Graphics card overheating?

NotAGolf · 26 Jan 2010 at 22:49

I've recently started playing a few old games after a break. I thought my fan sounded particularly loud so I checked in Everest and my graphics card temps were:
GPU: 90
GPU diode: 95
GPU ambient: 51

I don't think case temps/air flow are an issue as my temps after 30 mins in Orthos are:
GPU: 47
GPU diode: 54
GPU ambient: 36
I know Orthos doesn't test the gfx but I'm just showing how hot the card is when the rest of the system is at 100%. Idle temps are 5-10 degrees lower.

What's the max temp of a 7800GTX? I suppose the fan coming on is a good thing and hopefully if it does get any hotter the fan will just spin more so it doesn't get any hotter (currently at 70% under load), but I'm still quite concerned, especially as the card is not clocked at all.

Thanks for any help.

**Edit forgot to mention. Those temps are after 30 mins playing trackmania so not particularly intense. Although I have got a new monitor so it's not playing at 1920x1080 instead of 1440x900. Also doesn't look like there's much in the way of dust, although I should probably double check...

AyJay · 26 Jan 2010 at 23:15

I'm sorry i can't help you here, but i'm in the same boat ( kind of ) - i have an old 7600GT which is currently idling at...92*C. I think a new card is in order...

sean · 26 Jan 2010 at 23:27

Dust buildup inside can be quite deceptive. The fan can look clean but those little heatsink fins are absolutely dust traps. I'd pull the cover off the heatsink and give it a blast with some compressed air.
Also, my 7800GTX used to regularly hit 80+C but that was in a tiny little shuttle case.

NotAGolf · 27 Jan 2010 at 07:16

Thanks Sean. I was thinking about taking that cover off as it's been a good 4 years of constant use so there's bound to be some dust in there.

So I need any special tools to get the cover off or is it just a screwdriver? Anything I should be wary of?

Cheers.

BIGBC · 27 Jan 2010 at 08:25

I just stripped my GX2 down and applied some MX3 in place of the standard thermal pads - has gone from a 100% fan hitting 99C to 80% fan hitting 76C.
Should really have opened the cooler up and cleared out any dust but didnt think of it until Id pieced it all back together.

4T5 · 27 Jan 2010 at 08:33

You haven't updated your drivers which has effected your fan speed have you ?
I know an ATi driver did this a while back.
If not then just strip it down, clean it properly & rebuild it using a decent TIM. Then improve your case cooling/airflow & hoover out your room more often.

NotAGolf · 27 Jan 2010 at 08:53

malc30 said:
You haven't updated your drivers which has effected your fan speed have you ?
I know an ATi driver did this a while back.
If not then just strip it down, clean it properly & rebuild it using a decent TIM. Then improve your case cooling/airflow & hoover out your room more often.

Is there any way I can get inside without having to apply TIM? I've got some old arctic silver stuff kicking about but that's about 2/3 years old so that may be past it's best. I also haven't got anything to clean the old stuff off with.

Case airflow isn't too much of a problem. It's nice and tidy and there's very little dust elsewhere in the case which is why I'm kind of surprised by these temps.

**Edit - And no I haven't changed the drivers for quite a while.

4T5 · 27 Jan 2010 at 09:25

You'll be surprised if you took the card out & looked down the fins of the rad, They usually block within a couple of months, Worse if you are a ruff'en like me. Whip it out & get some compressed air to clear the fins out, Hopefully that will do & you won't have to reseat the cooler.

ard-tullaich · 27 Jan 2010 at 15:28

Or use a paint brush and vac thats what I've used for years. Much better for dust control when cleaning compressed air just blows it allover the place. For cleaning the gpu just get some lens cleaner cheap as chips and works a treat. I allways get mine for nothing as i wear glasses so i allways blog some of my optitions.

pat_c · 27 Jan 2010 at 17:23

mpledge52 said:
I was thinking about taking that cover off as it's been a good 4 years of constant use so there's bound to be some dust in there.

lol, that might be an understatement, after 4 years, I think you will be surprised by how much dust is in there. Post a pic if you dare

NotAGolf · 27 Jan 2010 at 22:04

Sorry guys, didn't get any pics.

Tbh It wasn't much to see. The card was actually very clean. Even with the see-through cover it all looked clear. Only after taking the cover off did I see the thin layer of dust between the fan and the heatsink area.

Gave that a quick spray to clear it up. Was no need to take the heatsink off. Temps have gone from 50/95 degrees idle/load to 40/65 so that's much better. That 65 under load is with the fan at 40% rather than 70% it was running at on 95.

Might oc my cpu a bit morewith the drop in temps

ard-tullaich · 28 Jan 2010 at 13:23

This is the problem with turbine fans on all graphics cards . I was cleaning my 4870 x" every couple of weeks .Just takes a thin layer of dust at the intake of the heat sink and thats it temperatures rise . So at Xmas i replaced the cooler with a xtreme cooler temperatures dropped even further than stock cooler and at 100% fan speed you cant even here the fans on the extreme cooler