Asus Strix 970 owners: question please.

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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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Dear TH Asus 970 owners, I want to ask your experience on something.

My 970 Strix runs at the core temps that all online pro-reviews quote, topping out at 69'C.

However the backplate and the heatpipe get physically hot. Is that normal? Hot like I wouldn't want to keep my hand on it.


(Btw, anyone wondering how games run on this card. Well is the answer. It pulls 45 fps in Metro 2033, in the hardest places, where my GTX 650 Ti Boost struggled badly at 15fps. Hundreds of fps in other places.)
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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A hot backplate is a good thing .... it's pulling heat off the PCB.

It's hard to judge relative cooling performance as different manufacturers will adjust their fan curves differently some looking for peak thermal and others looking for peak acoustic performance. I'd be less concerned about the GPU as the VRAM and VRMs tend to run hotter.

You can get some details about the PCB cooling here:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/2
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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Hello again. I just managed to find this thread again after loosing it. I had to google "asus 970 backplate hot toms", to get a link.

@ JackNaylorPE,
I wonder about backplates on cards though, because they have come about to prevent sag. If they were useful at thermal distribution, they would be on all cards. You have to wonder about the possibility they insulate heat. The fact is that heat from the components does after all have to travel through the component and then through a metal sheet.

Backplates will cool if the metal backplate is being actively cooled. Besides copper is the preferred cooling material, then aluminium next, which are too soft for this application. Backplates will be made from steel which is way down the thermal transference table.

This question though isn't so much about that, it's is my kit overheating. I know the GPU core is correct temps.
 
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JackNaylorPE

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OK, lets take your assumption as true for a sec.... then why are there backplates for water cooled cards ? Why do they have thermal pads ?

Look at the instructions fir the EK Backplate here

http://www.ekwb.com/shop/EK-IM/EK-IM-3831109869116.pdf

The logic that backplates are there just for support and would be on all cards doesn't follow....MSI 970 doesn't have a backplate ..... also there's a lot of things that manufacturers do to cool their cards, some do / some don't ..... why ? Cost.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/2

On its custom PCB, ASUS places all eight Samsung memory chips on the front side, meaning that the backplate does not directly cool any of them. In fact, the chips are left without any contact plate or heatsink touching them, relying solely on air from the fans to cool them.

The MOSFETs of the DIGI+ power phases are cooled by a small heatsink, but the VRM controller and the MOSFETs for the memory power phase are left, like the memory chips, to fend for themselves without direct cooling.
Click to expand...

Other manufacturer(s) in the review took steps to address these issues and provide direct cooling. This and other physical design / construction differences is why some brands consistently OC higher than others.

Active cooling is not necessary .... look at the VRM on your MoBo .... it has a heat sink but is not (generally) actively cooled. But that is oft not the case either for GPUs.... many cases provide side window or back of HD fan mounts which do provide some level of of active cooling.

If you "do the math" on a water cooling build you will find that the radiators provide for only about 60% of the calculated heat load. Some of that is because the calculation is generous and doesn't account for the fact that CPU and GFX are rarely peaking at same time. But a lot of it is that the radiator shrouds, blocks, backplates, tubing, fittings, component surfaces are all radiating heat .... passively. Otherwise why is the case interior temp higher than ambient ? .... because every component inside the case is radiating heat.

Yes steel is only about half of say brass on thermal conductivity but the key here is it's surface transfer to air.... which is low regardless . But this is compensated for by the huge surface area ..... My GPUs put out close to 300 watts each, the CPU puts out 135 .... so why is my GPU running at 39C and my CPU at more than twice that .... surface area.
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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That's pretty much how I see it.

I was asking other Strix 970 owners about how hot the backplate gets, because only they could know. Mine could have fault.

 
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terry4536

terry4536

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I have that card. But I can't answer your question.

I have had a lot of problems with drivers. I returned the first card, and the second card is having the same issues. Basically, the Asus Strix GTX 970 will black-screen on every attempt at updating the driver, and the display-port isn't functional.
 
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terry4536

terry4536

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I have the latest BIOS installed. I reinstalled Win 7 Pro already. But reflashing my BIOS is my next plan of attack.

Incidentally and I didn't realize this myself, this problem of blackscreen following a graphics driver update is quite widespread. After some research I found that it wasn't just my problem. There is even a very long thread on Geforce forums where Nvidia is calling on customers to help reproduce the error. It is in part the reason for so many Geforce driver updates lately. Google "geforce forum graphics driver black screen monitor" and you can see the lengths people have gone to to get their graphics cards working again.
 
