GTX 580 SLI getting HOT

Discussion in 'Videocards - NVIDIA GeForce' started by TK423, Nov 30, 2012.

  1. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    Hello,

    So I'm relatively new to GPUs and PC gaming.

    I've got two GTX 580s running in SLI and they are hitting 96+ degrees Celsius easy. (I've had Far Cry 3 on for about 5 or 6 minute and my first card is at 97 degrees and my second is at 90. My fan speeds are respectively at 85%/4500rpm ad 76%/3570rpm.)

    Is this too hot? If so what is causing this issue and how do I fix it? I cleaned my machine just a week or so ago with two compressed air cans so I don't think it's dust or anything.

    Here is the list of the rest of my specs below, if that's any help. Your assistance is sincerely appreciated.

    • Motherboard- Asus P8P67 Pro REV 3.0
    • CPU- Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Quad Core 6MB 95W Overclocked to Between 4.3 and 4.8GHz
    • Ram- 2 x Kingston DDR3-1333 4GB
    • Video Card- 2 x EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1536MB Sli
    • Hard Drive- Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s
    • Disc Drive- Asus 24x DVD-RW Lightscribe SATA (black)
    • Case- Antec P183 V3 (Gunmetal Finish, Window) w/ Pass-through USB 3.0 Power Supply- Antec HCP-1200 1200W
    • Power Supply CPU Cooling- Puget Hydro CL3 Liquid Cooling System
    • Additional Cooling- Custom 120mm Windowed Side Panel Fan
    • OS- Windows 8
     
  2. Uncle Dude

    Uncle Dude Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
    RTX 4090
    I'd pop the covers off both cards and do a thorough cleaning. I bet you'll find the fan-end of the heatsink is completely clogged with dust; thus no airflow.
     
  3. HeavyHemi

    HeavyHemi Guest

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    Not enough airflow through that case is the root cause IMO. I've got two overclocked 580's with a GTX 470 all stuffed into an Antec 900 and even running Furmark, I max at 85C with the fans at 70%. If I crank the fans all the way up, it cuts me down to 70C
     
  4. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
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    Thats hot enough to damage the cards quickly.
    If Uncle Dudes suggestion doesnt help:

    Set the fan speed to max.
    If that doesnt work, blow a 120mm or larger fan at the gfx cards.
    Your case has no side fan so this is recommended.
    I use both methods on a single 580.
     

  5. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    Thank you for your help everyone.

    I've never done your above mentioned advice so I don't really know how. Any guides, preferably pictorial, on how to take the covers off the video cards and get to the heatsink and clean them?

    Thanks again!
     
  6. Uncle Dude

    Uncle Dude Ancient Guru

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    A quick Youtube search yielded this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAeHqYK42-k

    I had GTX 285 back in the day that normally ran about 80c. Suddenly, I noticed temps in the mid nineties and the fan was maxed (Thank God I am a monitoring fool!). I removed the card and was amazed to see a wall of dust blocking the heatsink once I removed the cover - especially since I keep a spotless case. I also applied new thermal paste while I was in there. Good luck.

    @Heavyhemi - My case at the time was an Antec 900 - flows tons of air and brings in tons of dust. :)
     
  7. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    I'm also running an Antec 900.
    The front fan grills have ladies tights stretched over them to reduce dust intake.
    Works very well.
     
  8. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    @Uncle Dude- Thanks for that. So that video contains quite a bit more deconstruction than I need to do, correct? All I need to do is remove the first plastic looking cover in order to get to the heatsink to clean it? Do I need to actually remove the heatsink itself or should that first out box/layer be enough? Or am I completely confused and the plastic cover/box/layer is the heatsink?

    I'm going to give it a shot. I'll post how it looks in there later today.

    @Mufflore- That sounds like a really good idea. My Antec case is bringing in an insane amount of dust. I cleaned it like two weeks ago and was appalled at all the dust that was caked in there. You notice a big decrease in accumulation with the tights over the fan? Doesn't make it any less circulatory or anything?
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2012
  9. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    There will be slightly less airflow unless you turn up the fans, and I get some dust from the side fan still.
    But its a large reduction in dust, you can tell how much by the amount of dust that collects on the front.
    You can also fit tights to the side fan, not sure why I havent yet :)
    Probably because I use an external water cooler for the cpu, so I dont have to clean its heatsink.

