Crossfire rig way to hot

[clogic555]

Basically I brought two 7950's second hand. One XFX DD edition and the other a sapphire flex OC edition. Managed to get both cards mining with decent rates
but the XFX card's temps go through the roof, cant mine without it going 85c at around 75-80% fan, the sapphire stays at a cool 70c.

With the XFX card alone I could get 420kh/s with decent temps around 77c and now I have to lower the intensity (using CGminer) so much that the card is only pulling 130kh/s because of the heat.

Basically would it be worth me mining with just one card?, might be able to get the sapphire to 500kh/s because it stays cool. Is there no point in having second card if its pulling at least 150 watts of power for 130kh/s?

No really sure where to go, I seem to be getting only 600kh/s with both cards but the XFX card runs way too hot and shuts down my computer.

When I try and put the sapphire card on top my computer acts as if there are no drivers.

Anybody got any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Damnsammit]

Wowzah!  That sounds like something is wrong.  I'm mining with a 6850 and a 5850 and I get 650-750kh/s

Where are you located?  I'm in Texas and it's hot as hell over here.  I've been trying to burn out my 5850 so I can use it as an excuse to get a new card, but it's been running like a champ between 85-90ºC.

If you can stand the noise, you might try to open the case and let the cards breathe and see if that helps control the temps.  Or see if pushing the fan to 100% helps. 

The only other suggestion would be to get a new motherboard that has more space between the slots.  Also, you could get some pcie risers and move the cards farther away from each other.  I want to build a custom case but my wife won't let me... lol

Good luck!

Basically I brought two 7950's second hand. One XFX DD edition and the other a sapphire flex OC edition. Managed to get both cards mining with decent rates
but the XFX card's temps go through the roof, cant mine without it going 85c at around 75-80% fan, the sapphire stays at a cool 70c.

With the XFX card alone I could get 420kh/s with decent temps around 77c and now I have to lower the intensity (using CGminer) so much that the card is only pulling 200kh/s because of the heat.

Basically would it be worth me mining with just one card?, might be able to get the sapphire to 500kh/s because it stays cool. Is there no point in having second card if its pulling at least 150 watts of power for 200kh/s?

No really sure where to go, I seem to be getting only 600kh/s with both cards but the XFX card runs way too hot and shuts down my computer.

When I try and put the sapphire card on top my computer acts as if there are no drivers.

Anybody got any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[clogic555]

Wowzah!  That sounds like something is wrong.  I'm mining with a 6850 and a 5850 and I get 650-750kh/s

Where are you located?  I'm in Texas and it's hot as hell over here.  I've been trying to burn out my 5850 so I can use it as an excuse to get a new card, but it's been running like a champ between 85-90ºC.

If you can stand the noise, you might try to open the case and let the cards breathe and see if that helps control the temps.  Or see if pushing the fan to 100% helps.  

The only other suggestion would be to get a new motherboard that has more space between the slots.  Also, you could get some pcie risers and move the cards farther away from each other.  I want to build a custom case but my wife won't let me... lol

Good luck!

Thanks for quick reply mate, I'm in London and it's not too hot. My room is probs around 23-24c. Can't get more than 500kh/s without my PC shutting down because of heat.
If I had the money I would buy a aftermarket cooler for the XFX card, the stock cooler is junk, at idle with crossfire its 59c!. Do you think it would be worth selling the XFX card and using the sapphire for now and buying a different brand like Giga or something?

Already got the side of my case off and a small exhaust fan right by GFX cards.

No point getting new mobo, got the best LGA 775 you can get the ASUS p5q deluxe.

[Damnsammit]

Wait... your PC is shutting down because of the heat?  How hot does it get before it shuts down?

I did some test runs on my PC to see how hot I could get my 5850 before it would get "SICK" in CGMiner, and it seems like I can push it to about 95ºC before it turns off.... however, my PC never shuts down.

Oh... lol... turn crossfire off!  Hope that helps.  You don't want crossfire on if you are mining!

