So I've gotten myself 2 HIS 6950 2GB cards (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161372). Good news is that Crysis 2 runs maxed out with all the hi def packs without a hickup. Bad news is the top card is overheating. The coolers on the card were apparently designed to work best when there is open space between them. Currently, due to the way my motherboard was designed, there is only 3mm clearance between cards. Understandably, the top card in the crossfire setup heats up more than the bottom, which has room to breathe. There is no way to move them to other slots. The airflow in my case is good and while gaming all my fans (2x 120mm inflow, one 120mm blowing directly on cards from side, 1x 120mm & 1x180 mm outflow) are running at max (creating what sounds like a cyclone in the case). Before I was using AMD's drivers to control the fans (keeping them at 100%), the card would shut down at exactly 100*C after 5 mins of gaming. Now I use MSI Afterburner to get rid of the software shutdown and push the cards to over 100*C. The bottom one runs at 80*C max but its the lower CF card and has open space beneath it. Idle on the top is 25*C higher (normal idle is 65*C) than the lower. Switching the cards causes the same results. Assuming that there is no remedy to the overheating issue (can't afford a new mobo right now). Is it possible to damage the card if I keep it running at 103*C under full load for 3 or so hours? TL DR crappy mobo design, no way to fix airflow, are cards going to melt if I keep one of them running at 103*C?
Sure you´ll damage the cards, running them over 90º sounds dangerous at least. but reaching 100º is killing them fastly. If you can´t afford a new case or mobo you better disconnect one card untill you can afford the change. I start getting worried when mines past 80º... :S
100ºC is a sure death for the video card.... don't even try to use it for 3 hours at that temps. the solution is simple but not so cheap: watercooling.
what you can do is take off the cover of the videocard which would give you a lot of clearanceand allow you to put a case fan next to it to blow air onto the gpu heat sink i did that with my 6970
Hehe I had the exact same issue matey, I resolved it with watercooling gpu temp never goes above 37c at least not do far
This ^^ sounds like a good idea to try.. am kinda surprised their running that hot they have a great cooler Have you tried running open case? you could always buy a cheap floor fan directed at the cards and run it open case until you get a new mobo it would look funny tho lol