Question 6700 XT and 6750 XT Hotspot Temperatures? (Resolved)
Question 6700 XT and 6750 XT Hotspot Temperatures? (Resolved)
Solution: Power configuration changed from High Performance to Balanced (default). I used High Performance only after purchasing the PC, following the same approach with previous systems.
PSU is under a year old. I acquired it alongside the switch from the 6700 to the 6750. Clearing the BIOS didn't help, but the BIOS has been reset several times recently. I suspect it's a thermal shutdown since the hotspot reaches 110°C for over a second, causing the PC to power off.
Capture some images of your builds, overview and detailed, upload them to imgur.com and share the link. Did you install any tweaking software such as afterburner or Asrocck, then uninstall and reboot? Does it have a dual-bios switch built in? Use a holder to confirm the GPU isn’t bent. Make sure the cooler isn’t overly tightened around the GPU. How hot is your CPU getting? Which cooler is currently installed? How do you check for a GPU hotspot—using Furmark or during gameplay? What speed are the fans spinning at? Are all fans running? What’s the temperature in your room? Are there any case fans installed? Verify the paste and thermal pads are properly positioned, everything is intact, nothing missing?
Turning the standard setup 90 degrees clockwise.
Only software adjustments I've made are using Adrenaline.
This motherboard doesn't support dual UEFI.
My current enclosure has what is typically rear IO, but it's positioned vertically with an additional rigid bracket.
In my previous case, the orientation was standard, though I did use a support bracket then.
My CPU reaches 90°C under full load of 100%. The normal range is usually between 40 and 60, depending on the situation. The cooler is the original model.
I've run tests with Heaven, but now I just track temperatures using an overlay.
The fans are running at around 3000 RPMs across all three units. All are working, which helps me inspect them for any issues. It's hard to tell if their speeds differ since they're connected through a single header.
Currently it's winter in my basement office, so the temperature is around 60°F, maybe a bit lower in the morning.
Non-response
I noticed I misunderstood this initially, but the main point remains unchanged. The GPU lacks a mode switch as well. Mobo doesn’t support dual UEFI, there’s no toggle or button for changing modes. I verified the specifications again in your previous message. This particular setup is vertical, unlike the last one which was horizontal; the problem continues. Vertical orientation works better for airflow since a horizontal GPU creates resistance when intake fans are placed at the bottom of the case, as they are in this setup. Taking off the side panel causes about a 3C drop when cooler air enters, then it recovers. The issue isn’t with airflow itself. Asking about a mode switch led me to consider something new—I just reinstalled Heaven for some testing and will update you once done.
@helpstar
The testing wasn't the most precise, but I think the results wouldn't change drastically given a more stringent series with more accurate logging.
What I did was change Windows power plan setting from High Performance, to Balanced. Your suggestion about a mode switch for my BIOS is what made me think about trying that because that switch would effectively do the same, as I understand it.
Since I hadn't set hotkeys to begin logging and benchmarking at the same time, my performance log began right before launching Heaven. Some settings in Heaven can't be made until you are in the application. Because of that I noted where I was when I started the High Performance benchmark, then waited to start the Balanced benchmark until I was at that same spot. This was to have equal levels of heat soak for each test.
I ran the first benchmark in High Performance mode after posting my reply to you. I kept my GPU settings the same (-5% under volt, aggressive fan cure). After completing that bench mark I noted the results from Heaven, changed to Balanced mode, then noted the results from the AMD performance log. I saved my notes then gave the PC a restart. After startup was complete I browsed these forums for a few minutes because that's what I was doing before the first test. I repeated the benchmark, then noted the results.
Below are the details
Spoiler:
Heaven Settings
API- DirectX11
Quality- High
Tessellation- Normal
Anti-Aliasing- x4
Full Screen- Enabled
Resolution- 2560x1080 (System)
Ambient Occlusion- Enabled
Refractions- Enabled
Volumetric Shadows- Enabled
VSync- Enabled
Spoiler:
High Performance
FPS:
59.2
Score:
1491
Min FPS:
8.7
Max FPS:
65.0
GPU Max 46
GPU Average 44
Hot Spot Max 111 (single tick in log)
Hot Spot Average 87
Spoiler:
Balanced
FPS:
59.0
Score:
1487
Min FPS:
27.2
Max FPS:
60.7
GPU Max 41
GPU Average 37
Hot Spot Max 79 (Anomalous 101 at start of log / Heaven)
Hot Spot Average 68
Aside from the anomalous 101 peak at the start of the Balanced benchmark, both tests seemed to hit their peak temperature in scenes 18/19. Those scenes have intense dynamic lighting and shadows and the timestamp on the performance logs seemed to align with that point in the benchmark. My theory for the 101 peak is Heaven was performing pre-rendering / shader caching that was lost after restarting my PC.
I feel that these results show that Windows High Performance power plan is a major contributing factor to the problems I've been dealing with. The delta between GPU and Hot Spot is still rather wide though. I do intend to apply a PCM pad, but I most likely won't be able to for a while now due to unforeseen expenses.
While Balanced mode is scored slightly lower than High Performance mode, I think the real winner is Balanced mode. Scoring 4 points less is negligible, especially when High Performance was clearly throttling during the benchmark. That throttling was very visible watching the benchmark as well, and I value stability over higher average FPS.
A few points to make note of:
Heaven, and DirectX 11, do not demand as much from my GPU as being in game or a DirectX 12 title. While I suspect I will still see improvement across the board, it will almost certainly be different between games.
It is unknown how using the Balanced power plan is going to effect the performance of the rest of my PC. I rarely hit 100% utilization of my SATA SSD though. Outside of synthetic testing I have yet to see significant usage of my M.2 NVmE. If a noticeable difference is found I may run benchmarks for the rest of my PC's components.
I did try lowering the max power available in Adrenaline recently. I had to revert that back because even a 1% change caused my GPU to crash in games after a few moments.
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At this time I am inclined to consider the matter as solved. Should I experience any complications I'll report back with those. I truly do have every intention of applying a PCM pad and sharing the results. If someone happens to see this in a month (03/03/25) and I haven't provided the results of using a PCM pad feel free to ping me about it.
PS, I'm wondering if using the High Performance power plan interfered with the GPUs power management causing the drivers to allow too much amperage to be used. I'm honestly speaking from my rear-end here, but if the power management was created with the default Balanced power plan and a user switched to High Performance then the drivers could potentially call for X% of power without knowing X% is now significantly higher than expected. This is far outside my realm of knowledge so if I am way off base I would not be suprised.
This is an update for my
post
seeking advice about my very high GPU Hot Spot temperatures. Please review that post if you want more details.
I was able to purchase
Thermal Grizzly's
PCM thermal sheets. From the brief search I did, these seem to be an equivalent to PTM7950 PCM thermal sheets but are readily available to the average consumer.
Spoiler:
Side note
The unit cost buying direct from Thermal Grizzly was slightly less than other retailers but the shipping cost for my $30 order was $45. I was able to purchase these from NewEgg for $1 more per item with free shipping.
When I removed the heat sink to apply the PCM I was shocked to see that roughly a third of the GPU die was bare. That was the worst squeeze out I had seen. After applying the PCM I ran a few benchmarks in Heaven with the same settings as before. With V-sync enabled my score was only slightly improved, but my hotspot max was only 72C. Disabling V-sync tripled the score with a max hotspot temp of 91C.
I've been able to run games at high - ultra graphic at 60FPS. In more demanding areas my hot spot maxes out at ~80C. I've had the PCM applied for a little over 2 weeks at the time of this post.