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FAQ: Acceptable Temperatures for Graphics Cards

post #1 of 132
1/19/10 at 3:29pm
Thread Starter 

My video card is running at XX degrees Celcius! Is this bad?!
Not at all. Graphics cards these days are rated to around 100C! For instance, people who fold or game heavily could see their GPU(s) reach upwards of 90C. This is normal, they can withstand the heat - it's like apples and oranges compared to CPUs, where 75C is the danger-zone these days. Don't panic!

I'm still really uncomfortable running my card(s) over XX Celcius!
If you're really worried about temps over say 65-70C, you could turn your fan up to 100% on your card. If that still isn't good enough, well, you could always watercool it or buy an aftermarket cooler.When should I be worried about temperatures?
Most would tell you about 105C is the point-of-no-return. Realistically though, for everyday use, you should not exceed 95-98C for extended periods of time.

How can I monitor my temperature on my GPU(s)?
You could use apps such as CPUID's HWMonitor, and in addition you could use eVGA Precision to monitor your temps as well.

 

How can I find the maximum temperature as specified by Nvidia for my specific GPU(s)?
You can find out the maximum temperature as specified by Nvidia by looking at the specifications page of your GPU on either Geforce.com or Nvidia.com. For example here is the specification page of the GTX 580 indicating it's maximum GPU temperature of 97C.


 

Keep in mind though, these chips ARE rated to run at these temperatures!
If you're running below 90C the majority of the time, don't panic!
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post #2 of 132
1/19/10 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
Bump, added to Essentials Thread.
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post #3 of 132
1/19/10 at 6:43pm
This is a great FAQ for GPU Temperatures.

I'd like to contribute also:

Most cards have a maximum GPU temperature (105*C for most NVIDIA cards). This means that if you reach this temperature, the card will automatically begin to lower it's clocks and voltage to lower temperatures. If the temperature goes higher than that there is a built in protection (much like on Intel CPUs) that will automatically cut power to the GPU. All these thresholds are way below what the danger temp is so basically it is impossible (unless you purposely disable or change the thresholds) for your GPU to ever reach a dangerous temperature in which it may die.

I can confirm this on NVIDIA cards however I am not able to confirm if the same applies to ATI cards. Anyone want to help out?
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post #4 of 132
1/19/10 at 6:45pm
my rule:

doesn't hurt you hand = its proly fine
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post #5 of 132
1/19/10 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dieanotherday View Post
my rule:

doesn't hurt you hand = its proly fine
lol, 105C is over boiling. You'd burn your hand for sure !
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post #6 of 132
1/19/10 at 6:54pm
Nice thread

Yes, hot enough to cook an egg is ok.

8800GT pictured
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post #7 of 132
1/19/10 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PizzaMan View Post
Nice thread

Yes, hot enough to cook an egg is ok.

8800GT pictured
That's so awesome it's not even funny !
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post #8 of 132
1/19/10 at 7:07pm
I'd argue that graphics cards won't die until around 120c, and modern CPUs are good to 100c (of course, they'll usually auto-shut down before that). The numbers you have up there are way conservative.

Prove me wrong - find a CPU or gfx card that's died from heat less than that.
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post #9 of 132
1/19/10 at 7:09pm
Boy that is some ugly font in that first post, but I like it nonetheless.
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post #10 of 132
1/19/10 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sozin View Post
Boy that is some ugly font in that first post, but I like it nonetheless.
I love it !
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