    If your PC case is on the floor, you will get a lot of dust.
    Mine is sat on a table to reduce dust intake.
    I clean the PC front about once a month with a vacuum hose and clean inside the PC 2 or 3 times a year.

    ps stretch the tights across the front otherwise it will block airflow too much.
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2012
  10. Uncle Dude

    Uncle Dude Ancient Guru

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    That's a great idea. :thumbup:

    @TK423

    Yes, you only need to remove the plastic cover to clean the heatsink. Full disassembly and new thermal paste would also likely yield a couple degrees benefit if you so desire (dropped my GTX 285 load temps to 77-78). If so, be sure to reassemble with all thermal pads in their original locations.

    Just curious - are these high temps a sudden occurrence (the most obvious sign of dust blockage)?
     

  11. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    You know, I'm not sure to be honest. I had never checked my GPU temperature until the other night when I downloaded NVIDIA Inspector for the first time.

    I have noticed that for several months the back of my computer has been getting extremely hot and my fans are also getting very loud when running a recent game release for basically any amount of time.

    I've never cleaned my heatsink before ever, I've only really hit the outside of the cards with compressed air while it was still in the case.

    Still think it's a dust issue?
     
  12. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    Does the original thermal paste need to be removed before a new layer/type is applied? Is a microfiber cloth and 91% isopropyl alcohol the best way to do this?

    And should thermal paste (I'll most likely be using this kind) be applied just to the area designated here or to all the areas designated here?
     
  13. nakquada

    nakquada Guest

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    TK432, do you have fans on the side of your case/door? I used to have two GTX 580s that got extremely hot. My case (Obsidian 800D) had no fan on the side door, so I got a 115m circular saw and cut a mount for two 120mm fans. I then mounted the two fans and set one to push and one to pull air (depends on your preference). The GPU temperatures collapsed down to very nice managable temps, and resulted in a nice, cool and quiet gaming experience xD

    EDIT: my god I'm having a retard friday. can't type or think. haha.
     
  14. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    [​IMG] My case was modified by the retailer to include a 120mm fan on the side of the case.
     
  15. nakquada

    nakquada Guest

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    Is the fan pushing or pulling? is the door fan at max speed?

    Keep in mind, warm air rises. If you have your top fans set to push air out of the case, you will want cold air coming in from the bottom/side to quickly replace lost air. So, if your GPUs are packing out heat, get some cold air pushed in at/under the GPUs to aid the airflow.
     

  16. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    I believe all my fans are currently pulling air into the case. I've never adjusted or changed any of the settings from those the manufacturer shipped the PC with. (I don't know how and up until now I haven't really had any reason to mess with the fans.)

    I have no idea what speed the door fan is at nor do I have any idea how to change or adjust that. Worth changing, you think?
     
  17. nakquada

    nakquada Guest

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    If you have no exhaust its going to get pretty toasty in there. When your machine is on, and you hover your hand over the top of the case, can you feel the airflow? If not, you need to reverse the top fan(s) to exhaust the air!

    If your fans are of poor quality, I'd certainly recommend upgrading them to something a bit better. However, that may not need to be done. Antec stock fans are usually fairly OK.

    Airflow is key, OP. You'll need to work out whats best inside the case.
     
  18. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    How does one change how his fans operate, which way they spin, how fast they spin, etc.?

    Is this a difficult or complicated process?
     
  19. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    Take the fan out, reverse it, put it back in :D

    If its connected direct to a power connector it will be at full speed, unless the fan has its own speed controller.
    If its connected to a motherboard header, its speed may be variable in the motherboard BIOS.
     
  20. TK423

    TK423 Guest

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    [​IMG]

    I'm not home but as far as I recall I think my top fan is kind of built into the case. I'm not sure if I'm able to reverse it.

    Now I don't really know much, or anything, about fans or cooling. Would it be beneficial to possible mount a fan (such as this) externally to the area of the case designated below-

    [​IMG]

    Whether I set it to pull air in or out, could that possibly be of benefit to the heating issue?
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2012

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