Multiple reports are saying that the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070, manufactured by EVGA, are in the center of some hot issues. The cards voltage regulation modules (VRM) are overheating and are literally being toasted.
The models in question right now have been fitted with EVGA's ACX cooler. The issue comes from the VRMs that are not receiving adequate air flow, which prevents it from cooling down. The VRMs do not contain issues at all. It can handle everything very well. It is rated to perform adequately up to 125 degrees Celsius and provide up to 200 amps of power. However, the company decided not put thermal pads and let these VRMs be cooled off by the GPU heatsink, according to WCCFTech.
There are multiple threads on EVGA and NVIDIA's Reddit pages that are discussing this issue. The many reports suggest that it is not an isolated case. One user shared that his card was barely two months old and only used for casual gaming. He then suddenly noticed a bright orange flame shoot out from his video card, the display went black, and his room was filled with the smell of an electronic component burning.
According to Hot Hardware, EVGA has acknowledged the problem, and the company has taken action to solve the issue. GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 owners were given two options: free thermal pads to the affected units that need to be applied between the PCB and the backplate, or an already-padded unit replacement.
The company released a statement, saying: "During our recent testing, we have applied additional thermal pads between the backplate and the PCB and between the baseplate and the heatsink fins, with the results shown below. We will offer these optional thermal pads free of charge to EVGA owners who want to have a lower temperature. These thermal pads will be ready soon; and customers can request them starting Monday, October 24th, 2016."
EVGA GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 owners can request thermal pads via their web page.
