VR-Zone

Atomic MPC have disassembled the Geforce GTX 480 in a series of 24 images. For the first time, we have a clear look at the GTX 480's PCB and the cooling system covering it.

There's no doubt the GTX 480 is a hot product. Nvidia have managed to bring the TDP down to 250W, but still, it remains the hottest single GPU product ever. To cool the GTX 480, Nvidia have employed a rather unique cooling system, as Atomic MPC demonstrate.

The first step is removing the plastic shard. Unlike traditional GPUs, removing the plastic shard really does not reveal much. This is because the heatsink is actually exposed and not covered, allowing for extra cooling. In other products, the heatsinks are fully covered by plastic shrouds. Also, the entire PCB is covered by an aluminium plate.

The GTX 480 has a high performance heatsink which has 4 heatpipes sticking out of the shroud, as we have sen before. Underneath the heatsink lies an aluminium frame with thermal pads over the memory. It seems as though this frame is a secondary heatsink for the rest of the PCB.

So, in essence, the GTX 480 consists of the plastic shroud, the heatsink, the aluminium frame, and the PCB itself. The heatsink, frame and PCB are pictured here.

In addition to this dissection, high quality pictures of the PCB and its components are posted. You can see the pictures at articles's gallery.

Reference: Atomic MPC