Video Card Temps, What is too high?

[samir_nayanajaad]

Well to make a long story short, I had to improvise a cooling solution on my video card. The temps are normal, 62c max in game load, and I want to know what is too much for a gpu.

I have an ati x700pro, and I want to punch up the graphics on Oblivion. I have them set rather low and I get about 50fps to 60fps and I want to up the eye candy till I get about 20fps to 30fps, but with my Jimmy rigged cooling I dont want too burn up my vid card, so what is the max tep I could run?

 

[Grimmy]

Well... I think all newer video cards have a threshold to slow down the GPU.

I think ATI's threshold is 115C (read it somewhere)

and I know my Nvidia threshold is 120C.

So when it hits that temp, it will back throttle or slow down the GPU to keep it from burning up.

The thing is, when you have high temps, it just adds to the PC case, and you have other components that may suffer more or less if you could keep the temps down some what.

To give an example, just recently I brought another HSF for my linux machine (1ghz Thunderbird AMD - old Nforce 2 vid). The HSF is the same one that I installed for my dads AMD 2400+.

Long story short for this example, the new HSF (by AreoCool X-raider) under full CPU load - folding@home (no load on graphics, side case off) was getting 56C.

I knew it could do better and noticed a hot spot (felt by my finger tips) from above the video card. So I took a small fan (60mm I think) and placed it where I felt the heat. Faced the fan to the rear of the case to suck on the heat and force it out. Temp on full CPU load now is 53C. With the side case on... 54C

My poor AMD CPU stock HSF was getting, err 63C (side case off) on folding, so I knew I had to do something about it.

Now the Nforce 2 video card is not going to put out as near as much heat, but lacks good cooling. Hope this contrast helps.

 

[samir_nayanajaad]

Thanks for that info, I guess because nvidia can go to 120c I should have no problem going to 70c or so with my ATI, and case temps shouldn't get out of hand either.

I tested my current set up for artifacts with ATI tool, and after about 15 to 20 min the card seemed to top out at 65c to 66c. I have also monitored my temps while playing oblivion, they top out at 62c.

I was going on what I knew about cpu temps and thought 66c was getting rather hot, but I guess gpus are meant to take a lot more heat.

If anyone knows the threshold for ATI I would like to know.

Thanks Grimmy

 

[cleeve]

I have also monitored my temps while playing oblivion, they top out at 62c.

That's pretty darn cool. Plenty of degrees left for overclocking!!!

I personally start worrying around the 85 degree mark. At 90 degrees I start to get nervous...

 

[Grimmy]

My 6800GS AGP is cooled by Zalman VF700 430@1200.

Regular gaming Q4:

52-55C

Benchmark stress:

58-60C

Though, I can't push any more the 430, tried 440 locks up.

 

[samir_nayanajaad]

WOW Im glad to know that Im now where close to over heating my gpu. I wanted to oc but then I had to go to my jimmy rigged soultion so I have been limmiting my gaming and keeping a hawk eye on temps but now Im gonna oc this thing as much as I can. Im glad I did this and not got a $40 hsf for it.

this is a pic of what my cooling soultion is now.

I had to move the fan up a little from what its picturd like but only like half an inch so the card would seat in the slot. Also this fan at full load all the time is quieter that the stock one at like 65%

The supprising this is that big of a fan (80mm from my hsf of my amd proc) only does as good of a job as the stock one that only pushes a few cfm. That was another reason for my concern, I thought the stock hsf would do "just enough", but I guess it was pretty good little hsf.

Thanks again for all the help

ps one more thing (though this is not in the right fourm) how far do you guys think this card will oc? stock speeds are 425mhz gpu and 860mhz mem speed