580 to hot?

[Deeks]

from when i bought this 580 last dec to now my temps have only been getting worse and worse. Ambient temp has stayed the same if not gone down in temp. Ambient( room temp ) sits around 22c - 24c. My 580 when i bought it only needed to set the fan profile to go up to 70% to keep the card from 65c - 70c running 100%. Now iv'e had to adjust my fan profile to push 85% fan speed to keep the card at 81c when running at 100% for any duration of time. I know gpus can run into the high 80's and still be safe but am wondering if there is something wrong or if i should try reseating it with artic cooling mx-4 thermal compound ? Also this is the Asus gtx 580 ( reference model ). Thank you for any advice! this problem has got me stumped for awhile on why the temps are getting worse.

 

[phishy714]

The reference designs have never been the best for cooling. While Nvidia has the vapor chamber technology going for it and all, its still nowhere near as good as other aftermarket coolers.

I would suggest you clean out your case. It may be something as simple as dust accumulation that is restricting your airflow.

 

[chesteracorgi]

If you have increased temps without other changes to your rig then the problem is, most likely, as Phishy states. However, if you have made other changes (re-orienting fans, addind peripheral cards, etc.) then you have to look at the changes and see if you can improve the cooling in the case.

The GTX 470/480 (of which I can speak with authority) are specced to run as hot as 100 C, and have an upper limit of 110 C. I believe that the GTX 500 series is similar. 80 C is something to watch, but unless the specs on the GTX have changed, not a critical temperature.

Another source of the excess heat may be a change in ambient temps. My rig sits adjacent to my air/heating duct, and so I always observe if the vent is open (yes when the AC is on and no when the heat is on). Do you have any changes in the ambient environment?

 

[Djentleman]

I would say 80c is fine. Just make sure you watch it, going over 90 would not be advisable. As i think it would cause problems.

But what case are you using? This is the cause for a lot of over heating.

Me i have an open system, so nothing ever gets really that hot. Mind you i do live in Oregon; so a bit more chilly and i don't have high end cards that are power hungry.

But the sweet spot for your 580 would be 70c. If you can reach that area then i think your safe. Otherwise i wouldn't suggest staying in the 80c zone for too much longer.

 

[jay2tall]

I have the Asus 580 reference card that came out day 1. Stock settings it runs over 80C during heavy gaming. I've modified my fan profile using MSI afterburner and put a small OC on the card. It runs about 70% fan and flutters under 80C. Video cards are usually good up to 100C. Nvidia states the GTX580 max temp is 97C. I wouldn't worry to much unless it starts to get close to 90C. Anything over 85C I would start to monitor closely.

Video cards are made to run hot. Always have been, always will be. The reference coolers are made to be a good combination of cost, cooling, reliability, and noise. Don't expect wonders from an OEM cooler. The 580 cooler is pretty decent as a stock cooler though.

As far as increased temps. As said above, check for dust buildup in the cooler fins. And air compressor can help a lot if you remove the card and blow it out. Also make sure your are getting good general case airflow. If you changed anything in your case it could change the flow of air to the blower intake. Your temps are fine regardless.

Don't worry unless you are having issues. Just let it ride.

 

[Deeks]

Its definitely not dust accumulation as i fully clean my case every 2 weeks. compressed air and vacuum to clean as well and hd's get pulled out for dust wipe down. I am running the Half X full tower chassis i have all fan spots in use as well as threw a extra 140mm in the top were the drive bays are for intake on top front as well. i have not added or changed any hardware configurations or fans. The temps just keep rising slow. and by slow i mean over this last year it has increased over 12c. I understand that the reference model does not have the best cooling but i just don't understand how it started off cooling the card at 68 - 70c and now it jumps right into high 70's - low 80's. Do you think reseating the gpu cooler with aftermarket thermal compound will make any difference ? I also live in Canada, Alberta, Calgary so temps in winter will get as low as -35c outside and i usually always have window open to keep ambient temp around 20c. Lol this room with 3 rigs in it gets hot quick!

 

[17seconds]

This is a complete overreaction. The GTX 580 is going to run right about 85c to 89c with Auto fan, in an average modestly ventilated case. If you are below that, then you are doing fine. With Auto fan settings, you should never go above 79% and your temperature should never go past 90c. This is all normal for the GTX 580.

If you are wondering about the higher temperatures, have you started playing a new game? Maybe you were not hitting 99% GPU utilization before and maybe now you are. Skyrim will definitely do that.

 

[jay2tall]

GPU coolers are usually pretty good with thermal paste. The only exception is there are rare instances when the factory screws up putting it on and it is hot out of the box. I've never run into this. I've also tried to put aftermarket thermal paste on a CPU cooler and either have seen NO improvement or actually slightly worse temps.

The ONLY time I've ever seen improvements is when the card is serveral years old, sometimes the stock paste dries out and removing and applying new paste works wonders. But a year is to early for that, and if you did that it shouldn't have an effect. If you did not apply the paste correctly it might not do as good of a job as stock either. Just a thought.

Your temps are still perfectly fine. How are you testing? What did you test a year ago as compared to now? Is it the same app? If not there could be variances.

 

[17seconds]

If you wanted to try swapping out the thermal paste, it is a relatively simple process. You just have to be very careful. In particular, be very careful with the screws that attach the heatsink to the PCB. They seem a little soft and can strip easily if you apply too much force with the wrong size screwdriver. Also be careful not to handle the heatsink with your hands and be aware that the fins are very fragile and can bend easily. I made those mistakes so you don't have to. I don't think thermal paste is your problem though.

What make of GTX 580 do you have?

 

[jay2tall]

^ he mentioned the Asus reference design.

I knew a dude who took it upon himself to do just this and he slipped and knocked off some resistors on the PCB with the screwdriver tip. Strange thing is it still worked... for a little while, but always had some odd random issues.... wonder why.

 

[Deeks]

it was a reference model, i took your carefulness advice into consideration and all went well. ended up taking the card apart and replacing thermal paste with artic cooling mx-4, dusting all the case parts of the asus 580gtx and am now getting idle temps of 48 from 57 and load temps of 68 instead of 81. Thanks again for all the help guys!

 

[Deeks]

Best answer selected by Deeks.

 

[17seconds]

Good to hear.