GTX 580 SOC SLI temperatures

[AidanJC]

Hi Everyone,

I have recently bought an additional GTX 580 SOC from gigabyte for SLI mode. The temps on a single card were amazing, however after i threw an additional card into the mix, temperatures on the same card surged past 95 degrees Celsius. Sometimes hitting around 98 degrees. The bottom card plods away at roughly 75-80 degrees which is perfectly fine.

These cards have had their factory over-clock removed and set back to reference speeds. I don't want to see the temps at stock speeds to be honest... My case is a HAF-X with an additional fan installed. I've also tried setting the desk fan i have blowing air at top speed between the GPUs. This dropped the temps to 93 degrees.. Still too hot. There is a space between the cards of about 3cm, so they're sort of close together.

Can anyone recommend anything to help me bring the temp to under 85?

I am aware that the top GPU will always be hotter.. But i was not expecting this.

Thanks to anyone in advance that can offer their guidance.

 

[JackMomma]

With those non-reference cards, they bleed all that hot air into the case instead of out the back, so as much air as you can get moving thru and out of the case, the better...
Wasn't noted above, but are you turning the card's fan speeds up as well? They should be on their own at that temp, but it's worth making sure. I've had nVidia drivers default to 40% and not move on their own a few times in the past.

Other than that, if I were you, I'd take off any the extra pci-slot blocks on the back of the computer, and try to get a fan pushing air to the cards from the front (like behind your hdd's inside the case).

 

[mouse24]

What fans do you have an where are they located? Also 3cm is terrible for airflow.

Just for the fun of it try turning the side case fan as exhaust and see if that helps (or vice versa if you already have it set to exhaust)

Manually set your gpu fan speeds, my 5670 was locked at 20% until I manually set it (got to 68+, after I manually set it it never broke 50)

Edit: aw jack beat me as I was fumbling in the dark with my keyboard

 

[JackMomma]

And if you haven't changed out the fans that came with the case, I'd look into that. My if it's anything like the fans CoolerMaster gave me with my 690, they don't move much air. I snagged a few Scythe 120mm and 140mm fans that can push 90cfm and put them on a fan controller to limit the volume when not gaming.

 

[AidanJC]

With those non-reference cards, they bleed all that hot air into the case instead of out the back, so as much air as you can get moving thru and out of the case, the better...
Wasn't noted above, but are you turning the card's fan speeds up as well? They should be on their own at that temp, but it's worth making sure. I've had nVidia drivers default to 40% and not move on their own a few times in the past.

Other than that, if I were you, I'd take off any the extra pci-slot blocks on the back of the computer, and try to get a fan pushing air to the cards from the front (like behind your hdd's inside the case).

Yep, 100%. Like i said though, i had a desk fan blowing a fair whack of air into the case on full speed. So i think thats about as much air as i could possibly get through the darn thing.

Do you think re-applying thermal grease might be an option? What about the warranty and things of that nature?

If not, i may just have to sell both of them and buy either a reference 680 or two reference 580s if i can find em.

 

[JackMomma]

If it wasn't running very hot before adding the second then I wouldn't worry about the heat sink on it yet... I had similar numbers with my 6870's when doing my cfx setup for the first time, and they are non-ref cards too. I honestly was running 9 different high speed fans in my case to keep the air moving as much as possible, and did a lot of research on how to do it as efficiently as possible before finally resorting to liquid cooling it when i got tired of my computer sounding like an airplane... but it's an expensive solution for sure.

What program are you using to adjust the clocks/fan speeds for the cards?

 

[AidanJC]

If it wasn't running very hot before adding the second then I wouldn't worry about the heat sink on it yet... I had similar numbers with my 6870's when doing my cfx setup for the first time, and they are non-ref cards too. I honestly was running 9 different high speed fans in my case to keep the air moving as much as possible, and did a lot of research on how to do it as efficiently as possible before finally resorting to liquid cooling it when i got tired of my computer sounding like an airplane... but it's an expensive solution for sure.

What program are you using to adjust the clocks/fan speeds for the cards?

I think it's safe to say i won't be dealing with watercooling until my nextbuild. Too much of a stuff around.

I'm using afterburner to monitor my temps and set my fan profiles and clock speeds.

 

[AidanJC]

What fans do you have an where are they located? Also 3cm is terrible for airflow.

Just for the fun of it try turning the side case fan as exhaust and see if that helps (or vice versa if you already have it set to exhaust)

Manually set your gpu fan speeds, my 5670 was locked at 20% until I manually set it (got to 68+, after I manually set it it never broke 50)

Edit: aw jack beat me as I was fumbling in the dark with my keyboard

Just the regular fans that come with the case, plus a CM storm force red on the side of the case extracting warm air from the GPUs. Now, do you think it would be better to have that fan pulling air in towards the GPUs? Or extracting air.

