GPU heating up rapidly; fans adjusting speed.
GPU heating up rapidly; fans adjusting speed.
Main concern: My EVGA RTX 2080 is overheating significantly during intense gaming sessions. When sustained loads reach around 99%, the fans increase noticeably, often reaching 95°C on the core and 105°C+ on the hotspot after just 10-15 minutes. If I don’t lower the framerate to about 90 FPS or less, temperatures climb rapidly. The card was bought in late 2018, but noticeable issues started around 1.5 years ago. I contacted EVGA last year (passed away), and they confirmed the temperatures were within specifications, though they didn’t offer further details. GPU-Z only logged hotspot readings around 2021, suggesting these levels have always been high. Still, it’s unusual how much heat builds up now—especially since fans would normally stabilize quickly. Other notes: The RTX 2080 was heavily overclocked using MSI Afterburner settings, but was kept at a lower voltage than stock. "Memory Clock" and power limits are set to their minimums, while the temperature cap is fixed at 80°C, which seems ineffective. The fan curve defaults to auto, though manual adjustments didn’t change the behavior or noise. The CPU cooler is fully overclocked to 5GHz with a slight boost, rarely exceeding 65°C. I used to keep both side and top vents closed, with only two fans—front and back—and two exhausts. Recently, I added more intake and exhaust fans, all dust-checked and cleaned regularly. The room temperature is around 20°C, which isn’t extreme. Full parts list: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/samshurts/...iew=ZWXm8d
Part number: EVGA XC GAMING GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Video Card
As podkall mentioned, around 2.5 to 3 years into its life, it’s now about 4.5 years since I bought it. I’ve been cautious about sharing details because it’s still early in its usage. It’s worth mentioning the card was a mid-range model from the 2080s, priced roughly $50 above MSRP, making the cooling solution one of the more affordable options available. Although it reached temperatures in the 80s, it didn’t get excessively hot or noisy during its initial months. I think the issue might have been poor thermal paste application if it was a CPU I installed myself. Since it’s factory assembled, I don’t know why any changes occurred.