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Problems with GPU overheating


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#1
rmco2003

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I have a computer set up with the following specs:



Pentium 4 3.2 Ghz Processor with Hyperthreading

ATI Radeon Sapphire X850 XT

1GB (2x512MB) RAM



The problem is it's either my CPU or my GPU that is overheating, but something tells me it's the GPU as it's chucking out loads of heat compared to the CPU fan. I've read a few reviews on my graphics card and it seems the stock fan and heatsink are practically worthless and it's best to replace them with aftermarket ones, can anyone reccomend any aftermarket fans and heatsinks for this card?
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#2
funtmachine

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Have you overclocked your GPU at all?

I would download ATI tool here and try setting your fan speed to 100%.

Im trying to help someone else with a similar problem, and i asked about ventilation inside the case, so check that your heatsink gets enough cool air across it. ATI tool should tell you the temperature of your GPU, but if you are worried about CPU temp, download SpeedFan and you should be able to monitor/change fan temp from here.

One thing i will say is that when changing any fan speeds or anything like that, be careful, and you will take full responsibility if it goes wrong, and going wrong can sometimes mean frying the cpu, gpu etc...

As for heatsinks and fans, i wouldnt have thought the standard ones would be too bad for a gpu thats not overclocked.. not too sure about good ones to get.

see how you go...

Dave

Edited by funtmachine, 23 August 2006 - 03:32 AM.

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#3
rmco2003

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I wouldn't even risk overclocking my GPU with the amount of heat being chucked out of the thing. I've set my GPU speed to be automatic so it'd probably be around 30-40% right now.

Airflow isn't a problem really, there's plenty of space between the GPU, CPU and my fans.

Atitool was what I was using to change the speeds before I posted, and I'd already installed speedfan too, all CPU and other fan speeds are 100%.
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#4
SirKenin

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How do you know one of them is overheating? Have you read the temperatures? Are you getting error messages or glitches? A more detailed analysis would help us to diagnose the problem easier.

Incidentally, I wouldn't worry about the heat being thrown by the HSF on the VGA. That is normal. GPUs do run very hot and that just shows the HSF is doing it's job... Touch the back of the card where the GPU is and you'll know what I mean.
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#5
rmco2003

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The thing is it's either my CPU or GPU that's overheating, I've read the temperatures from speedfan and atitool, and when I'm playing any type of game that goes fullscreen after a couple of minutes my fan spins up to 100% which means it's at least hit 80 degrees celcius, and my CPU idles at around 60 degrees anyway, and increases to around 77 degrees afterwards. This doesn't just happen in 3D games, any game no matter how demanding is guarunteed to overheat them. Your guess is as good as mine at this stage.
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#6
SirKenin

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Ok, but I still don't understand the problem, so any clarification you have to offer would be great.

It is not abnormal for heat dissipation to rise while the equipment is being put through it's paces. I wouldn't worry about it unless you are getting error messages or crashes, and this is the part where I am confused. You have mentioned you think you have an overheating problem, but haven't mentioned any symptoms of such. For instance, blue screens, crashing to desktop, rebooting the computer, freezing, etc. Are you having these symptoms?
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#7
rmco2003

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No I'm not, but I've just played The Sims 1 and my GPU temperature has risen to 88 degrees celcius, quitting the game reduces it to 66. That can't be normal can it?
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#8
SirKenin

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The fluctuation is normal. The temp is a wee bit on the high side, but not out of the realms of reality. Those cores are known to hit up to 92 degrees celsius. 66 at idle seems a little high though. I would think if you let it sit for a while that it will drop down into the mid to high 40's...
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#9
warriorscot

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Get a Zalman VF-900 thatll fix it, can be a little pricey but its a great cooler i got one for my x800 and it idles at under 40 and load is something which is good for a gfx card, and its very quiet even at full speed.
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#10
rmco2003

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My card idles at 58 so it's definately not in the 40's. I'd go for a zalman but they're just so big, I wouldn't feel comfortable installing one of those on my card, especially since I've never had to replace the cooling unit on a graphics card before..
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#11
SirKenin

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I wouldn't even bother replacing it. There's no need. The card is functioning normally and within accepted operating parameters. I would strongly suggest just leaving it alone. Replacing HSFs on VGAs can cause more harm than good if you don't know what you're doing.
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#12
rmco2003

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The thing is the stock one is extremely loud when it's running at full speed, and it doesn't do a good job of keeping it cool anyway, so I need to do something about it.
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#13
SirKenin

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Well, the other option is to take it in and let someone do it for you. Unfortunately either way you will void your card warranty. Like I said, I would just leave it alone. :whistling:
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#14
warriorscot

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Its actually a really easy job you would have to be an idiot to mess up fitting one of the zalman coolers and they look really big but once on the card they are really not too big and when its on and in the pc you dont notice it takes up a slot above it but most VGA coolers do that anyway.

The most trouble i had fitting mine was because the screws that connect had used to fit the stock rubbish were really poor quality and the head just disapeared after two goes at unscrewing the head was gone wo it was trickier getting them off. But thats not a common thing and if i had known before hand about the screws it wouldnt have happened. My temps were pretty similar to yours and you would be surprised how much better temps, noise and performance get when you replace the stock with something better. Looks good as well. But really its easy a child could fit one especially on an ATI there is only two retaining screws holding the HSF on and the ram is split over both side so ram sinks are easy to fit.
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#15
rmco2003

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So what's wrong with the stock screws exactly? Are they fragile or something?



Also I have a PCI card directly underneath the VGA cooler, I hope the zalman coolers don't dominate more than once PCI slot.



What particular model of Zalman cooler do you reccomend?
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