Issue with GPU temperature in Witcher 3 gameplay
Issue with GPU temperature in Witcher 3 gameplay
I've been experiencing problems with Witcher 3 since beginning to play. After a few hours, the game would frequently crash or stop if I tried to restart it. Someone suggested my system might be overheating. I discovered tools to track CPU and GPU temperatures and started playing Witcher 3. During a one-hour session, my CPU hit 48-55°C depending on the core, while the GPU stayed between 67°C in menus and rose to 78°C during gameplay. Considering these high temperatures, I'm worried the GPU could overheat if I kept playing longer. Now I'm looking for ways to resolve this without changing settings, but I plan to revisit this later and update the post. I'm using Windows 8.1, a Gigabyte Z97-SLI motherboard, an Intel i5-4690 at 3.5 GHz (no overclocking), 16GB RAM (2x8), 1600 MHz graphics, and the latest NVIDIA drivers.
Execute Run Furmark Benchmark. This utility checks your GraphicsCard for heat-related issues.
Use a funmark or stress test to check if the card gets too hot during heavy use. Adjust the thermal paste if temperatures reach 99 degrees. Those readings are acceptable, but anything above that signals an issue.
furmark has damaged the GPU. I don't recommend using unigine benchmarks; they create a heavy gaming workload. Your setup matters—poor cooling can lead to overheating after extended use, causing crashes rather than being a GPU-only issue. What case do you have? What is your fan configuration?
78C appears quite high for a 980 running at stock clocks. Do you have adequate airflow around your system? It’s always beneficial to direct a fan toward the GPU from the front, especially if there isn’t a hard drive cage obstructing it. Adding an intake fan on the bottom of your case can also improve GPU cooling, particularly if your case includes a bottom fan mount. You might want to adjust your fan settings (such as using MSI Afterburner) so that fans increase more aggressively when temperatures reach 60°C or higher. I prefer setting my fan curve for my 970 to be quite aggressive during games but to shut them off completely when temperatures drop below around 45°C.
For those inquiring about my system configuration, I’m using two front intakes and one rear exhaust on a Fractal Define R4. One intake includes a hard drive cage ahead of it. The case fans are connected to the built-in voltage regulator and kept at their lowest setting. I plan to raise them to maximum next time I play to test its effect. I discovered that the factory overclock for my 980 is set at 1468 MHz. Running Unigine Heaven at maximum settings pushed my GPU to 80°C, though it maintained an average of 64 FPS.
Finished gaming for roughly three hours without any issues. My GPU reached 81°C, which feels a bit high but not critical. I made a few adjustments: took out one of the hard drive cages for better airflow over my graphics card, increased the case fan speed to its maximum during playtime, and tweaked a few settings slightly. Thanks for the suggestions!