[clogic555]

Wait... your PC is shutting down because of the heat?  How hot does it get before it shuts down?

I did some test runs on my PC to see how hot I could get my 5850 before it would get "SICK" in CGMiner, and it seems like I can push it to about 95ºC before it turns off.... however, my PC never shuts down.

Oh... lol... turn crossfire off!  Hope that helps.  You don't want crossfire on if you are mining!

When GPU hits like 86-88 PC just shuts down, not sure if that is something to do with windows or CGminer or what.

Turned off crossfire, seems to be a little better, temp on XFX card still high around 78c 100% fan @ intensity 12. How come you want crossfire off when mining?

and got a nice cool 66c on other card with intensity 14. Seems really strange to me.

Would you recommend I sell the XFX to get another brand with a better stock cooler?

Update: managed to get 73c @ I = 15 on sapphire and 75c on XFX card with I = 10 but the XFX card is only pulling 52kh/s lol

is there any point in having that card in there? must be at least 170 watts at load.

[Damnsammit]

When GPU hits like 86-88 PC just shuts down, not sure if that is something to do with windows or CGminer or what.

Turned off crossfire, seems to be a little better, temp on XFX card still high around 78c 100% fan @ intensity 12. How come you want crossfire off when mining?

and got a nice cool 66c on other card with intensity 14. Seems really strange to me.

Would you recommend I sell the XFX to get another brand with a better stock cooler?

Not sure what is going on with your PC shutting down.  My cards will overheat sometimes but then CGWatcher just turns the intensity down and it recovers.  The only problem I ever had with mining and my PC shutting down was when I was trying to use a 630W PSU.  Once I upgraded to the 850W everything was fine.

Crossfire does not give any benefits to mining, so there is no reason for it to be on, and most see improved performance with it off...

Not sure what is going on with your rig though, mate.  The PC shouldn't be shutting down at those temps... most cards run fine at 85-90ºC it is just not recommended to mine 24/7 at those temps unless you are like me and trying to blow up a card lol

You could try another brand, but you might not have any better results.  Try sticking a box fan right by your rig and see if that helps keep the temp down.

[#Darren]

Wait... your PC is shutting down because of the heat?  How hot does it get before it shuts down?

I did some test runs on my PC to see how hot I could get my 5850 before it would get "SICK" in CGMiner, and it seems like I can push it to about 95ºC before it turns off.... however, my PC never shuts down.

Oh... lol... turn crossfire off!  Hope that helps.  You don't want crossfire on if you are mining!

My friend set my pc up, and he put crossfire on it, but the cards run individually when mining.  Should I still remove it?

[Damnsammit]

Wait... your PC is shutting down because of the heat?  How hot does it get before it shuts down?

I did some test runs on my PC to see how hot I could get my 5850 before it would get "SICK" in CGMiner, and it seems like I can push it to about 95ºC before it turns off.... however, my PC never shuts down.

Oh... lol... turn crossfire off!  Hope that helps.  You don't want crossfire on if you are mining!

My friend set my pc up, and he put crossfire on it, but the cards run individually when mining.  Should I still remove it?

You don't have to, but if you do, then you might see some improvement in mining!

[clogic555]

Not sure what is going on with your PC shutting down.  My cards will overheat sometimes but then CGWatcher just turns the intensity down and it recovers.  The only problem I ever had with mining and my PC shutting down was when I was trying to use a 630W PSU.  Once I upgraded to the 850W everything was fine.

Crossfire does not give any benefits to mining, so there is no reason for it to be on, and most see improved performance with it off...

Not sure what is going on with your rig though, mate.  The PC shouldn't be shutting down at those temps... most cards run fine at 85-90ºC it is just not recommended to mine 24/7 at those temps unless you are like me and trying to blow up a card lol

You could try another brand, but you might not have any better results.  Try sticking a box fan right by your rig and see if that helps keep the temp down.

