XFX Radeon 6870 Really Hot at Idle (Help Please!)

ThaScoopALoop

Distinguished
Oct 8, 2011
2
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18,510
Hi there, first post, but longtime lurking on here.

I just got a new computer. Specs follow.
AMD Phenom x6 Black 3.3 GHZ
16 GB G. Skill Ripjaw DDR3 1600
Asus 990FX Sabertooth MB
Corsair H60 Cooler
Corsair TX750M PSU
2X XFX Geforce Radeon HD 6870s
I put it all together in a coolermaster case with plenty of airflow.

I attempted to play Crysis 2 yesterday, and it rebooted after about 10 minutes. I wasn't certain what happened, so I started investigating today. I got ATI Tool, GPU-z, and MSI afterburner installed per some other threads to test the load on the GPU and its temp. I tried both of the cards individually that I picked up, and both hover around 55-60C idle and upwards of 80 under load. Even with 100% fan speed, they are still at ~60C idle and ~75C under load. I live in a hot climate, but its not that hot (80-90 Fahrenheit). I have even opened the case up to allow plenty of air in, but it doesn't make a difference.

Although my computer is stable right now, I am wondering what is causing these cards to be so hot? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 

ThaScoopALoop

Distinguished
Oct 8, 2011
2
0
18,510
They are crossfire supported, but I didn't get the crossfire ready card, so I am waiting for that stupid ribbon to come in the mail.

I pulled the other card out, and remapped the fan controls with MSI afterburner. It doesn't get too hot during gaming now (75-80C), although it requires the fan to be around 80% or more. It still seems hot during idle though. It is about 30C here, and it is idling at around 55-60C. The review sites are reporting these cards to have about a 15C delta idle temp, so I am wondering why mine seems to be more like 25-30C delta idle.