[strykerofchaos]

Hello,

I have been noticing with VTune that with my apartment sitting at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, that my GPU is running at about 56C, with 35% fan speed. This seems really high, and it's been mentioned in other threads about thermal paste. How do I check the thermal paste to see if it is gone?

Also, some other factors. I have the side case off of my computer, shoudl I put it back on and see if that helps the air flow out of it? I still have the stock fans that came with the computer, and should i consider new ones? The computer is about a year old. I can post the specs if necessary.

Thanks,
Stryker

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GPUs typically run considerably warmer than CPUs - 56°C for a GPU is perfectly fine.

I have the side case off of my computer, shoudl I put it back on and see if that helps the air flow out of it?

Check your temps. Put the side panel back on, and check the temps again. If they rise considerably your case is not providing enough front to back air flow and you may need to add an additional fan - if your case supports it.

And for the record, TIM (thermal interface material) does not disappear. If the cured bond is not broken, it will last longer than the computer.

[Digerati]

GPUs typically run considerably warmer than CPUs - 56°C for a GPU is perfectly fine.

I have the side case off of my computer, shoudl I put it back on and see if that helps the air flow out of it?

Check your temps. Put the side panel back on, and check the temps again. If they rise considerably your case is not providing enough front to back air flow and you may need to add an additional fan - if your case supports it.

And for the record, TIM (thermal interface material) does not disappear. If the cured bond is not broken, it will last longer than the computer.

[mkau]

GPUs typically run considerably warmer than CPUs - 56°C for a GPU is perfectly fine.

I have the side case off of my computer, shoudl I put it back on and see if that helps the air flow out of it?

Check your temps. Put the side panel back on, and check the temps again. If they rise considerably your case is not providing enough front to back air flow and you may need to add an additional fan - if your case supports it.

And for the record, TIM (thermal interface material) does not disappear. If the cured bond is not broken, it will last longer than the computer.

This is very true. It's normal for high-end GPU's to have load temps in the mid-80s.

[Digerati]

It's normal for high-end GPU's to have load temps in the mid-80s.

Or even higher! Though I start getting panicky when GPU temps touch 90°C.

[mkau]

It's normal for high-end GPU's to have load temps in the mid-80s.

Or even higher! Though I start getting panicky when GPU temps touch 90°C.

It's funny, though; the GTX480s and 470s would regularly reach 90C+ but they were unharmed by the temps... hm...

[Digerati]

the GTX480s and 470s would regularly reach 90C+ but they were unharmed by the temps... hm...

Sure. No surprise there. Many GPUs are often rated up to 125°C before actual damage to the GPU occurs. But that does not mean the system or graphics will remain stable up to those levels. Also, that much heat generated by the GPU is likely to affect surrounding devices less tolerant. Excessive, continuing high heat increases aging in electronics, and may disfigure or warp chip sockets, or damage PCB substrates. And, unless the card exhausts heat directly to the exterior, the extra BTUs generated will place greater demands on the case cooling and may impact system and CPU temperatures.

[strykerofchaos]

Well...right at about 70C does my computer just shut itself off...so I suspected that 70ish was tooo hot. This is not the case? If so, how would i stop my computer from shutting down at a GPU temp of 70

[Digerati]

Ummm, you said in your opening post your GPU is getting to 56°C, now you are saying 70°. What are your CPU temps? And what is make and model of your graphics card? Have you looked in the cards control panel to see if it is set to shut down at 70°?

[strykerofchaos]

I have an Nvidia GTS 250. I see no option in my Nvidia Control Panel to change the shut down temp at all. My apologies on the CPU temps, it cranks up to about 70ish when I am playing games like Bioshock or Torchlight.

[Digerati]

If your CPU temps are touching 70°C, that may be your shutdown problem. Anything over 60°C with the CPU is too high for me. There are typically shutdown thresholds you can set in the BIOS Setup Menu (typically under PC Health) but I would not change it if already set to 70°. You need to lower your temps, not change the threshold. I refer you back to my first post above.

[strykerofchaos]

This is what I get for posting before my coffee in the morning. Sorry. GPU temp hits about 70 when running some games. Using VTune. How do I check my CPU temps then? There is no CPU reading in VTune I can find

[Digerati]

How do I check my CPU temps then?

Here's my canned text on that:

Your motherboard utilities disk should have a monitoring program (or check for a more recent version on your motherboard or PC maker's website). If none, I recommend CoreTemp for newer Intel and AMD64 CPUs, or http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>RealTemp for Intels. SpeedFan is a great and popular alternative, or you can try Motherboard Monitor. Unfortunately, I have found that these programs often have problems properly identifying and labeling the sensor they are reading. The temperatures shown are as accurate as the inexpensive, low-tech sensors will allow, but it may say System Fan instead of CPU Fan. Fortunately, the programs do allow you to edit the labels, so I use Everest to verify the temperatures (as it is able to put sensor to label correctly), then edit the label in the monitoring program. In Everest, look under Computer > Sensor, then wait a couple seconds for the readings to appear. Unfortunately, Everest does not minimize to the system tray to show real-time temperatures, otherwise, you could use Everest instead of the others.

[strykerofchaos]

Here is a Print Screen of my Vtune read out on the right hand side, and EasyTune6 (the software that came with my motherboard) which should show the CPU temp. If I am reading it correctly it says my CPU temp is only at 17C? And the cut of..is 40? Perhaps that is my issue?

http://i76.photobuck.../CPUGPUTemp.png

Edited by strykerofchaos, 29 December 2010 - 09:12 AM.

[Digerati]

I don't think that 17°C is right. It is not physically possible a conventionally cooled (fan and heatsink) CPU can be cooler than the ambient temperature of the operating environment. 17°C = 62.6°F. Is your computer room really that cold? You said in your opening post your room is at 70°F so I suspect you have bad sensor. They are cheap, low-tech temperature-sensing diodes and it is not unusual for them to be bad, or the monitoring IC to be bad. Or maybe ET just does not like that Gigabyte board. I don't know. You can look at CPU temps in the BIOS, but running the BIOS Setup Menu is about the least demanding task you can ask of a CPU so the temps will be about as low as they will be.

In any event, if your system is not crashing, I don't think you have a heat problem.

[strykerofchaos]

It does like to randomly shut off and reboot at times when playing games. I dont think it's a power issue, but I will try the Bios.

Thanks a lot.