Getting Hotter on GPU When Running Identical Games At Older Settings
Getting Hotter on GPU When Running Identical Games At Older Settings
I upgraded to a 2070 super and ryzen 7 5700x3d this Christmas and have observed that games either run much hotter or cause the GPU fans to spin at maximum speed. Over the past four years I moved from a 970 to a 1070 and now to a 2070. On the other two GPUs I never experienced fan noise or overheating even without adjusting any settings. Some games like Assetto Corsa can cause heating if you don’t cap your FPS, while others that default to 150 FPS still spin fans at full speed. Could it be that my case has almost no airflow (masterbox q300l with one weak fan at the top) and that it’s fully open, contributing to dust buildup? Should I consider replacing the case? Also, is it advisable to use water cooling if I get a case that supports it? If yes, what would be a good water cooler recommendation for a Gigabyte 2070 Super?
The q300l isn't ideal for heat management; I'd consider a setup with extra exhaust fans and an open case. As for the 2070, it's likely reaching high temperatures.
The 2070 is a mid-range GPU and doesn’t need a liquid cooler. It consumes more power than the 1070, so you can expect higher temperatures. If your case is open and you recently installed the 2070, dust and airflow shouldn’t be an issue unless the card was already dirty. Clean everything thoroughly—especially the GPU heatsink—using compressed air and see if it helps. For the future, consider a better case with strong airflow to keep it closed and prevent dust buildup.
High temperatures can vary depending on your perception. Always report the actual temperature you measure when seeking advice about heat. If the GPU still gets too hot even after cleaning and an open case, it may need refurbishment. This could be due to poor thermal performance, possibly from years of use, causing fans to run at maximum speed as they struggle to dissipate heat effectively.
My desk tends to accumulate dust quite fast, so it gets dusty pretty quickly. I'm trying to figure out how the temperature changes affect the fans—usually around 80°C when playing graphically demanding games. The NVIDIA app sets a target temperature of 83°C. It's normal for that level, but it's odd that it's causing the fans to spin. At first, when we installed it, the fans would start in the game menus within seconds and only run for about 30 to 60 seconds during certain games. I think I might have messed up the paste when I disassembled it, but I'm not sure. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time; it mostly activates every few minutes for a short duration. I'm planning to get a new case as soon as possible. Thanks for your help!
83c marks the point where the 2070 starts to slow down. It doesn’t pose a serious threat to the card, but you might notice reduced performance. My current card is a 2080 and it was running cooler (70-75°C) compared to this. The description suggests the default fan curve isn’t strong enough. The fans shouldn’t jump to full speed at 80°C and then stop abruptly. There should be a gradual increase. Have you adjusted your fan curve? If not, consider installing MSI Afterburner, navigate to settings, and open the Fan tab. Set a custom curve that gradually increases speed up to 100% when temperature hits 80°C. To check the repasting quality, use HWiNFO and monitor the hotspot temp. If it stays at 95°C or lower while the card is at 80°C, everything is fine. However, if it reaches 100°C or higher, the repasting likely wasn’t done properly (hotspot should not exceed 15-20°C above average).
The peak hotspot temperature reached up to 101.8c while the ambient was around 75-80c. I created a custom curve found online, which helped somewhat but still caused fans to max out for a few seconds. It also appears to work best on games where I can't cap the FPS. (Is there a particular pattern we should follow when repasting the GPU?)
It doesn't look extremely worrying, though it's still on the higher end. If you limit the frame rate, your GPU operates below 100% usage (it might be able to work more but you're telling it not), which naturally means it runs cooler because it consumes less power. There are many YouTube videos demonstrating how to repaste a GPU; the process is similar to repasting a CPU and follows comparable guidelines.