Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Members' Lounge (General Discussion) › The fan on my graphics card is going out. Should I worry about the graphics processor overheating?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The fan on my graphics card is going out. Should I worry about the graphics processor overheating? - Page 2

post #16 of 22
12/7/09 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielCox View Post
Yes you should - it has the fan for a good reason.
Damn, you beat me to it.
Reply
post #17 of 22
12/7/09 at 9:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MomijiTMO View Post
Not really, gpus just tend to overheat and artefact.
I think most modern GPUs do have this protection now - the only downside is that GPUs are quite resilient to heat and will get to way above 100C by which time you'll be artifacting and the graphics driver will probably crash.
Reply
post #18 of 22
12/7/09 at 9:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MD1032 View Post
It should have an automatic shut-off in the event that it overheats (most modern processors have temp sensors built in). Replace the fan with anything that looks equivalent and is cheap.
Whether there is thermal protection or not is probably irrelevant. If the passive cooling can keep up with the heat being generated, you'll be fine without a fan. If passive cooling cannot keep up (and it probably won't), then you'll have a run-away situation, and you'll blow the junction temp before the thermal shutdown does much good.

But yeah, GPU's tend to be pretty robust to overheating...it is surprising how much abuse they can take.

If you really don't plan on stressing the card, you can always just open up the side of the case and point a cheap Walmart fan at the GPU. Advantage to doing this is you have direct feedback to how/when the GPU hits thermal failure.
Reply
post #19 of 22
12/7/09 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zodduska View Post
Here's the fan and heatsink assembly if you wish to replace it with the stock one:
ATI Radeon X800 X850 9800 Series AGP Video Card Fan New - eBay (item 180439108380 end time Dec-29-09 08:28:17 PST)
ahhh awesome, thanks!

EDIT: I just remembered this ATI Catalyst Control Center software...opened it up and it has a temp monitor for the graphics processor. It appears to be holding steady @ 55°C for now. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on it though. Hell ya!!
Reply
post #20 of 22
12/8/09 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielCox View Post
I think most modern GPUs do have this protection now - the only downside is that GPUs are quite resilient to heat and will get to way above 100C by which time you'll be artifacting and the graphics driver will probably crash.
Very true. My 4850 idles at 80-85°C and runs just fine at ~105°C under load. These temps are actually well within spec and the official driver says they're fine. Thermal cutoff is 125° which is insane.

Older cards like the X800 aren't as tolerant though- I would replace that fan right away. Anything over, say, 75°C on that card would be cause for concern.
Reply
post #21 of 22
12/8/09 at 1:47pm
I remember when the rule of thumb used to be 60 or 70°. I guess they really do make them more robust now. By the way, my 2006 T60, which is a laptop, has a temperature sensor on its graphics card (in fact, it has at least 9 temperature sensors in it). You can read the values with any kind of motherboard software.
Reply
post #22 of 22
12/8/09 at 1:50pm
Temperature is everything for processors. Not worrying about the fan is like running a car without oil. It will wear on the processor big time.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Members' Lounge (General Discussion) › The fan on my graphics card is going out. Should I worry about the graphics processor overheating?