GPU Temp ~85 degrees C

johnofo

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Under load my Asus GTX 550ti GPU temperature is reaching round 85 degree Celsius, its not gone above 90. Is this ok? I've heard Nvidia GPUs are safe up to 120 degrees. Idle temp is 30-40

Tracking temperature with HWMonitor. I also tried to increase the fan speed using a rule in Nvidia control panel to have maximum speed at 80 degrees but didn't seem to make much difference to the fan which doesn't go above 50% on automatic. I can put it on manual and 100% though it does make a bit of a whine.

Fan and heatsink are pretty dust free and cleaned them a couple weeks ago. No other parts of PC going above 60 degrees under load. Case has side intake fan and top exhaust. My top mounted PSU seems to blow into the case, don't know if that's normal, I would have expected it to blow its hot air out...
 
Solution
A five degree drop is nothing to sneeze at - I'm pretty happy when I make a configuration change and manage 2-3 degree drop. I thought you meant a 4-pin PWM connector - that Molex connection is unfortunate, but not critical if it's not too loud. You can connect the other two to your mobo and if you go to the Asus website you can download AI Suite which includes Fan Xpert - with that you can run them on pre-programmed profiles, similar to your GPU, but you can select modes that have more aggressive profiles so they ramp up faster.

I'd consider investing in some good high-flow fans - if they work well enough, you can put off upgrading the case. If you upgrade anyway, you can just put them in the new case.
85C is not bad...not great, but not bad. Certainly not dangerous. Having said that, the cooler you can keep it, the better it will perform and the longer it will last. If you don't want to crank up the GPU fans, you're left with improving the cooling of the rest of the case. Assuming you've already made sure that your cables are not impeding airflow, you could try stepping up your case fan speed (they're probably quieter than the GPU fans) and see if that helps. If that doesn't improve things, you might want to switch out your case fans for larger and/or better fans with higher CFM.

What PSU do you have, and what case? Unless it's mounted backwards, which would be challenging, it's doubtful that it's actually exhausting into the case. Usually you have a choice of mounting the PSU so it's fan out (drawing air from outside the case) or fan in (drawing air from inside the case), and there are pros and cons to both depending on the rest of your system.
 
yes its safe and gpu high tems are because of high ambient temperature and poor airflow inside the case....i would suggest to buy a case with bottom mounted psu and the psu fan facing downward with 1 or 2 front intake fans 1 or 2 top exhaust and a rear exhaust you can put intake fan in side which will directly push air to the gpu to make it cool..
 

johnofo

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The PSU is a CiT 650W. Will be changing it soon to a semi-modular EVGA Supernova as getting a GTX 770 and current PSU doesn't have the cables and I was directed to the PSU Teir list where all CiTs are in Tier 5 (awful).

The case was a best value from DABS.com. Its pretty basic and was cheapest case I could find with USB 3.0 at the time of the build as I was on a budget. I do also have a spare fan I can try and install.

As cables are to the left of motherboard and between motherboard and HDDs the airflow from the side intake to the top exhaust is relatively unimpeded. I'll investigate the PSU airflow a bit more.

Good to know that 85 isn't going to cause any serious damage. The card has worked fine for 2-3 years though is a bit dated for modern games hence the upgrade on its way.
 
Do you have more fan mounting positions available? Again depending on the case layout (model, brand?), if you can add a fan to the front, I'd be willing to bet you'll see a significant improvement in your overall cooling. A side and rear fan, while sufficient in many cases, is not very efficient - it lets hot air pool and eddy in dead spaces. A front fan would help create an air tunnel, reducing the amount of dead space and move more hot air out of the case and cool air in.

If you're PSU doesn't run really hot AND you can mount it fan-in, that will help exhaust more hot air out of the case too.
 

johnofo

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This is the case http://www.dabs.com/products/best-value-999-modded-case-with-usb-3-0---fan-control-red-fans-8800.html
I think it has space for a rear fan also but I'll check.

Update now got a 120mm fan rear exhaust. However it just had a 4 pin power cable so no control of speed, I believe its fixed at 2400rpm, scrap that just applied some elbow grease and got access to a front mounting point. Fixed speed fan now sited at the front though there are HDDs stopping a great flow of air...

