Video card temperature question. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Reese · 08-30-2009, 06:29 PM

I have an ATI 4800 series video card and with default settings it runs 78c degrees idle. The default fan speed is 15%. I don't know what that is in RPM but I can set it up to 35% speed which is as high as I can go without hearing the fan over the rest of the computer. This brings my GPU core down to 53c idle.

My question is, Is this even better? Sure, Lower temp sounds good but if the fan dies the GPU is screwed anyway.

n0nsensical · 08-30-2009, 06:56 PM

Probably won't make a difference one way or the other. In theory, more heat could reduce the lifespan of the chip or more speed could reduce the lifespan of the fan, but the differences are so small and chances are they'll both be working fine long after the card is obsolete. 78 isn't obscenely high and the default settings are usually fine. Usually video cards only run into heat problems under load. Most video cards will shut themselves off before they can be damaged by high temperature. As far as defects go, it's more common for memory chips to fail than the GPU itself.

dippin · 08-30-2009, 08:11 PM

Idle temperature doesnt matter much. What you need to know is how hot it is under heavy loads. If it starts getting close to 100c, you will soon start seeing artifact and so on during your games and such.

Lasereth · 08-31-2009, 04:20 AM

Yeah I agree with dippin. As long as it stays under 100c under load it should be fine. Some GPUs like the Geforce 8 series are known for running hot as hell though without any problems.

08-30-2009, 06:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Reese Delicious	Video card temperature question. I have an ATI 4800 series video card and with default settings it runs 78c degrees idle. The default fan speed is 15%. I don't know what that is in RPM but I can set it up to 35% speed which is as high as I can go without hearing the fan over the rest of the computer. This brings my GPU core down to 53c idle. My question is, Is this even better? Sure, Lower temp sounds good but if the fan dies the GPU is screwed anyway. __________________ “It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick” - Dave Barry

08-30-2009, 06:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
n0nsensical Junkie Location: San Francisco	Probably won't make a difference one way or the other. In theory, more heat could reduce the lifespan of the chip or more speed could reduce the lifespan of the fan, but the differences are so small and chances are they'll both be working fine long after the card is obsolete. 78 isn't obscenely high and the default settings are usually fine. Usually video cards only run into heat problems under load. Most video cards will shut themselves off before they can be damaged by high temperature. As far as defects go, it's more common for memory chips to fail than the GPU itself. __________________ "Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." --Abraham Lincoln Last edited by n0nsensical; 08-30-2009 at 06:59 PM..

08-31-2009, 04:20 AM	#4 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Yeah I agree with dippin. As long as it stays under 100c under load it should be fine. Some GPUs like the Geforce 8 series are known for running hot as hell though without any problems. __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

08-30-2009, 08:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
dippin Crazy, indeed Location: the ether	Idle temperature doesnt matter much. What you need to know is how hot it is under heavy loads. If it starts getting close to 100c, you will soon start seeing artifact and so on during your games and such.