Overheating issues on the GPU, particularly when gaming at high frame rates.
Overheating issues on the GPU, particularly when gaming at high frame rates.
Computer specifications: CPU – Intel Core i7-8700, 3.2GHz; GPU – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080; RAM – 16 GB; OS – Windows 11 64-bit. The title mentions my graphics card overheating rapidly (exceeding 80°C) once I reached a certain performance level. This happened first during a game session of New World last year, when fans reached 100% capacity. For the past three years, my system fans have behaved like jet engines whenever I pushed the game to higher settings. I can only run games at 60 FPS now, as increasing the setting causes GPU usage to spike and raise temperatures dangerously. I’ve tried watching temperatures closely and used MSI Afterburner to adjust fan speeds, but these steps haven’t resolved the problem. Recently, I replaced the thermal paste on the GPU chip, applying it thoroughly after compression and verifying its even distribution by disassembling it. Despite this, the issue persists. A recent performance test showed my PC was operating above average, yet I’m still struggling to get the most out of my $500 graphics card. Any advice or support would be greatly appreciated. I’m disappointed this isn’t delivering its full potential.
It's not an overheating situation; overheat happens when your GPU hits 95-100°C, causing performance to drop to protect it. Temperatures between 80-95°C are safe for my 6800 XT with OC. To lower heat, consider undervolting the GPU, reducing power draw, or tweaking the fan curve. The best approach is undervolt and adjust the fan settings to your preference, which keeps performance steady while cutting down heat.
It seems the issue likely stems from the VRMs rather than just the GPU core. On my ASUS 2080 TURBO, leaving it in default vBIOS fan settings causes the GPU to overheat significantly—core temps reach around 80°C while the hot spot hits 110°C. The vBIOS limits fan speed to 50%, allowing temperatures to rise until a safety threshold is reached, after which the fan spikes and then drops back down. The problem appears to be the fan profile being too conservative, letting thermal pads dry out from excessive heat. A better approach would be to adjust the profile with MSI Afterburner to run the fan above 50%, though ideally I’d also replace the thermal pads for a permanent fix. This setup is mainly useful for keeping the system warm during winter use, like when folding furniture.
You seem thoughtful about your gaming experience. It's understandable to feel uneasy after experiencing high temperatures during intense sessions. Your concern about the fan settings and temperature limits shows awareness, which is a positive sign. Keep monitoring your performance and comfort—balancing speed and cooling is key to enjoying your games.
Hey Alex, thanks for the reply. I installed afterburner and set a custom fan profile immediately after hitting that 100% emergency fan speed a while back but still feel as if the temperatures are getting too high for the amount of gpu usage, but again that could just be a case of paranoia who knows. Do you think it is normal for my particular graphics card to run beyond 85C? Also, does the below fan speed curve setting seem reasonable or would you recommend something different? Thanks for the feedback and help!
Hey Hinjima, sorry for missing it, but thanks for your response. It's just a typical Omen prebuilt case. I'm not very familiar with technical specifics, so I haven't gone into more details about airflow. That said, I think the cooling and airflow might be the main concern.
From a brief lookup, the typical temperature rise for Nvidia's hotspot is around 10-15°C. That means a core temperature of 80°C suggests it's still under the 100°C threshold. It can feel quite intense, but it shouldn't be dangerous. If the core reaches 90°C, thermal throttling is likely. It's normal behavior initially, but staying within the manufacturer's safe limits is key. Besides adjusting the fan curve, consider lowering the voltage as well—it helps cut power use and heat, potentially boosting performance. Setting the fan curve to 100% at 90°C prevents actual overheating.
It varies depending on the card design. For a blower-style model with exhausts at the back, 60% might not be sufficient. I usually manage with 60% during folding but needed higher power when running games, forcing me to move it elsewhere with a long HDMI cable. Eventually I switched to a 3080 and vowed never to use another blower card again. On some cards, thermal pads can leak, reducing performance—especially noticeable on my model after folding for a month. The hot spots often affect the MOSFETs, which explains the big jump in delta.