Will keep an eye on general temps and see what I can do to improve it. Thanks
 
Ideally you'd have unobstructed flow all the way through, but with a single card I think it will be good enough - even if the cool air from the front isn't blowing directly on the GPU and mobo, it's still injecting cool air that can get drafted by the inflow from the side fan. From pictures, it looks like the fan mounts can accommodate 140mm fans - going to three fans (front, side, rear) should make a difference, but if it's not enough, you can get some good 140mm Xigmatek high flow fans or similar for $10-$15.

Just to make sure I'm clear on this, at this point you have a 120mm in the front, a 120mm in the rear, and a 120 or 140mm in the side?

What mobo do you have? If your fans have 3 or 4 pins, you should be able to control the speeds through your mobo.
 

johnofo

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I now have 120mm front intake (4 pin molex? so cannot plug into mobo
120mm top exhaust, think I can plug this into mobo
140mm side intake , also can plug into mobo

I fitted the power only fan as an exhaust then realised I could use it as a front intake so moved it for more of a through draft ;)

Mobo is an Asus P8Z77 LX2. I only ever used the case's fan control and turned it up when gaming. Wouldn't know what to do with the mobo controlling.

Using Nvidia software rule seemed to work better with lower temps entered. Max GPU temp after some gaming was 80 compared to 85. Small improvement but better than nothing.
 
A five degree drop is nothing to sneeze at - I'm pretty happy when I make a configuration change and manage 2-3 degree drop. I thought you meant a 4-pin PWM connector - that Molex connection is unfortunate, but not critical if it's not too loud. You can connect the other two to your mobo and if you go to the Asus website you can download AI Suite which includes Fan Xpert - with that you can run them on pre-programmed profiles, similar to your GPU, but you can select modes that have more aggressive profiles so they ramp up faster.

I'd consider investing in some good high-flow fans - if they work well enough, you can put off upgrading the case. If you upgrade anyway, you can just put them in the new case.
 
Solution

johnofo

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I've ordered another cheap fan just now to mount as a rear exhaust so I'll have 2 intakes and 2 exhausts. The 4pin molex fan is pretty quiet and can feel a decent airflow from it so going for the simple solution and getting another of them. Hopefully this will make a nice flow of air through the case.

Not sure if the drop in temperature was due to the intake fan or the Nvidia rule working better but the GPU fan certainly ran much faster than it had before. It is a bit noisy but once the speaker volume is cranked up anyway I don't notice it over the sounds of warfare.

Think I will upgrade the case at some point but just now I'm focussing more on my PSU and GPU for a cash injection. Also nice to have a blue glowing fan in the front :D

As far as airflow is it CFU that is most important? That and having fans with PWM connectors so they can be controlled via software?
 
There's a couple of very good articles on fan configurations and fan comparisons that I'll send you as soon as I can dig them up. They're great references to have as you're building and configuring your system. If you want my two cents, the first thing I would do is make a list of components (I use pcpartpicker.com) that I plan to buy, tally up the power requirements, then pick out a good quality PSU that will cover it, with extra to allow for upgrades down the road like adding in a more powerful CPU, GPU, overclocking, or going SLI. Something in the 750W-860W range is about the sweet spot for most. That would be overkill for your current configuration, but would power a new high-speed CPU and a 770 or 780 nicely and still leave plenty of overhead. If you need 450W at full stretch, a 750W can provide it without stress or paying a heat penalty. With today's prices, the difference between good enough and great can be as little as $30. Just need to make sure that the sucker will fit in your current case and/or in a new case.

After that, the GPU, then CPU, etc. You'll also want to keep a close eye on compatibility, both with your current setup and with your projected one - a bad choice can create a roadblock down the road. Having a 780 TI is great...unless you can't power it. Or getting all the parts for an SLI setup, then realizing the mobo can't support it.

