RX6800XT Reference + NCASE M1 + Deshroud + 2x A12x25

der_brennesel

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Apr 20, 2018
20
17
Just a small post on the 6800XT/6900XT Reference - Deshroud is possible and totally worth it in the M1.

  1. Unplug Fan + RGB Cable
  2. Remove Backplate with PH1 Screwdriver
  3. Remove X-Bracket with PH0
  4. Remove Baseplate + PCI Bracket Screws with PH1
  5. Remove the PCB from Cooler Assembly, DO NOT remove the Thermal Pads, leave it upside down on your Table
  6. Unscrew all 4 Screws holding the Shroud to the Baseplate (PH2 Screwdriver)
  7. Keep Shroud in Place for reassembly, the Vapor chamer will rest on the Fans making reassembly much easier
  8. Place PCB back on the cooler
  9. Reattach all Baseplate Screws first
  10. Reattach the Backplate + PCI Bracket screws
  11. Reattach the Vapor Chamber using the X-Bracket (This has to be done last to assure proper contact)
  12. Remove Shroud

I Added two small PVC L-Brackets to guide Airflow, this has to be done after placing the Card and Fans inside the case.

Due to the Nature of the reference fan control (Temperature Target) and good stock fans temperatures of the GPU will not decrease, however due to having Fans as exhaust and higher quality bearings on A12x25 noise will decrease significantly as will Case and backside SSD temps.


 
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aaahaaap

Cable Smoosher
Aug 15, 2017
9
2
@der_brennesel Thanks for sharing this, was very helpful, especially the screwdriver sizes. One small suggestion would be to list the number of screws for each of the items, just as an additional check.

And I was wondering what your experiences have been with some longer term use? And did you try fans as intake vs exhaust as well?
 

der_brennesel

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Apr 20, 2018
20
17
Hi

my experience was pretty good so far.
Screws are all the same length so no way to mess it up (except for mistaking backplate screws with under backplate screws). If you dont lose them you cant mess it up.

Noise levels are still quite good and my fans never ramp beyond 1500 rpm.

The reused thermal Pad gave me no issues at all - i did remount it last month using thermal paste and a washer mod which gave me almost no drop in GPU Temps at all.
So i highly recommend to keep the stock thermal pad in place (even if it tears slightly!) as mounting the cooler with thermal paste is extremely time consuming (removing the old Pad is a pain and took me over an hour using alcohol and q-tips) and you have to mount it in a very specific way (there is a guide for it on Igor's Lab).


I recommend running fans as intake and adding a stack of 3 1mm Washers (3mm in total) between each fan and the case to avoid making a fan duct.
 
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der_brennesel

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Apr 20, 2018
20
17
And only do this mod if you have a damaged fan on your GPU or you have other noise issues with your card (noise) because it is not going to improve temperatures in any way due to the way AMD programmed the fan controller.
 

aaahaaap

Cable Smoosher
Aug 15, 2017
9
2
Thanks for the additional info! Actually temps dropped slightly for me (about 3-4 degrees) and that's with the GPU fans as intake. Supposedly exhaust works better, still have to try that to compare.

It would be nice if we could buy the thermal pad somewhere, but it seems impossible to get :(
 

der_brennesel

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Apr 20, 2018
20
17
Oh nice, my card is running very hot so i decided to switch to dual radiator custom watercooling - makes it possible to game with all fans @800rpm :-)
 
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SFFMunkee

King of Cable Management
Jul 7, 2021
659
655
Oh nice, my card is running very hot so i decided to switch to dual radiator custom watercooling - makes it possible to game with all fans @800rpm :-)
Likewise. While my card wasn't too hot, I wanted to be able to run it with an increased power limit and keep temps down. So I've gone to external 420mm radiator with push/pull for CPU/GPU cooling loop. Keeps everything chilly even at full tilt with the fans still reasonably slow & quiet :)

That said, If I could have fit the deshrouded/Noctua'd card in my A4-SFX I would've done that instead. Looks like a perfect option to quieten down a noisy GPU and reduce case temps!

For anyone looking for a guide on removing cooler, look up waterblock manuals or IgorsLab :)