RTX 5090 gets new $25 KryoSheet thermal pad option from Thermal Grizzly

RTX 5090 KryoSheet
(Image credit: Thermal Grizzly)

Thermal Grizzly has updated its cooling solutions with an all-new 44 x 37mm KryoSheet optimized for the RTX 5090’s GB202 die. The new size costs $24.96 and comes with the KryoSheet and Kapton tape to protect the PCB and capacitors from electrocution.

KryoSheet is a thermal paste alternative with a thermal pad to cool a CPU or GPU. The product is made out of graphene, a non-liquid material that is competitive with thermal paste in terms of thermal conductivity. Its thermal pad likeness gives KryoSheet immunity to the “pump-out effect” commonly seen in thermal paste. This allows KryoSheet to stay thermally conductive for the lifetime of its cooling product without performance degradation.

Thermal Grizzly states that the pump-out effect is even more pronounced on large dies such as GB202, requiring more thermal paste replacement intervals if the RTX 5090 model isn't using liquid metal.

RTX 5090 KryoSheet

(Image credit: Thermal Grizzly)

The only major downside of graphene is its electrical conductivity, which can pose a threat if not applied correctly. If the KryoSheet touches any part of a CPU or GPU, it is not supposed to; it is highly likely to kill the cooling components altogether. The 44 x 37mm Kryosheet reportedly overlaps GB202, ensuring maximum thermal conductivity, even on the very edges of the die. Kapton tape is required to use KryoSheet to ensure the thermal pad doesn’t contact any surrounding components or the PCB.

KryoSheet provides another avenue for RTX 5090 customers to help maintain their GPU’s cooling performance. The RTX 5090 Founders Edition could be swapped from liquid metal thermal interface material to thermal paste, yielding only a two-degree increase in GPU temperatures.

GB202 is one of the largest dies Nvidia has produced for the consumer market, measuring 750mm^2. The only other dies that approach GB202’s dimensions are TU102 and GV102, used in the RTX 2080 Ti/RTX Titan and the Titan V, respectively. The only GPU using GB202 is the all-new RTX 5090 (for now), featuring 21,760 CUDA cores, 32GB of VRAM, and a 575W TBP.

Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • Elusive Ruse
    Switched to Kryosheet for my 7950X a few months ago and it’s worked like a charm, I never mastered the thermal paste spreading skill so this was a lifesaver.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    Toms didn't review KryoSheet, did they @Albert.Thomas ? What I'm reading about it isn't all good. It'd be nice to have some independent validation of this.
    https://forums.evga.com/Thermal-Grizzly-KryoSheet-NOT-for-everyone-m3616781.aspx
    Reply
  • bit_user
    Elusive Ruse said:
    I never mastered the thermal paste spreading skill so this was a lifesaver.
    I've always opted to use the method of depositing a single blob and then mash the heatsink onto it. Specifically, what I do is:
    put a blob in the center. Exactly how big takes a bit of practice. If you use too little or way too much, you might need to clean it off and start over.
    press down on the heatsink with one hand, while reaching around and pressing on the underside of it with the other. This lets me use way more force than if I were relying on the case for support (although I never do this while it's mounted in the case). If you opt to put it on a table and use that for support, at least put some high-density foam between the motherboard and table.
    while pressing, I do some slight sliding and twisting motion
    I continue until I can see the paste reaching the edges of the IHS
    then, I keep doing it until I can feel the sensation of the heatsink grinding against the IHS, which tells me there's metal-to-metal contact, at least at one spot.
    Reply