the gap with a little opening pressure & as the memory module heats up & hits a certain temperature the heatsink parts away from the PCB with little to no effort. If I really want to find the temperature I could put a thermal probe on the heatsink.


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## Mussels (Oct 25, 2021)

Regardless, nicely done and thanks for letting us know freezing was dumb


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## Braegnok (Oct 25, 2021)

tabascosauz said:


> Can never get a clear answer on Bdie temp sensitivity. Is it 45 or 50? Or is 45 just a sub-140ns tRFC or 1.55v+ thing? I have my single rank and dual rank B-die down to 133ns and 140ns without destabilizing at 1.45-1.53v during long repeated TM5/LinX/HCI sessions, as long it stays below 50 - hence why I treated 50 as the magic number.
> 
> 
> 
> Sweet DJR setup. Have you noticed any temp sensitivity on Hynix? Heard somewhere that DJR is, but could never confirm and CJR doesn't seem to be



In general I have noticed running tighter timings = more work being done by the memory = more heat output. Temperature impacts stability fairly significantly by increasing the leakage current of the memory cells storing your data. tRFC controls how long the cells are allowed to be recharged and tREFI controls how long a cell can operate before being recharged; so both of these directly effect the temperature induced error threshold. This threshold varies with high binned ICs but can be much lower than you would think when running extremely tight profiles with high voltages, thus increasing tRFC is probably the easiest way to raise your temperature induced error threshold, especially with a high tREFI.


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## Shrek (Oct 25, 2021)

delshay said:


> I have no idea what the temperature requirements are but it must be over 80c+ & remain at this high temperature until heatsink is removed/separated.



I wonder if boiling in water would be enough.


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## delshay (Oct 25, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I wonder if boiling in water would be enough.



Welldone!   ..That's a experiment I would love to try. It should work.

   ..Err but you would lose the sticker/labels plus damage the thermal pads..


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## Mussels (Oct 25, 2021)

For whatever reason that had me thinking of sticking old, unused RAM sticks inside the reservoir in my watercooling loop

I mean yes, it'd corrode and do horrible things, but it'd also look like i was cloning RAM sticks


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## Kissamies (Oct 25, 2021)

I remember that "despreading" DDR1 with TSOP chips went okay back in the day, but I also experienced that a BGA DDR3 chip came with the heatspreader when I tried the same some years later.

Wonder how my DDR3s would work without heatspreaders on my X58 rig. They get pretty hot even with moderate 1680MHz 9-9-9-27-2T 1.65V settings.


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## Shrek (Oct 25, 2021)

delshay said:


> Welldone!   ..That's a experiment I would love to try. It should work.
> 
> ..Err but you would lose the sticker/labels plus damage the thermal pads..



I'd take that over damaging the chips


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## ir_cow (Oct 25, 2021)

delshay said:


> Yeah, completely wrong. I have lots of spare parts which allows me to carry out lots of experiments,. Plus I have the skill to restore., so no big deal
> You need to get it very hot but if you go a little over the top it will start to melt the label. I have no idea what the temperature requirements are but it must be over 80c+ & remain at this high temperature until heatsink is removed/separated. Funny enough it looks like if you put the heatsink back & let it cool down, it goes back super sticky & your back to where you started.


Yeah heat is always the answer. It also looks like those weren't glued from the photos, just sticky tape.

I just go back and forth with a hairdryer until it starts to come apart. Sometimes the sticker will start to come off. Just need to push it back down and keep going. As long as the solder doesn't melt, you are golden.


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## damric (Oct 26, 2021)

Some heat spreaders are glued on, and glued on such that I have ripped ICs in half despite preheating. Some are just fastened together with clips and use thermal pads and are much easier to deal with.

I have 4 sticks of DJR. I've never run them higher than 1.45v yet, for 3800/16. I might try 1.65v now and see if I can get timings down.


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## ir_cow (Oct 26, 2021)

damric said:


> I have 4 sticks of DJR. I've never run them higher than 1.45v yet, for 3800/16. I might try 1.65v now and see if I can get timings down.


