News
Pipeline 2026
Reports
Events
Resources
MSP Index Sydney
Advertise
Channel TV

Business Managed IT Services Cloud

Collaboration Data Centre Digital

Distribution Hardware Mobility

Networking Printing Security

Servers & Storage Services Storage

Telco

The State of the MSP Report 2025 State of Channel Security Distributor Differentiation Feature Report

End of support for Windows 10 State of AI 2024 Public Sector Tech Report

State of data

Pipeline 2026 Tech Data IT Service Summit Benchmark Security Awards MSP Index Sydney Impact Awards

MSP Index Partner Content Photos

Channel TV Media Hub Partner Hubs

Focal Points Partner Stories Whitepapers

News

Business Managed IT Services Cloud Collaboration Data Centre Digital Distribution Hardware Mobility Networking Printing Security Servers & Storage Services Storage Telco

Pipeline 2026 Reports

The State of the MSP Report 2025 State of Channel Security Distributor Differentiation Feature Report End of support for Windows 10 State of AI 2024 Public Sector Tech Report State of data

Events

Pipeline 2026 Tech Data IT Service Summit Benchmark Security Awards MSP Index Sydney Impact Awards

Resources

MSP Index Partner Content Photos Channel TV Media Hub Partner Hubs Focal Points Partner Stories Whitepapers

MSP Index Sydney Advertise Channel TV

Log in

Email:

Password:

Remember me | Forgot password?

Don't have an account? Register now!

Home
Galleries
Hardware

AMD Radeon 6870 Reference Disassembly Guide

The only guide you'll need for pulling apart your new Radeon 6870 card.

0 Comments

1 of 32

The front of the reference-design AMD Radeon 6870, this particular model from XFX. Though some will have stickers and some will be plainer, all the reference models are put together the same way. To start gently pick up the card and lie it down on the sticker, giving access to the back.

Source: Atomicmcp

The back of the 6870 is pretty standard. The first screws to remove are those nine (9) screws around the outside edges of the card.

The screws are large enough for most screwdrivers, and don't have blue insulation material in their threads.

With nine screws removed the next step in removing the heatsink takes us to the bracket. We've left the X-brace in place for now.

You might notice this screw holding the bracket to the PCB - unlike other designs the 6870 does not need it to be removed at all during the process.

A good practice before removing other screws is to group all 'like' screws together to save confusion when re-assembling the card.

The heatsink is held on to the bracket with three screws, two located near the venting at the far left of the bracket, and one just above the HDMI port. These are different sizes; put them aside seperately.

The heatsink now has a little movement in it, raising up about a centimetre to show off some solid capacitors. However, it's still stuck to the PCB by the X-brace.

This is the metaphorical 'point of no return': once you remove these stickers (or damage them) you won't be able to return the card for warranty repairs. The sticker is nigh-on impossible to remove without tearing or breaking.

So naturally the only way to get over this hurdle is to stab a screwdriver through it. These screws are particularly tiny, and you'll need a small philips head screwdriver to get into them.

Unscrewing three of the screws means the fourth may rotate the entire X-brace. Just hang onto it to prevent rotation, and put the X-brace aside - making sure not to lose the screws or springs.

The heatsink and PCB are now completely separated, though it's easy to think there's still a screw somewhere due to the suction of thermal pads and paste. Grip each part and slowly pull them apart until one edge lifts.

The 4-pin fan cable is very short in the 6870 design, and you'll need to unplug it to rest the two pieces flat.

Now that the two main components are separated we can have a look at the PCB in more detail.

Voltage regulation and power delivery circuitry resides at the left-hand side of the card in the 6870 design, meaning its heat won't interfere as much with the core as in the 5870 design.

The 6870 core is caked in the standard thick layer of gloopy thermal paste that most cards exhibit from the factory. This is functional but perhaps less than ideal for optimal cooling.

We cleaned the core of its gunk with paper towel and ArctiClean. No longer does the core boast ATI branding; it's thoroughly AMD now.

Eight Hynix memory chips sit around the core, with model number "H5GQ1H24AFRT2G" printed on them. Basically 1.5V GDDR5 memory rated for 2.5GHz speeds. Decipher here (PDF).

The heatsink design is pretty standard for AMD cards, consisting of a fan that intakes cool air, which passes through aluminium fins, and is exhausted out the bracket.

We wanted to have a look at the heatsink itself in more detail; which involves wrangling seven (7) incredibly stiff plastic clips. Some can be worked with pliers alone. This step isn't necessary for changing thermal paste.

