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Cooling a GPU

PGdude

PGdude

PGdude

Soldato
Joined
3 Aug 2007
Posts
2,519
Location
London
Are there any differences between a GPU that is cooled by exhausting out of the case to one that is not?

Also could there perhaps be a stickied FAQ/help thread where people can ask small questions and the willing to answer can answer just be checking the thread out? I feel a bit awkward making a thread for such a small question, rather than a plethora of troubleshooting issues like some people may do.
 
Exhausting out of the case is pushing the GPU heat directly outside the case as opposed to ones that don't. This will make the whole computer cooler, as the GPU generates a lot of heat, so it is better to get the heat out of the case as quick as possible.

I think this is what you was asking?
 
Yeah, pretty much.

I'm a bit peeved. I get crashes in Battlefield 3 every so often with my Asus 5770 CuCore. The non-ref cooler is open to the case, both my Q6600 and the 5770 hit about 50 degrees (used CPUID HW Monitor and CoreTemp), and I'm wondering if I just have the airflow all wrong. Or is it even a cooling issue?! I don't know. The temperatures seem fine, feeling the back of my case is a bit warm but that's about it.

I have an exhaust fan directly behind the HSF, one running low above it (makes less noise as the heatsink blocks it a bit), two front intakes and the side intake directly by the graphics card.

Sometimes I just feel like shoving all of the fans at full power, but it probably results in positive pressure which isn't as great for cooling?


As you can see I'm not sure how to figure out my situation here. I'm not sure if cooling is even the issue.
 
Would it be normal for a 5770 to be running at a rough 100fps on low in BF3 then to crash at any given moment? It just happened again :/

I'll roll back drivers and see what else I can do.

Edit: Is a sweep worth trying?
 
I am not sure on your FPS returns but it could well be driver related. Does it crash the game or the whole computer and what else happens?
 
It only happens in BF3 actually, and it's not a recent thing. Sometimes a get a screen of speckled squares (HUD and menus unaffected, rarer). Only the game.

To be specific, a regular bunch of gameplay will be occurring, and it will slowly grind to a halt, freeze of a frame. The audio will skip and loop (whatever the last sound file was playing, usually some explosion or an air vehicle flying by etc). Screen will turn black, I'm forced to end the process with task manager. That's really it.

I play a bunch of L4D2, Shogun 2 and many other games. None of that happens on Mid to High+ settings.

Edit: If this isn't a sign telling me to get a new PC soon, I'm not sure what is. (This is not a solution, for now)
 
It could be one of three things. Drivers/Heat/Hardware failure. Now my first call would be heat as BF3 is real GPU intensive and you say it only happens on this game.

Do you have the card OC'd at all? if so, try lowering the clock a little to see if this helps. Also a good ol de-dust of the comp will help.

Take the GPU off and give it a good blow to try and get as much dust out as possible. Maybe run a small brush over the fins also.
 
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