7950 crossfire setup runs very hot

Hi,

I recently upgraded my PC to a dual 7950 setup.
It runs great but it also runs VERY hot.
The AMD software says the primary card runs at ~92C under load.
Idles around 50C.
It gets so warm that the top of the case is almost too hot to touch.

I spent a bit of cash on this and I certainly dont want it to fail.

I currently run it with the side of the case off...

Is this normal behaviour for a crossfire setup ??

Cheers

Fred

 

Which 7950 do you have, and what's your case cooling like?

 

im running dual powercolor 7950s.
Im running a `coolermaster` case and I didnt have any heating problems before the crossfire setup.

 

I mean what's the exact model case and 7950 version?

SLI/CF will always run hotter than a single card and requires good cooling......

 

not sure of exact case details but it looks exactly like the CM690. Its only a year old or so probably the previous version.
One of my 7950s is the original version powercolor launched with, which was basically the reference design from AMD. The other is the latest version with their own cooling solution (3 fans). Dont know if the board itself is different to reference.

 

Is the reference GPU in top or bottom slot?

 

it was primary but the fans were making weird noises (spinning right up and then back down constantly). This stopped when I swapped the cards around so that the newer card is primary (on top).

 

Afterburner says that GPU1 runs approx 20C hotter than GPU2 under load.
Is that normal in a CrossFire setup ??
Seems a bit excessive...

 

It's normal for one card to be hotter. 92c is far too hot though, open a pci slot cover at the back of your case to let in some air.

Even 50c idle is very warm, might pay to check the cooler for dust.

 

its a brand new card !!

Me thinks Powercolor`s cooling solution is rubbish :-(

 

The reviewers thought so too....

​

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...rcolor-hd-7950-3gb-boost-state-review-19.html

 

Great.
I bought a budget card thinking id get a good crossfire setup for cheap...
Now I can either put up with the high temps or spring for an aftermarket cooler (~$100).

 

If it's new then why not return it?

 

because it runs fine.
Games are flawless. No issues whatsoever...its just very hot...and I was wondering if thats normal in a crossfire setup....and apparently it is.

 

just say it runs too hot and wont last.

 

Airflow

Thing is you have one card which is able to blow hot air out of case. but another which just heats air around both of them.

You have open side and that makes it even worse. I advice you to use some 14cm intake fans in front panel and remove pci/pcie covers from back to get hot air even from newer card.

Now, you have to be sure which card gets that extra temps. My 7970 Sapphire reference board run at max 82°C during stress tests. So upgrading to accelero solved temps, now It sits below 60°C but only thanks to small airflow taking heated air out.
You need to get hot air from vicinity of fans and that is only possible by correct airflow in case.

On other hand you may try to apply proper thermal paste on gpu, but be sure you have spare thermal pads for memory in case they are needed or thermal glue in case you manage to remove glued memory heat sink.

Now funny stuff, get HWinfo 64/32 and check your VRM temperatures They may hit in your case like 100/105°C. (Those used are usually designed to live at 120°C)

 

That is hot actually, I suspect the case fans aren't moving sufficient air thru and out of the case. I had excellent temps running 2x HD7970 reference cards in CF mode, idles at 33C with room AC set at 25C. I'm now running 3x HD7970 and because the cards are so close to one another, temps isn't as good as I'd have liked it. My main card, idles at ~40C, with load temps hitting ~80C, which, surprisingly, is better than yours. Here's a pic, I have a PowerColor HD7970 in there, it's the one in the middle with heatpipes...this is an older pic, I've since replaced the excellent HX1050 with an X-1250. The HX1050 did tend to get a little hot under load, contributing to higher temps, hence the X-1250.

 

I tweaked the fans so they now run at 100% when the GPU reaches 80C.
Its noisy but temp tops out at 84C now.
I looked into purchasing an Arctic cooler but my case isnt big enough.
I emailed powercolor and they replied saying that its warm but still within thermal specs.

 

How many case fans do you have and where are they located?

 

one in the front of the case (80mm I think), one in the back (120mm).