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8800 GTS temps, mATX system.

MystaEB

MystaEB

MystaEB

Associate
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Posts
538
Location
Leeds, UK
Hi guys, I switched to a new mATX system this weekend (specs in sig), and everything is running great so far. I'm not normally too paranoid about temperatures to be honest; but I have noticed my GTS is running a tad warmer than I think it should, idling at around 70'C. Everything else is running great; E6850 idles at around 35'C and my ambient system temp is also in the 30's.

I think the problem lies squarely on the fact that my Audigy is sandwiched right up next to my GTS as that's the only free PCI slot available after the GPU has been installed. There is good airflow around the card(s), but they are still basically hugging which I'm guessing isn't too healthy.

Anyway, like I said, my GTS seems to be idling anywhere between 65-75, in my old system it was always 55-60 which seemed fine to me, I'm just wondering if it idling around the 70's is something I should be concerned about? It hasn't crashed or caused any graphical corruption or anything, and as far as I know it doesn't hit 80'C or anything while gaming, but the high idle temp is making me a little uneasy.

But yeah, my question is, should I be worried about these temps? Is it worth me making a switch to a PCI-e X-fi, which would create a bit of breathing room? I could also switch to onboard audio, but I doubt the ALC889A chip the motherboard has is better than my Audigy 2 ZS. I'm quite attached to this soundcard so don't really want to get rid of it unless its crucial.

Thanks in advance.
 
Well it sounds like you are definitely compromising the cooling by limiting the air it's getting. The space your Audigy 2 is taking up is definitely where the air is supposed to be drawn from.

Doesn't mean it's a problem though. I would do some testing to check your load temps. Run the spinning cube in ATI Tool for half an hour, that gets thing toasty. Then run the artifact tester for 10 minutes straight after. If it passes that I'd say it's ok.

You will be limiting overclocking potential though, and you could maybe shorten the life of the card a little, but you're not likely to be still using it in 5 years time so that's not an issue really.

Btw you can get PCI-Express soundcards now.
 
I'm not really planning overclock the GPU anyway, so that's not an issue, and I know you can get PCI-Express soundcards I'd just rather not buy a new one if I don't have to, I'm perfectly happy with my Audigy. :)

I'll do some stress testing when I get home, I'm not too happy with the 65-70'C temps, but as long as the card is stable I don't really care that much.

If it is an issue I'll probably have to make some changes to increase air circulation.

Another thing I considered is an aftermarket cooler? Are there any decent coolers for a GTS, something that would be considerably better than the stock one?
 
To be fair there's a difference between having no air flow in your case, and actually blocking the intake for the GTS fan by having another card right next to it, hence the 70 degrees idle.
 
Ive got a tiny case & a audigy card next to my 8800gts ( clocked at 620/1900 )
My card idles at 53.
*edit*
just noticed we have the same cases :p
Did u use a modular psu ?
My 2 fans on the left above the graphics card suck air in over the mobo and graphics, the crossflow fan and psu fan on the right of the case exhaust air out, temps are very good all round


 
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