Yeah my PC just shutdown again and temps were below 80c, could it be a sign of a failing PSU or not enough power? got 850watt OCZ gamextream. Has never happend before with just 1 GPU seems to me like not enough power more than failing PSU.
Thinking about just taking the XFX card out and using the sapphire, do I need to reinstall any drivers?

Was able to get max 510kh/s with reasonable temps both cards under 80c ran for like 5 mins and PC just turned off.

[Cascaders28]

Jumping in here to add some info and ask some questions and hopefully help -

What size case are you using, what does the airflow look like inside, and which card is in the top slot? I've never seen GPU temps cause Windows to shutdown but I have to wonder if they aren't raising the ambient temperature to the point where the processor is hitting a thermal threshold and powering down to prevent damage?

I realize this is only my expirience but I was fooling around with the manual fan control in Afterburner and left it at 20% accidentally while mining...

By the time I got back to the computer the temp had spiked to 102C but the computer was still on and still trying to mine away! I used it as an excuse to take the cooler off and reapply the thermal paste but the original stuff was actually still in excellent condition and thankfully I didn't fry the card or any other components. I'm using a 7870 that I haven't messed with OCing until the new thermal paste sets but I can typically hit right around 400 on it alone.

[Damnsammit]

I would imagine 850W is enough for a two GPU set-up... if you have a spare 500W+ laying around, hook one of the cards up to it, and use a paper-clip to turn the PSU on without it being plugged into the mobo [pictured below]... if that fixes the problem then it might be a PSU issue.

Sounds exactly like my issue when I was trying to run my cards on a 630W Antec PSU.  I know the 7950s require more power than my cards, but I was pretty sure someone told me they were running 3 7950s on an 850W...

Do you have a lot of other drives plugged in?  CD/DVD/multiple HDD?

[meekstav876]

Put Some Water On That Thing!

[clogic555]

Jumping in here to add some info and ask some questions and hopefully help -

What size case are you using, what does the airflow look like inside, and which card is in the top slot? I've never seen GPU temps cause Windows to shutdown but I have to wonder if they aren't raising the ambient temperature to the point where the processor is hitting a thermal threshold and powering down to prevent damage?

I realize this is only my expirience but I was fooling around with the manual fan control in Afterburner and left it at 20% accidentally while mining...

By the time I got back to the computer the temp had spiked to 102C but the computer was still on and still trying to mine away! I used it as an excuse to take the cooler off and reapply the thermal paste but the original stuff was actually still in excellent condition and thankfully I didn't fry the card or any other components. I'm using a 7870 that I haven't messed with OCing until the new thermal paste sets but I can typically hit right around 400 on it alone.

The XFX card is in the top slot, when I tried it in the bottom slot windows acted as if I had no drivers. even when it was the only GPU in there I thought it used to run hot, My case is medium size I guess, the CPU temps are fine 35c-40c, I would not think my case would be an issue, it does not have great air flow, but with the side case off its alright. It does not really "shutdown" it more just turns off instantly. I think it is a PSU issue to be honest.

[clogic555]

I would imagine 850W is enough for a two GPU set-up... if you have a spare 500W+ laying around, hook one of the cards up to it, and use a paper-clip to turn the PSU on without it being plugged into the mobo [pictured below]... if that fixes the problem then it might be a PSU issue.

Sounds exactly like my issue when I was trying to run my cards on a 630W Antec PSU.  I know the 7950s require more power than my cards, but I was pretty sure someone told me they were running 3 7950s on an 850W...

Do you have a lot of other drives plugged in?  CD/DVD/multiple HDD?

Not really, 1 DVD drive and 1 HDD. One thing I have noticed is the blue LED lights on PSU fan have gone much dimmer since I plugged in new GPU. I dont think the PSU is failing it seems like it does not have enough power but it's 850watts so it should?? a little confused by it all to be honest lol.

Dont have another PSU I could try, the 850watt I got a few years ago has been the only one I've ever needed.