While most of the clips required a thin flathead screwdriver to be wedged in the gap between metal and plastic to separate the pieces.

Another effective method is to wedge a thicker flathead into the gap and slide it along, unclipping with pliers as you move. They're tough but not unbreakable, so be very careful.

Further separating the pieces reveals a plastic shell where the heatsink sits, and a metal frame that sits against the PCB.

The heatsink consists of a thick copper base and three 8mm copper heatpipes. It needs cleaning before re-assembly of the card, using the same method as cleaning the core.

Airflow will pass through these aluminium fins, picking up heat along the way and dumping it elsewhere.

This step is completely optional, involving the removal of the squirrel-cage fan for aesthetics (or interest). Annoyingly we couldn't remove the fan due to one tiny screw that refused removal and became slightly shredded; best leave it alone unless you really don't like the fan.

Good news for watercooling fans out there - the metal plate can be mounted to the card minus heatsink and shroud. This cools the VRMs and memory chips perfectly while allowing core-only waterblocks to be applied to the middle of the card.

You'll still need some airflow to keep VRM temps healthy, but it's still a nice option to have. You can technically plug that squirrel-cage fan in, but it won't really move much useful air without the plastic shroud.

We applied a blob of Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste to the core, and pressed the heatsink back on the core to test coverage. This is optimal; once screwed down it will provide much better heat transfer.

Re-assembly of the heatsink is as simple as clipping it all back togther and screwing it back to the card. Don't forget to connect the 4-pin fan cable before screwing the card together!

If you've got any screws left over when the card re-assembly is finished YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING WRONG. Go back and double-check everything before testing.

The next step is to test the card and make sure it still works - ours does, and it's five degrees cooler at load to boot. Be sure to check out how to pull apart an NVIDIA GTX480!

Source: Atomicmcp

Tags:

Dell offers infrastructure blueprint for AI era

HP beats third-quarter revenue estimates on AI PC adoption, Windows 11 upgrade

Synetica appoints Blue IoT as Australian partner and distributor

Partner Content

Tech Buying Budgets for SMBs on the Rise

Promoted Content

From Insight to Opportunity: How SMB Service Demand is Shaping the Next Growth Wave for Partners

Tech Data: Driving partner success in a digital-first economy

The Compliance Dilemma for Technology Partners: Risk, Revenue, and Reputation

Channel faces AI-fuelled risk as partners lag on data resilience, Dicker Data summit told

Events

techpartner.news MSP index - Sydney

Most popular tech stories

CBA finds its first chief AI officer

Chemist Warehouse's AI tool for HR becoming a "standard pattern"

News Corp Australia taps IAG digital exec as next CDTO

QBE backs leadership and startup culture to deliver transformation

Virgin Australia, Wesfarmers strike OpenAI agreements
CBA finds its first chief AI officer

BoM never planned to end reliance on 'legacy' site

TPG Telecom says disaster roaming deal with Telstra and Optus is close

CBA's group CIO of three years to exit in December

NSW' $969m single digital patient record at risk of cost overruns
Blackberry celebrates "giant step forward"

'Touch-free' smartphone controlled with head movements

Govt launches consumer tech label program for smart devices

Perth IoT vendor Digital Matter names new chief executive

Axis Communications opens experience centre in Sydney tech hub

OTHER TECH SITES: Digital Nation | IoT Hub | iTnews

All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Log in

Don't have an account? Register now!

Email:

Password:

Remember me | Forgot your password?

AMD Radeon 6870 Reference Disassembly Guide

The only guide you'll need for pulling apart your new Radeon 6870 card.

Related articles

Dell offers infrastructure blueprint for AI era

HP beats third-quarter revenue estimates on AI PC adoption, Windows 11 upgrade

Synetica appoints Blue IoT as Australian partner and distributor

Most popular tech stories

CBA finds its first chief AI officer

Chemist Warehouse's AI tool for HR becoming a "standard pattern"

News Corp Australia taps IAG digital exec as next CDTO

QBE backs leadership and startup culture to deliver transformation

Virgin Australia, Wesfarmers strike OpenAI agreements

CBA finds its first chief AI officer

BoM never planned to end reliance on 'legacy' site

TPG Telecom says disaster roaming deal with Telstra and Optus is close

CBA's group CIO of three years to exit in December

NSW' $969m single digital patient record at risk of cost overruns

Blackberry celebrates "giant step forward"

'Touch-free' smartphone controlled with head movements

Govt launches consumer tech label program for smart devices

Perth IoT vendor Digital Matter names new chief executive

Axis Communications opens experience centre in Sydney tech hub

Log in