Hynix does not scale down with voltage like Samsung-B. You will be lucky to get CAS14.


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## AusWolf (Oct 26, 2021)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think consumer-grade RAM needs massive heat spreaders (Corsair Dom Plat style and such). A small one (or even nothing) with proper airflow is fine.


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 26, 2021)

Would putting some old DDR2 sticks in the microwave for about a minute warm them up enough to remove the HS?
I'm only asking cause' unsure if that kind of environment could damage the circuitry?


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## joemama (Oct 26, 2021)

AlwaysHope said:


> Would putting some old DDR2 sticks in the microwave for about a minute warm them up enough to remove the HS?
> I'm only asking cause' unsure if that kind of environment could damage the circuitry?


Don't put things with metal components inside a microwave


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## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Oct 26, 2021)

They are mostly for aesthetics, a way to attract gamers with who has the most gamery designed "heatsink"

i mean DDR2 and DDR3 ran fine at 1.5v and 1.35v without heatsinks since forever, so yeah


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 26, 2021)

joemama said:


> Don't put things with metal components inside a microwave


That's what I use to think until I saw a college teacher in cooking put a metal bowl of some food into a Microwave.... & nothing happened but the contents in the bowl cooked! In fact they do this regularly during service times.


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## maxfly (Oct 26, 2021)

AlwaysHope said:


> Would putting some old DDR2 sticks in the microwave for about a minute warm them up enough to remove the HS?
> I'm only asking cause' unsure if that kind of environment could damage the circuitry?


There was a dude at hardforum that thought microwaving his gpu in an attempt to resurrect it was the equivalent to baking it in an oven...more than once. He couldn't understand why his microwave stopped working OR why parts of his gpu flashed and melted.
Snap! Crackle! Pop!
True story.


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## delshay (Oct 26, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I'd take that over damaging the chips



If you put the memory in a pot of boiling water I would imagine you don't need to do anything, the heatsink would just fall off (not tested).



ir_cow said:


> Yeah heat is always the answer. It also looks like those weren't glued from the photos, just sticky tape.
> 
> I just go back and forth with a hairdryer until it starts to come apart. Sometimes the sticker will start to come off. Just need to push it back down and keep going. As long as the solder doesn't melt, you are golden.



Yes those have very strong sticky thermal pads. The true test will come when I take apart "Corsair Dominator 9136" DDR2   ..You can see each chip is glued direct to the heatsink.


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## Shrek (Oct 26, 2021)

delshay said:


> If you put the memory in a pot of boiling water I would imagine you don't need to do anything, the heatsink would just fall off (not tested).



You not going to test the idea?


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## Bomby569 (Oct 26, 2021)

derbauer did it recently on his videos, just look for the videos about the recent disaster in Germany with the water.


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## Vya Domus (Oct 26, 2021)

Completely useless, even if they're overclocked into oblivion you'll fry the memory modules due to voltage long before they die of heat.


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## sneekypeet (Oct 26, 2021)

Here is the way I recall "heat spreader" evolution.

Back in the day, when RAM got to the same speed as cordless phone transmission, there was cross talk. Solution, shield the RAM and the issue went away.
Some liked the clean look, and somewhere along the line manufacturers adopted them and made them pretty.

As someone who used to test aftermarket heat spreaders, at best, I saw a 3*C reduction in temperatures at the same voltage steps. You could gain nearly 10*C with heat spreaders and one of them fancy RAM cooler fans.

As a RAM reviewer, I say they are functional, but just on the normal usage scale, which I would say is up to 1.45-1.50V. Beyond that, active cooling is better than none, and as they touch hot parts, the metal on the sides does indeed spread the heat over a larger area, but without active cooling it can and will still saturate if pushing voltage.


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## Mussels (Oct 27, 2021)

damric said:


> Some heat spreaders are glued on, and glued on such that I have ripped ICs in half despite preheating. Some are just fastened together with clips and use thermal pads and are much easier to deal with.
> 
> I have 4 sticks of DJR. I've never run them higher than 1.45v yet, for 3800/16. I might try 1.65v now and see if I can get timings down.