Put Some Water On That Thing!

Mate if I had the money all of my rig would be under water cooling. 

[Damnsammit]

Not really, 1 DVD drive and 1 HDD. One thing I have noticed is the blue LED lights on PSU fan have gone much dimmer since I plugged in new GPU. I dont think the PSU is failing it seems like it does not have enough power but it's 850watts so it should?? a little confused by it all to be honest lol.

Yeah, 850W should be enough... try undervolting them and see if that fixes it?

Sounds like a PSU issue though.  The temps on that card are not ideal, but it shouldn't be causing a shut-down...

AFAIK, you should see the GPU go "SICK" or "DEAD" in CGMiner before it would ever cause a complete PC shut-down.

[Cascaders28]

The XFX card is in the top slot, when I tried it in the bottom slot windows acted as if I had no drivers. even when it was the only GPU in there I thought it used to run hot, My case is medium size I guess, the CPU temps are fine 35c-40c, I would not think my case would be an issue, it does not have great air flow, but with the side case off its alright. It does not really "shutdown" it more just turns off instantly. I think it is a PSU issue to be honest.

The CPU thermal threshold powering down isn't a shutdown, it just turns the PC off. I should have been more specific  It doesn't sound like that is what's going on here though...

In your first post you mentioned the Sapphire card won't work correctly in the top slot and now you've said the XFX card won't work in the lower slot. What driver version are you using? And are you getting the drivers from Sapphire/XFX or are you just running the ATI ones and CCC? This very well could all be PSU related but I feel like there are too many other funky things going on for me to give up on troubleshooting!

[clogic555]

Yeah, 850W should be enough... try undervolting them and see if that fixes it?

Sounds like a PSU issue though.  The temps on that card are not ideal, but it shouldn't be causing a shut-down...

AFAIK, you should see the GPU go "SICK" or "DEAD" in CGMiner before it would ever cause a complete PC shut-down.

I think the XFX card is running at 0.9 or something already. They should be able to run stock though right?
If my PSU is failing why has it never done this before with 1 card?
Could it be that the PSU cant supply enough amps on the 12v rail?

Have not seen cgminer do that so I think it is PSU. Either way the XFX DD stock cooler sucks anyway lol.

The CPU thermal threshold powering down isn't a shutdown, it just turns the PC off. I should have been more specific  It doesn't sound like that is what's going on here though...

In your first post you mentioned the Sapphire card won't work correctly in the top slot and now you've said the XFX card won't work in the lower slot. What driver version are you using? And are you getting the drivers from Sapphire/XFX or are you just running the ATI ones and CCC? This very well could all be PSU related but I feel like there are too many other funky things going on for me to give up on troubleshooting!

Yeah, CPU and mobo temps seem real good to be honest. Dont think it's that.

It works, but it windows acts as if there is no driver, already have the CCC and ATI drivers in there, works fine on the XFX card, do I need to re-install them or something? If I could get that card to work in the first slot that would be good, the cooler on the sapphire will be good enough to get 450kh/s at least.

Think I might sell the XFX card.

[Damnsammit]

Could it be that the PSU cant supply enough amps on the 12v rail?

That could be a possibility.  I think someone mentioned that in the thread I started when I first joined with my PSU issue.

I'm too stupid to know what the hell that means though. lol

[Cascaders28]

Your PSU is listed as providing 20A per 12V Rail.

I've got a 700W PSU that only has 2x 12V plugs but each pushes 25A. I've never tried to run multiple cards on it though. I'm unable to find specific amp requirements on either card but most PSUs with 4+ 12V rails seem to only offer 20A per or less. I found a Zalman 850W that sports 25A per 12V but it costs over $250...

I'd be inclined to say you've got enough amperage unless the PSU is on its way out. What version of the ATI drivers are you running? I'm not convinced drivers are at fault here but now I'm even more curious

This is probably totally unrelated but how much RAM does your PC have?

[Bacon9504A]

Try dumping ice over your rig