Every PC gamer knows that the GPU Shroud provides additional cooling to the GPU. The shroud serves as insulation to the radiator. This helps ensure that the temperatures on your GPU remain under control.

When are shrouds good, and when are they bad? We recently completed a little experiment to test shrouds in a real-world environment. The results may surprise you.

Nowadays, there are cooling fans. For a shroud to be effective, it has to be of a certain size. This size is very often too small to cool the inner components at a steady pace. This is why the shroud does not need to be removed.

The shroud is connected to the heatsink with thermal tapes. You may have to cut the covering/tape to take off the shroud. You can also use thermal pastes or other materials to get better contact between the shroud and the heatsink.

What is a GPU shroud?

First of all, you have to know what basically the GPU shroud is. Shroud is the covering of the graphics card which is usually made of plastic that covers the fan and heatsink. It’s the main part of the cooling system of the graphics card because it covers the heatsink. 

The shroud helps in the cooling process by trapping air that is blown by the fan and heatsink. This trapped air is then blown out of the case by the exhaust fan. The shroud is made of plastic or metal. Some cards have a metal shroud for better heat transfer and for aesthetic reasons.

What Material shrouds are Made of for GPU?

The shroud is made up of a combination of plastic and metal parts. The metal parts are either aluminum or copper; the latter being more expensive than the former. The plastic parts are made of either hard plastic or soft plastic. 

The soft plastic parts are made of a material called Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), or simply polyester. The hard plastic parts are made of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS). 

ABS is often used for high-performance applications because it can be molded into intricate shapes and is highly durable. Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) is often used in environments where the shroud will be exposed to high heat, such as in GPU. 

Quick and Easy Methods To Remove GPU Shroud:

There are many reasons why you might want to remove the shroud from your graphics card. Maybe you want to see the heatsink and fans, maybe you want to put a custom fan on the card, maybe you just want to clean the dust from the card, or maybe you want to make your graphics card look like a work of art. Whatever the reason, here are a few things you should know about removing the shroud from your graphics card.

• It may negatively affect the temperature of your GPU by increasing it. 
• In some cards, there is a plastic shroud that could break during unscrewing. 
• During the removal process, you may damage the fan or wires. So be careful about that. 
• Washing a GPU shroud may remove the upper paint in the case of an aluminum case. 

Method 1: Remove Using Screwdriver: 

Most aluminum GPU shrouds are placed on the heatsink with the screws. You can remove these screws to remove the shroud. 

• Use the screwdriver to remove the screws on the shroud. 

• Now take out the shroud carefully. 

• If your GPU shroud is RGB supported. Be careful about the wires. 

• Remove any screws of shroud attached to the fan. 

Method 2: Unlocking The GPU Shroud Locks

Some shrouds have been attached to the plastic locks. They do not contain any screws. You can remove them easily just using hands or simple plastic tools.

• Locate all locks on the plastic GPU shroud. 
• Use a plastic tool to unlock them. 
• Once you hear the clicking sound, it means that the lock is unlocked. 
• Be careful not to push the lock forcefully. It may break easily. 

FAQ

Q. Does removing the GPU shroud affect the temperature? 

A. Yes and no. Removing the shroud will improve the airflow inside the case but it will also increase the temperature inside the case. It’s all about airflow. The best way to manage GPU temperature is to have an excellent airflow inside the case. A common misconception among gamers is that shrouds are used to channel the hot air outside the case but that’s not true. Shrouds only increase the surface area of the heatsink which is used to dissipate heat.

Q. What type of materials are used to make GPU shroud? 

A. There are a couple of materials that are used to make the shroud for a graphics card. The first is plastic, the second is aluminum, and the third is copper. The plastic shroud is most commonly found on lower-end graphics cards, but some high-end graphics cards also use plastic shrouds. The aluminum shroud is most commonly found on mid-range and high-end graphics cards. The copper shroud is found on graphics cards that are aimed at serious gamers and high-end graphics cards.

Q. How do I remove the fan cover on my GPU?

A. Removing the shroud on your graphics card is a very popular thing to do in search of better GPU thermals. However, it is not always clear what the shroud is actually doing in the first place. Some people say that it is just a cover, some say that it is actually helping to cool the card.

Q. What is a GPU shroud?

A.The shroud directs the air pushed by the fan between the Heatsink fins, pushing it out through the vent holes in the back of the card. Without a shroud, the air pushed by the fan does not really direct the air between the heatsink fins (thus not moving heat).

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve taken a look at the possible benefits and drawbacks of removing the shroud on your graphics card. We hope that you found this article to be informative and that you’ve learned a little more about the shroud on your graphics card. If you have any questions or comments, please be sure to leave them in the comment section below. We typically respond to comments within a couple of days. Thanks for reading.