I cant recall if mine are DJR or MJR off the top of my head, but they *hate* low latency - but love high clocks. 4000MHz stable at 1.4V, stock timings... but even 3200C14 crashes hard


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## RealKGB (Oct 27, 2021)

My 4x8GB kit of RAM has heatsinks + a fan ziptied on it.
Originally there was no fan, but the RAM started to burn my fingers if I needed to take it out so I added the fan and now that doesn't happen anymore.
It is running at 3333 C16-16-16-32 tRC 48 1.39V though with a mixed kit of 3200 C14-14-14-31 B-die and 3200 C16-18-18-36 Nanya Tech something-or-other.

So I'd say if you think you need heatsinks, you probably need heatsinks. If you think you need a fan, you probably need a fan, because if you're thinking about RAM cooling you most likely know something about RAM overclocking or have a RAM overclock applied.


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## Shrek (Oct 27, 2021)

I should have specified

... for RAM run at normal speeds and voltage


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 27, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Does RAM really need heatsinks?
> 
> All the RAM I have never seems to get very warm.


Some RAM does. It depends on the speeds, voltages and tolerances involved. Generally, if the kit you're buying comes with them, they're needed. If they don't come with heatsinks but you intend to OC and OV the RAM then adding heatsinks to your RAM is a wise idea..



Andy Shiekh said:


> I should have specified
> 
> ... for RAM run at normal speeds and voltage


In that case, no.


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 28, 2021)

delshay said:


> Yes those have very strong sticky thermal pads. The true test will come when I take apart "Corsair Dominator 9136" DDR2   ..You can see each chip is glued direct to the heatsink.


They certainly do it seems even on the lowly Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5 ver5.2 kit I have here. I tried taking off the HS with inspiration from this thread . Although used 150C oven instead (seems it wasn't hot enough even after warming up in hindsight). I mean one side of the HS came off but the other was so stubborn, a little too much force literally ripped the chips of the PCB on that side... not worried though, I got them dirt cheap back in the day & I have plenty of other DDR2 kits to use. I can confirm however, that the chips themselves actually have Corsair stamped on them. Didn't know they made the actual ram chips back in the day. Glad I still have ver 4.3 kit.
Lesson learned!


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## delshay (Oct 28, 2021)

AlwaysHope said:


> They certainly do it seems even on the lowly Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5 ver5.2 kit I have here. I tried taking off the HS with inspiration from this thread . Although used 150C oven instead (seems it wasn't hot enough even after warming up in hindsight). I mean one side of the HS came off but the other was so stubborn, a little too much force literally ripped the chips of the PCB on that side... not worried though, I got them dirt cheap back in the day & I have plenty of other DDR2 kits to use. I can confirm however, that the chips themselves actually have Corsair stamped on them. Didn't know they made the actual ram chips back in the day. Glad I still have ver 4.3 kit.
> Lesson learned!



If you know how to reball you can put the chips back on a new PCB. Keep the broken ram, it can be repaired. All ram chips can take over 215c+, but at this temperature the solder balls will melt. Personally I would keep the temperature just below 190c or before the sticker melts.

You can remove the sticker/label while it's very hot. It will stay in good condition if removed when heatsink is very hot.    ...NOTE If temperature is too low it will stay stuck to the heatrsink.


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## AusWolf (Oct 28, 2021)

sneekypeet said:


> Here is the way I recall "heat spreader" evolution.
> 
> Back in the day, when RAM got to the same speed as cordless phone transmission, there was cross talk. Solution, shield the RAM and the issue went away.
> Some liked the clean look, and somewhere along the line manufacturers adopted them and made them pretty.
> ...





RealKGB said:


> My 4x8GB kit of RAM has heatsinks + a fan ziptied on it.
> Originally there was no fan, but the RAM started to burn my fingers if I needed to take it out so I added the fan and now that doesn't happen anymore.
> It is running at 3333 C16-16-16-32 tRC 48 1.39V though with a mixed kit of 3200 C14-14-14-31 B-die and 3200 C16-18-18-36 Nanya Tech something-or-other.
> 
> So I'd say if you think you need heatsinks, you probably need heatsinks. If you think you need a fan, you probably need a fan, because if you're thinking about RAM cooling you most likely know something about RAM overclocking or have a RAM overclock applied.