For the fans, unless you go with expensive ones like Noctuas, FLX fans are normally cheaper than PWM, and an all-PWM setup can be more complicated and require more parts (like PWM splitters) than otherwise. Great level of control available, though. I've built all-PWM, PWM on CPU cooler with FLX case fans, and FLX-only - I prefer the first two because I tweak the settings a lot (I spend more time tweaking fans than playing games), but an FLX setup can be every bit as effective at cooling, and is usually cheaper. FLX fans can be controlled through the mobo, an integral case fan controller if the case comes with one, or an aftermarket fan controller.

There are lots of variables to consider with the fans, with volume of air moved (measured in cubic feet per minute, CFM, or in cubic meters per hour, m3/h) usually being the first consideration. Size is another - larger fans tend to move more air, or can move an amount similar to a smaller fan but at a lower RPM and noise level. Noise levels are yet another - how much noise can you tolerate? Different fans will have different noise levels and qualities at different settings. If you have a small high-rpm fan, it may provide great cooling but create a buzz that makes you want to shoot it. Also, fans can be optimized for specific purposes like for use on radiators or heat sinks. Many considerations. You'll have to decide, at least in general, what your needs and preferences are, then find fans that fit. There are plenty of folks here at Tom's that will help you do that when you're ready.
 

johnofo

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Cheers for that.

I was originally planning on buying a 760 then going SLI but found out my mobo doesn't support SLI so going for the 770 instead. Current PSU doesn't have another leads to power a 770 without adaptors hence the upgrade there. After checking the PSU tier list I decided on an EVGA Supernoca semi-modular as its higher quality and with more functionality and I think was tier 3 on the list.

As a beginner could you clarify a couple things for me please?

Whats the difference between PWM and FLX?

As my mobo has an LGA1155 socket I will need a new mobo to use a 4th generation processor? If I therefore wanted better CPU performance I would be looking at either overclocking my i5 3570K (better heatsink and fan first) or getting a 3rd generation i7? Would overclocking my 3570k make any difference just now?

I can tell when a GPU requires upgrading/overclocking due to benchmarks and general in game performance but wouldn't have a clue as to when other parts of the system were needing upgraded. Is there an easy way?
 
I should have termed them PWM and non-PWM, rather than FLX.

A non-PWM fan depends on voltage changes to change its speed, i.e. 5V gets you 500 RPM, 9V 900 RPM, 12V gets you the max RPM for that fan. These voltages can be applied by the mobo, a case switch, or an aftermarket fan controller. The fan connector will have three pins which are power, ground, and RPM reporting.

PWM stands for power width modulation. Instead of changing the voltage, a PWM fan always has 12V applied, only it gets it in a series of pulses. To change the RPM, your mobo sends a different number of 12V pulses per minute. In other words, it turns the power on and off rapidly with a set number of pulses corresponding to a specific percentage of a fans rated RPM. A PWM fan will have a four pin connector which are power, ground, RPM reporting and the PWM signal wire.

As far as your CPU is concerned, it depends on what you're using your PC for. For gaming and general use, I would keep the 3570K. Performance wise, it's comparable to the 4670K at stock, and I'll have to check but I believe it OCs better.

Unless you're an enthusiast that needs the latest and greatest, two general rules of thumb for when to upgrade are:
- When you want to: If there are games, programs, or performance criteria that you want, but your system won't deliver.
- When you have to: The system or component dies. When you change a component (as we've been discussing), sometimes other components have to be upgraded in tandem to maintain operability.

My own M.O. is to buy a high-end system, do incremental tweaks and upgrades over the next few years to slow down the obsolescence curve, then buy a new system. Yours will depend on your lifestyle, income, tech requirements, etc. Really there's no right answer to that question - it's whatever meets your needs.
 

johnofo

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Just ran a benchmark to test the GPU and used a rule that works on GPU utilisation rather than temperature and the fan increased to the 90% I had set for maximum usage. GPU maxed out at 61 degrees. Also now got constant front intake and rear exhaust and can switch on the side intake and top exhaust using the cases fan controller when extra cooling needed (gaming).

I'm looking at a 750W modular/semi-modular PSU for around £50-£60. Let me know if there's something better than this you would recommend http://www.dabs.com/products/evga-750w-supernova-bronze-80--semi-modular-psu-9HT3.html?refs=418520000&src=3