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terry4536

terry4536

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That sounds like you need to update your BIOS.
Click to expand...


Well it took some more frustration, but I managed to get the BIOS flashed . It already had the latest BIOS so their was no update per-say. I also managed to loose the copy of the CMOS so I had to re-enter those settings. I tried a few things in the BIOS that I hadn't done before. And of course the system didn't boot. So, I cleared the CMOS once again, and re-entered the Bios settings again (more carefully this time). And then it booted normally.

I had my new Asus Strix GTX 970 installed all this time. And when it restarted Windows, I noticed that the monitor appeared different. So I checked the Device Manager. Every time before when I checked it their were two Display Adapters listed. One was for the integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics adapter, and the other was for the the new graphics card. Even when I tried deleting the Intel graphics adapter, Windows would put it back. This time there was just the single GTX 970 driver. So, I thought I was making headway. I tried updating the graphics card driver to 344.75 once again.
And voila it worked. So long story short, I've finally got my new Asus Strix GTX 970 OC graphics card up and running.
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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Good result. I read this thread a while ago, and thought is sounded reminiscent of your situation. That's why I suggested BIOS.

4th post he says BIOS update - fixed. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2356343/gtx-970-strix-video-display.html

(I found this link because I have another thread running. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2382731/asus-strix-gtx-970-briefly-locking-desktop.html Here Tom's have added More about : asus strix gtx 970 briefly locking desktop. I opened that link and found the thread about BIOS updating fixing no video.)


My Asus 970 is not here anymore. It was sent back. A new one is in transit so I should receive tomorrow/day after.

I had another issue with my previous Asus 970. The PC locking up for a few seconds every now and again. I think now it was driver related. Since I put my old GTX 650 Ti Boost back in it is doing it too. The only thing I have changed is drivers, and my old card was always perfect before. I will start with that and re-install driver 337.88 which I have saved in a folder. It's 344.75 I am suspicious of. Maybe possibly 344.11, but not sure. I will test it all again soon when my new Asus Strix 970 arrives.

I will be able to see if the back-plate runs as hot anyway on the new card. I think the other card started running the back-plate cooler anyway. I remember clearly putting my hard on it and thinking, 'oh it's OK - not hot'.
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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Yeh. Maybe I didn't say it clearly.

When my new card arrives, I will start with the latest 970 Nvidia driver.

If that causes fault, I will install the older one. Driver 337.88, that I still have stored on my PC.

(I really only explained it all here in case anyone is browsing around looking for a solution. It was easy for me to diagnose as potentially the driver. My previous card, a GTX 650 Ti Boost was perfect for months on earlier driver revisions.

It's only the latest driver my 650 Ti Boost is locking up with. Coincidence as my 970 locked up with that driver.

Whatever though it's only very brief and corrects itself, so I can live with it locking-up.)


Yep 36'C was about my temps. My Core temps were never an issue as I said in my opening post. It was the back-plate temps that scared me running hot, and thinking of my components underneath it.
 
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terry4536

terry4536

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The numbers of Geforce/Nvidia drivers for the GTX 970 has dramatically increased. In part to the black screen issue, but other problems like freezes, crashes, game bugs have also are also been addressed. Last time I looked there was 344.05, 344.11, 344.16 344.48, 344.60, 344.65, 344.75 (which are all WHQL drivers). There is also the 344.80 Hotfix driver. There is also rumors of a 344.88 driver as well.

You can check out the GeForce drivers forum at:
https://forums.geforce.com/default/board/33/geforce-drivers/
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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It does suggest that someone should spread your success story around the driver-update-black-screen forums.

Yeah I have no problem finding the drivers. I got a bit confused about something I said in a post or two ago. I said something about their only being one 970 driver. I realised what I meant. If I search for GTX 650 Ti Boost drivers it says compatible with; and basically all the other cards including 970. If I search 970 drivers; it says compatible with 970 and 980. That's all. Sorry if I confused anyone.


Anyway new 970 here and the back-plate is idling cool. It gets hot during gaming load and gradually cools down after that.

The first 970 I had was hot from the very start. From the moment I plugged it in and switched on it got hot. Believe it or not it started making crackling noises, like it was overheating somewhere. I was sat next to it with the case open, enthusiastically waiting to watch the fans in 0dB made, and that's how I heard it. It wasn't loud but it was surprising.

Anyway that is long gone and I am glad I sent it back.
 
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