My active RAM cooling (link).


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## tabascosauz (Oct 28, 2021)

AusWolf said:


> My active RAM cooling (link).



Great minds think alike  in all seriousness though, I reckon your front fans there might be more useful than expected if they ever spin up higher speeds. I initially expected a single fan on the C14S to be able to cool the RAM but not a lot of air makes it through the heatsink even with a 140mm @ screaming 2000rpm. So I added another, not much CPU temp difference, but big difference for RAM.

It's the difference between barely 1.37V, and 1.55V+, both keeping below 50. The dedicated Corsair RAM cooler (CMYAF) I tried couldn't come close to this setup, for all the ridiculous noise it made on its tiny 60mm fan.


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## maxfly (Oct 28, 2021)

AlwaysHope said:


> They certainly do it seems even on the lowly Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5 ver5.2 kit I have here. I tried taking off the HS with inspiration from this thread . Although used 150C oven instead (seems it wasn't hot enough even after warming up in hindsight). I mean one side of the HS came off but the other was so stubborn, a little too much force literally ripped the chips of the PCB on that side... not worried though, I got them dirt cheap back in the day & I have plenty of other DDR2 kits to use. I can confirm however, that the chips themselves actually have Corsair stamped on them. Didn't know they made the actual ram chips back in the day. Glad I still have ver 4.3 kit.
> Lesson learned!


You have to use a heatgun or hair dryer to keep the tape hot or it will solidify. If you use a heatgun be sure to use it on low, keep it 6 inches or more away from the spreader while keeping it moving or you may cook the ics. A hairdryer will likely never get hot enough to do any damage.
Corsair actually just rebadged the ics, they've never made their own. They used to do an excellent job of screening and binning ics for ocing headroom. Ive no idea why they rebadged them but It made it a pain to id d9 ics when they were popular. YellowBeard was pretty good about letting us know (if he could) fortunately. They did start listing what ics they used for each model and revision at some point during that time but i don't remember when exactly. It was very detailed and useful. I have no idea if they continue to list ics today but i doubt it.


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## AusWolf (Oct 28, 2021)

tabascosauz said:


> Great minds think alike  in all seriousness though, I reckon your front fans there might be more useful than expected if they ever spin up higher speeds. I initially expected a single fan on the C14S to be able to cool the RAM but not a lot of air makes it through the heatsink even with a 140mm @ screaming 2000rpm. So I added another, not much CPU temp difference, but big difference for RAM.
> 
> It's the difference between barely 1.37V, and 1.55V+, both keeping below 50. The dedicated Corsair RAM cooler (CMYAF) I tried couldn't come close to this setup, for all the ridiculous noise it made on its tiny 60mm fan.
> 
> View attachment 222706


Nice! 

As for my front and top fans, I currently use be quiet! Silent Wings 3 and Silent Wings 3 High Speed fans (the picture I linked is a bit old). I'm not sure about RAM temperatures, as the low (normal?) profile Kingston modules don't have temperature sensors. They're a bit warmer to the touch than the Corsair Dom Plats used to be in my AMD rig, but that might also be due to warm air blowing at them from the CPU cooler. I don't think RAM temperature is an issue anyway, unless you're a serious overclocker.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 28, 2021)

AusWolf said:


> My active RAM cooling (link).


Ah, the down-firing heatsink type. I have one of these, ThermalTake model though. And I like them for that reason, they don't just cool the CPU, but also the whole socket area.


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## Shrek (Oct 28, 2021)

I wonder why they don't turn the fan around so one works with convection and not against it.


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## cvaldes (Oct 28, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I should have specified
> 
> ... for RAM run at normal speeds and voltage


Nah, doesn't matter. You can use regular sticks with no heat spreaders. 

