Gigabyte’s leaky thermal gel problem finally hit a prominent system integrator. According to VideoCardz, PowerGPU founder and CEO Jese Martinez discovered that his Gigabyte RTX 50-Series Master GPU, which he had owned since February, had been leaking its thermal putty after he switched to an RTX 50 Founders Edition graphics card. Martinez had already warned his customers about the issue, but didn’t expect the problem to impact his personal system.
Welp I got the Gigabyte gel leaking issue. I reported on this a few months back. pic.twitter.com/79POBtl3JwJune 19, 2025
The GPU maker has already addressed the thermal gel leak on its RTX 50-series and RX 9000-series GPUs, saying that the problem stemmed from "a slightly higher volume of gel" applied on only early production batches of its GPUs. "The overapplication may cause the excessive gel to appear more prominent, extended, and could potentially be separated from the designated area," it said in its press release. "While the appearance of extra gel might be concerning, this cosmetic variance does not affect the card's performance, reliability, or lifespan."
Despite this claim, users are saying that the dripping thermal gel might cause problems. One Reddit user documented the dripping, melted putty, where they shared pictures of the progress of the putty creeping until nothing was left on what seems to be their GPU's VRAM chips. If that is the case, it could potentially impact the graphics card's performance, as it no longer has a conducting material connecting the chips to its heatsink.
A few proactive gamers decided to solve the issue themselves and had the thermal gel replaced with thermal pads. Aside from reducing the risk of having the factory-applied thermal gels to zero, the procedure also improved the card's cooling, lowering VRAM temperatures by around 7C.
You likely don't need to worry about your Gigabyte GPU leaking its thermal gel if you weren't among the first to buy them, as the company has reportedly already adjusted its processes and solved the problem. But if you're concerned that your GPU's performance will be affected, Gigabyte recommends contacting your regional customer service center for support.
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