Gigabyte has issued a statement to clarify the newly-emerged "thermal gel" leakage issue with the RTX 50 series, claiming that it is a problem with early production batches.
Gigabyte Acknowledges Thermal Gel Leakage With NVIDIA's RTX 50 GPUs, Doesn't Specify Whether The Problem Is Covered Under Warranty
For those unaware, we recently reported a user facing a thermal gel leaking problem with their Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, where it was claimed that with just one month of usage, a liquid started to flow towards the PCIe connection, which is likely Gigabyte's thermal conductivity gel designed as a replacement to conventional thermal pads. In an official statement, Gigabyte has verified the leakage issue, claiming that the problem might exist in early production batches since a "slightly higher volume of gel" was applied.
In some early production batches for the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 50 Series, a slightly higher volume of gel was applied to ensure sufficient thermal coverage. The overapplication may cause the excessive gel to appear more prominent, extended, and could potentially be separated from the designated area.
While the appearance of extra gel might be concerning, this cosmetic variance does not affect the card’s performance, reliability, or lifespan. We had already inspected the issue, and adjusted the gel to the optimal amount in the following production runs.
The excessive gel amount has likely contributed to the leakage the user had been facing, and it seems like the issue could occur with anyone, since adjustments were made to all RTX 50 series and RX 9000 series GPUs using the conductivity gel. Gigabyte has ensured that there isn't a defect with the gel itself, as it can sustain temperatures of up to 150°C, before the gel becomes a runny liquid. Interestingly, Gigabyte claims that the leakage issue doesn't affect the working of the GPU by any means, except from the disturbing appearance it gives.
Gigabyte hasn't revealed whether the thermal gel leaking problem will be covered under warranty, as it is a manufacturer fault, according to the firm. However, the AIB does say that the issue won't arrive in upcoming GPU units, as they have fixed the gel quantity applied to each SKU.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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