Bitcoin Forum

just started mining today ...(and yes i know dont start !!! but im still going to do it :P)
i got two xfx hd6950's using phoenix or guiminer the temps are very hot 102c on one card and 92c on the other and im only getting about
240 mh/s out of them  ??? most disappointing  :'(

catalyst 11.5 drivers
app sdk (stream sdk) 2.4
windows 7 x64

any ideas chaps ?!?! as i was looking to overclock and push these to the max...currently they suck ! lol  cheers  onis_uk

Hmm I dont know.. I've only been in the game for about a week.  I don't have AC in my house and hits hot here. but I still can keep them under 80 degrees fully overclocked usually.  I do have big fans on them though.  I use linuxcoin though.  Has everything you need for the linux noob to get up and running.  All can be run from a USB drive.

I have 8 visiontek 6950's

thats the kind of temps i was expecting ?!?! its only about 18c here and i have the side off the case !!!!!!

i might try another sdk maybe 2.1 ??

Yea, I have a HIS 6970 that runs @65C idle and jumps to 90C+ within 10 seconds of mining.
I believe it may have to do with poor thermal paste from the factory.
I'm going to scrape the junk off and apply some real arctic silver. 
Maybe that will help.

Let me know if it helps.

While I'm not certain of your issues, I too have a pair of 6950's running, so maybe my setup will offer you some insight:

One card is current slotted in the top, the other card in the bottom slot, with an empty slot in between them for better airflow.  The bottom slot only offers PCIe x8, but this is perfectly fine for both mining and gaming.

Catalyst 11.1 drivers
Stream SDK 2.1
Win 7 64-bit

I'm using a PCI output fan directly above my top GFX card to pull heat out of the case and prevent heat exchange between the GFX and CPU.  Additionally I am using a AeroCool Shark 140mm case fan as an intake fan bringing in air directly onto the GFX cards from the side of my case, where there is about a foot of open space before a wall.  My case does have front intake fans and top output fans but they run at very low speeds and don't really effect GFX temps due to their positioning.

The room in which my PC runs is kept between 20-23C (68-73F) at all times.

I use the -f60 flag on both of my cards, giving them 98% utilization.

SPECS 1:  (Cool and Quiet)
Core Voltage 1049mV
Core Clock 830MHz
Mem Clock 650MHz
Fan Speed 53%
Top Card Temp Low 68C
Top Card Temp High 74C
Bottom Card Temp Low 74C
Bottom Card Temp High 80C
TOTAL 600Mhash/s


SPECS 2:  (Loud and Hot)
Core Voltage 1100mV
Core Clock 890MHz
Mem Clock 650MHz
Fan Speed 100%
Top Card Temp Low 73C
Top Card Temp High 79C
Bottom Card Temp Low 76C
Bottom Card Temp High 83C
TOTAL 660Mhash/s

that's one of my problems i think, that i only a have a 2 slot board ! so the cards are nearly touching lol 

even so i didnt think the temps would be so high!!!!!  :'(

You might want to consider a PCIe x16 extender to allow lower placement of your second card.  Otherwise, I wouldn't suggest using two double-wide cards on a board without space between the slots unless you are going caseless with massive external fans or watercooling.

250 Mhash/s is way too low. 100°C is obviously way too high, too. my cards were at 75°C (@ 55% fan) and produced a good 330 Mhash/s without any adjustments (except unlocking the shaders). enabling the power-thing in amd overdrive and overclocking to 900 MHz made me get about 385Mhash/s. that's what i'm currently running. i can't tell you much about the temperature now, though, because i've switched to watercooling (if it's your only computer at home, you'd go crazy after a few days of the fan running at 55%.)

right ive taken one card out so just running one on its own...........

temp 98c
fan (auto) 71%

i think these cards stock coolers are just a bit crap !!!!!!!!!!!!!! i think i might send them back  :'(

Hey OP, we have the same cards!

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/171/06232011128.jpg

I'm getting ~350Mhps from each card. Top sticks around 75C and bottom is 70C. sticky tapes and extra case fans are your friend! Good luck and watch them temps!

wow ! i want those temps ! lol
also interested with your other specs like miner, drivers, stream sdk etc ...
cheers onis

71%? reference design cooler?

