Video card Heating issue with 3 way SLI

[tcsicily]

Ok, so I am having some heating issues with my video cards, at least I think. I will list the cards temps in at an idol then at durring game play.
card temps 1=52C 2=59C 3=64C
card temps under game conditions 1=61C 2=69C 3=79C
Are these high temps for the 3way sli set up? My pc is blowing out major hot are from the case fans as well. I will try to insert a pic of my rig as well.

Mainboard: eVGA X58 SLI LE
Intel Core i7 920 Processor w/ Corsair Hydro Series H50 Liquid cooling system
OCZ OCZ3PDDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz 6GB Platinum XTC Triple Channel Kit w/XTC Heatspreader
COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
EVGA NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 285 1GB DDR3 PCI-E 2.0 times 3 in 3 way SLI
COOLER MASTER 900W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Power Supply

 

[paperfox]

I would say your temps are very good, my 5870 hits almost hits 80 when I play Dragon Age after a few hours. Nvidia says the 285 can safely go up to 105C but Id get worried if its around 90C.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

Your temps are fine, those temperatures are pretty good for triple SLi actually. ATI and Nvidia high end cards regularly go into the 80s'C even when in single-GPU setups.

With a triple setup, you're naturally going to have less space for the fans and more heat in your case. As paper said, the GPUs don't throttle until they hit 105'C, and as long as they stay under 90s'C for regular use you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[capt_taco]

No, those temps are OK. Video cards can get a lot hotter than the CPU and be just fine.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Just during your gaming sessions, you could try to ;eave the side panel out and blow a desk fan into it. If that helps cool your GPUs, that should tell you you need to improve airflow ith the side panel installed.

 

[Crashman]

No, those temps are OK. Video cards can get a lot hotter than the CPU and be just fine.

I'm not so certain about that. My Core i7 870 goes perfectly solid up to 100C, but with thermal thottling disabled still shuts off between 100 and 101C. Meanwhile, most of my graphics cards LOCK UP in the high 90's.

 

[Crashman]

Those temps are cold. i had a 9800GT that ran at 100c and idled at 70c.

Crashman, if your running your processor at 100c, your just plain.......well........dumb.

It might be "dumb" to take a wild guess that anyone who made a statement about temperatures actually uses those temperatures on a regular basis. It might also be "smart" to verify the shutoff temperature yourself when the processors are free, rather than put forth as true a wild guess that GPU's are more heat tolerant than CPU's .

 

[notty22]

Nice setup, does not seem like a bad starting point(temp wise).

 

[tcsicily]

My CPU is around 43C-49C with the cooler. Thanks for all the answers. I removed the metal snaps in front of my 3 empty drive bays and replaced the screens and now the airflow is better and they ar running at 1=57C 2=64C 3=67C in game. I still plan on adding a 120mm fan in front though. Man this is a great site!
Thanks, Again to all.

 

[paperfox]

Dam those are cool temps, even cooler than before. Either your screen resolution is not taking full advantage of your triSLI setup or your sitting in a room thats close to freezing.

 

[nforce4max]

Just be sure to clean out the dust with some compressed air to at least keep them ware they are. The top card is dusty so clean the back side of it for thermal and aesthetic reasons. The third card is running a little on the hot side so if you are going to do any thing start with it. Be sure to keep them below lets say 80c then they will most likely last long enough to end up as spare parts towards the middle of the decade. As for me I prefer to keep them as low as possible. I still have cards from the 90s that still run.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Does it make a difference if you set all 3 GPU fans to 90% rpm prior to gaming?

 

[nforce4max]

Does it make a difference if you set all 3 GPU fans to 90% rpm prior to gaming?

Yes it does and even 70% goes a long ways. The only time when raising the fan speed is when the cooler is already a dust trap, the room is a sauna, last but not least a really nasty dust clogged fan. I would at least clean the cards once every month if there is daily use. Once every three if irregular.

 

[astrodudepsu]

Are you kidding? Those are great temps! Especially for triple SLI. I hope you have a 30" monitor, or do tons of folding.

 

[capt_taco]

I'm not so certain about that. My Core i7 870 goes perfectly solid up to 100C, but with thermal thottling disabled still shuts off between 100 and 101C. Meanwhile, most of my graphics cards LOCK UP in the high 90's.

Wow. Well ... let's just say, I wouldn't do that on my own machine, but you are probably talking about a scenario more advanced than everyday users get into.

Or in other words: If you're an expert, then my advice is technically not helpful. But for most of us, if your CPU is in the high 60s or 70s, that ought to make you concerned that you have a heat problem. But I've routinely see video cards run 10c-20c hotter than the CPU.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Wow. Well ... let's just say, I wouldn't do that on my own machine, but you are probably talking about a scenario more advanced than everyday users get into.

Or in other words: If you're an expert, then my advice is technically not helpful. But for most of us, if your CPU is in the high 60s or 70s, that ought to make you concerned that you have a heat problem. But I've routinely see video cards run 10c-20c hotter than the CPU.

I agree with both you and Crashman. I take it he has experimented with his i7 870, disabling throttling, and has seen it perform without a lockup at 100. It doesn't mean he runs it that temp constantly and was probably doing an extreme burn test. Plus, the processor is free so no pain in the wallet if the CPU fries.

I also wouldn't want to see my CPU go past 70s high because, although it's under warranty, it's a hassle to RMA, and I'm not sure if Intel can/can't detect that a chip was killed due to overheating and they may decide it was neglect on my part.

So, to contribute to the OP, my dual 9800GTs on a P5N-D divided by a space that barely fits the thickness of a credit card begins artifacts in the mid 80's and freezes up in the high 80's. I have to leave the side panel off and use a desk fan to prevent the lockups.