According to an FAQ on its website, Gigabyte has confirmed that it will be utilizing liquid metal thermal interface materials on select RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards. Specifically, the Aorus Xtreme Waterforce cards will be equipped with a liquid gallium based TIM that Gigabyte claims will provide up to 10 times better heat transfer coefficient compared to traditional thermal grease. It is not clear whether the traditional thermal grease mentioned is a simple silicone based TIM or a more modern alternative. The cards that will feature this liquid metal TIM are the GV-N5090AORUSX W-32GD, GV-N5080AORUSX W-16GD, and GV-N509DAORUSX W-32GD.
In addition to these cards, Gigabyte will also be using a "composite metal grease that includes metal particles" on seven Aorus Master cards to enhance thermal conductivity performance. While this sounds like a high-end TIM, the FAQ notes that both materials are "fluid-like" at room temperature and above, suggesting that Gigabyte is using a unique solution rather than a standard thermal paste. It is important to note that both TIMs are electrically conductive, so caution must be taken when replacing the cooler on these cards. Gigabyte emphasizes a "quadruple protection system" to prevent potential short-circuiting of critical components, and warns that removing the cooler may damage some of these protections, compromising the TIM's stability. The Aorus Master models that will feature this composite metal grease are the GV-N5090AORUS M-32GD, GV-N5090AORUS M-32GD, GV-N5090AORUSM ICE-32GD, GV-N509DAORUS M-32GD, GV-N509DAORUSM ICE-32GD, GV-N5080AORUS M-16GD, and GV-N5080AORUSM ICE-16GD.