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/radeon6950-sg.jpg

Sure thing! I have both cards OC @ 890Mhz
mem is @ 650Mhz
fan is at 100% (You need this)
No Side panel to the case.
Power control settings @ 20%
I mine with poclbm

The software I'm using is CCC (11.5) to control fans and also power settings. I use Sapphire Trixx 4.0.1 to control GPU and memory clocks (Trixx sometimes needs to be reset after using CCC), and I use MSI Overdrive 2.1.0 to "sync" (I actually move a setting by one blip and hit apply, lol) the two cards settings since Trixx will only config one card.

Hope this helps!

no it has an xfx cooler ! and its not too great on these cards, think i'll send them back tomorrow and get reference cards



cheers for the info Naypalm  8)

Yeah, the heatsinks on the XFX cards are crap. The PowerColor cards have the two fans and heatpipes, but be careful when using them side by side, the screws on the back stick way out and will interfere with the fan blades of the card above it.

Even the Sapphire cooler is better. Bigger and with heatpipes. Have no clue why XFX stuck crappy heatsinks on a card, then factory OC them.

Those temps are wayyyy too hot.  I spoke with Sapphire Tech Support the other day on my 6950 and according to them, anything over 92 is a problem.  I'm running one of the older reference Sapphire 6950's OC'd to 860/625 and it stays at a steady 63 degrees at 70% fan.

I have 5 of the same cards and it is damn near impossible to keep them cool.  In general any non-referenced designs with the center fan suck if you are packing the cards together.  I am going to just let them run as cool as I can and if they burn out I am going to keep sending them back until the manufacturers learn to provide sufficient cooling.

Don't run auto fans! Run 100%. (Unless you get  low enough temps without :P)

I am running 100% on all my cards, no-case, with a high speed deskfan blowing on the units.  The cards just cannot breath side by side.  The center fan configuration blows.

92c is normal only on a 6990 core or a 5970 core. 102 is unstable for any GPU.

Your 6950 should stay at 65-80c if you add a simple table fan next to it.

Or download MSI Afterburner and set the fan speed to 100%.
You can also do this in Catalyst control center.

reference design is probably the best bet because the air goes straight from the card to outside the case. if i hear you speaking about 100%, i get the chills. 50% was so damn loud, i couldn't imagine going for 100%. for dedicated rigs in a different room, it's okay, but having the fans blow at 100% in the room you browse the internet is way too loud.

I am using this Vantec tornado fan on the top of my Lian Li case. It's loud like  jet engine but sure does keep the cards cool. It has tremendous airflow, even at moderate rpms.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999612&cm_re=vantec_tornado-_-11-999-612-_-Product (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999612&cm_re=vantec_tornado-_-11-999-612-_-Product)

I run everything at 100% and sleep in the room :)

And of course, an additional fan pointing at the case is required.

right ive sent them back ! and got these instead...

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1041&pid=1235&psn=000101&lid=1&leg=0 (http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1041&pid=1235&psn=000101&lid=1&leg=0)

hopefully dual fans and a better cooler will do the job !  ???

Be careful running your fans at 100% all the time; anything over 70-80% will dramatically reduce the fans lifetime and could very possibly burn out the card if the fan dies but the card continues running (especially with the single-fan reference models).  Playing with my build a bit, I'm now working with the following settings:

Non-reference 6950's with the duel-fans and a side panel fan.
Core Voltage 1049mV
Core Clock 870MHz
Mem Clock 650MHz
Fan Speed 70-80% curve
Temps on both Cards 70-72 C consistently.

As I mentioned in a previous post, heat has more to do with the voltage and less to do with the clock speed - as long as the voltage is high enough to stably support your clock speeds, you're g2g.

i'll report back when i get the sapphire cards tomorrow !

if fans blow down from the top is best, imo.  2nd best is from the back towards the front, but make sure fresh air is getting into the card fan in any case.

theres only 1 way to keep the heat down when everything else fails..
https://i.imgur.com/fWD25.jpg

i lold  :o