My fans are set with afterburner at 100% with a custom profile ive made.

 

[mouse24]

Just the regular fans that come with the case, plus a CM storm force red on the side of the case extracting warm air from the GPUs. Now, do you think it would be better to have that fan pulling air in towards the GPUs? Or extracting air.

My fans are set with afterburner at 100% with a custom profile ive made.

To be 100% honest, im not sure. I mean if you have it blowing air in then the gpus would probably get cool air but then you also introduce turbulence from the airflow of the gpu fans spinning towards the side of the case and the fan pulling air into the gpus

but if you do it as exhaust you would be directly exhausting the heat from the gpus faster then if it has to find its way to the top of the case and out that exhaust, but doing it that way might also starve the cards of fresh air.

so... not sure... I would try it but I don't have a side fan D:

 

[JackMomma]

The only thing I could think of other than messing with airflow is switching the new card to the top, and seeing if your temps stay the same... Unless you hit the cooler or shifted it when installing the second though it shouldn't be a problem, GPU thermal paste should last more than a year without any issues for sure. That way you could confirm any issues.
Beyond that, I'd grab extra fans to push the air directly out of the case from the cards... That would be more effective than the desk fan. Ambient room temperatures also make a huge difference, or where your case is at in the room. My computer will still raise the temperature in my room by 15 degrees in the summer when I game if I have my door shut (makes a good heater in the winter!).

Just trying to think of everything... I'd hate to see someone give up two of those cards because of the heat! What PSU do you run them on? and what are your idle temps for them?

 

[JackMomma]

You don't want to 'suffocate' the cards. It's most effective to push as much air on to them as possible, and have it exhaust thru the top or back of the case.

 

[AidanJC]

The only thing I could think of other than messing with airflow is switching the new card to the top, and seeing if your temps stay the same... Unless you hit the cooler or shifted it when installing the second though it shouldn't be a problem, GPU thermal paste should last more than a year without any issues for sure. That way you could confirm any issues.
Beyond that, I'd grab extra fans to push the air directly out of the case from the cards... That would be more effective than the desk fan. Ambient room temperatures also make a huge difference, or where your case is at in the room. My computer will still raise the temperature in my room by 15 degrees in the summer when I game if I have my door shut (makes a good heater in the winter!).

Just trying to think of everything... I'd hate to see someone give up two of those cards because of the heat! What PSU do you run them on? and what are your idle temps for them?

I can't wait until our winter to try them out as a heater to be honest. My room in the only room without insulation for some stupid reason and temps drop below 5 degrees. This is in australia mind you..

I run them on a 1000W Coolermaster silent pro gold. They idle at 34 degrees and 37 degrees with a room temp of 24 degrees.

If i slap that side panel back on, the air exhausted keeps my hands at a very warm and toasty temperature, so not all bad

What if i undervolt the GPUs? Do you think that may help with temps?

I'll swap the GPUs around after i get home from work. Shouldn't be too long..

 

[AidanJC]

To be 100% honest, im not sure. I mean if you have it blowing air in then the gpus would probably get cool air but then you also introduce turbulence from the airflow of the gpu fans spinning towards the side of the case and the fan pulling air into the gpus

but if you do it as exhaust you would be directly exhausting the heat from the gpus faster then if it has to find its way to the top of the case and out that exhaust, but doing it that way might also starve the cards of fresh air.

so... not sure... I would try it but I don't have a side fan D:

I'll give both ways a go, i'll run 3D mark11 and see the max temp. Then swap the fan configuration around.

 

[JackMomma]

Holy cow, yea if they idle that normally, then it's gotta be a matter of airflow. Last SLI setup I ran got up to 95c, but also idled around 60c, so it was just an issue of hot cards... If they are that cool during normal use than proper air moving thru the case should be able to knock them back down to reasonable temps pretty easy I'd figure.

As for winter, I'm in Kansas here in the USA and I was gaming with snow on the ground and my window open at times... It's hilarious to walk by the computer at times to feel the difference in air it can create!

 

[AidanJC]

Holy cow, yea if they idle that normally, then it's gotta be a matter of airflow. Last SLI setup I ran got up to 95c, but also idled around 60c, so it was just an issue of hot cards... If they are that cool during normal use than proper air moving thru the case should be able to knock them back down to reasonable temps pretty easy I'd figure.

As for winter, I'm in Kansas here in the USA and I was gaming with snow on the ground and my window open at times... It's hilarious to walk by the computer at times to feel the difference in air it can create!

Damn it, more taking apart my rig.. I absolutely dread these bits..

But thank you both very much for your help. It is very much appreciated. I'll let you know how it goes when i finally do knock off.

 

[AidanJC]

Best answer selected by AidanJC.