Hell, you can even rock the old school green PCBs and pretend you're living in the Eighties. Or running a server.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 28, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I wonder why they don't turn the fan around so one works with convection and not against it.


Because it really doesn't matter much. The forces at play due to convection are extremely small compared to the forces imparted to airflow by the fan motor and blades..


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## Shrek (Oct 28, 2021)

Makes sense

And maybe because one wants turbulent air to hit the heatsink.


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## Mussels (Oct 28, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Makes sense
> 
> And maybe because one wants turbulent air to hit the heatsink.


thats the one, you need air to chaotically move over the surface area

slow smooth movement doesnt transfer heat as well


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## Shrek (Oct 28, 2021)

What? agreement on this forum? I guess it had to happen sooner or later!


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 29, 2021)

maxfly said:


> You have to use a heatgun or hair dryer to keep the tape hot or it will solidify. If you use a heatgun be sure to use it on low, keep it 6 inches or more away from the spreader while keeping it moving or you may cook the ics. A hairdryer will likely never get hot enough to do any damage.
> Corsair actually just rebadged the ics, they've never made their own. They used to do an excellent job of screening and binning ics for ocing headroom. Ive no idea why they rebadged them but It made it a pain to id d9 ics when they were popular. YellowBeard was pretty good about letting us know (if he could) fortunately. They did start listing what ics they used for each model and revision at some point during that time but i don't remember when exactly. It was very detailed and useful. I have no idea if they continue to list ics today but i doubt it.


So what if one does not have a heat gun in the house? Prying HS of ram is not something I do regularly. But I suppose I could pick up a 2nd hand one from a charity shop one day.


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## freeagent (Oct 29, 2021)

I haven't run ram without spreaders since SDR days 

I haven't had any issues running with spreaders. I have my sticks running at 1866 14-14-14-34 1.5v currently and they are sitting at 25-26-25-26, and I try to keep them in the low to mid 30s under load, most of the times its not a problem doing that. I ran them at 1.6v a few times, not much difference from 1.35v or so.


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## tabascosauz (Oct 29, 2021)

freeagent said:


> I haven't run ram without spreaders since SDR days
> 
> I haven't had any issues running with spreaders. I have my sticks running at 1866 14-14-14-34 1.5v currently and they are sitting at 25-26-25-26, and I try to keep them in the low to mid 30s under load, most of the times its not a problem doing that. I ran them at 1.6v a few times, not much difference from 1.35v or so.



That's only because your PC is a 3000rpm windtunnel and it's cold as balls on the prairies  but seriously, just goes to show that airflow is still king, unless the sticks are under water.


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## freeagent (Oct 29, 2021)

tabascosauz said:


> That's only because your PC is a 3000rpm windtunnel and it's cold as balls on the prairies  but seriously, just goes to show that airflow is still king, unless the sticks are under water.


Lol I am moving more air now than when I was running 5x 120x38s, the noise is intense.. me no like. But they are ok if I limit them to around 2200 or so. Of course right now its not limited and the app on my phone is showing in the mid 60s for db standing beside it, and 60 db at my couch


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## maxfly (Oct 29, 2021)

AlwaysHope said:


> So what if one does not have a heat gun in the house? Prying HS of ram is not something I do regularly. But I suppose I could pick up a 2nd hand one from a charity shop one day.


Use a hair dryer. It will just take longer to heat up. While your prying, keep it pointed at the opposite side of the spreader and they should come off pretty easy but you have to be gentle and go slow. If it feels like the tape is hardening back up stop and heat it back up again. Its a slow process.


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 29, 2021)

maxfly said:


> Use a hair dryer. It will just take longer to heat up. While your prying, keep it pointed at the opposite side of the spreader and they should come off pretty easy but you have to be gentle and go slow. If it feels like the tape is hardening back up stop and heat it back up again. Its a slow process.


Don't have hair dryer or heat gun, nothing that outputs hot air, nearest thing is a microwave & that is pretty obviously out of the question. I know it's a slow process, I was having an inpatient kind of day.


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