7970 Running good for 2 months all the sudden running Hot?

[Kuroth]

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this and maybe knows what could cause it..

I have a brand new Rig I got about 3 and 1/2 months ago..   I have been on my current pool for about 1 month and both of my 7970 cards have stayed right at 79 to 80 degrees..

I have left this Rig along and hardley even log on only to see how things are running..  (In other words I dont mess with it Hardware wise or CGminning settings wise as it had been running perfect)

About a week ago for no known reason GPU 0 started going up to 95 degrees..   

Can this be a sigh the card is going bad?

Can the pool I am on make changes on their side that cause this(Only reason I ask is I was on a LTC pool about 2 months ago and both cards alwasy ran Hot(88+)  And I have heard mining some coins or some pools can cause this?

Anyway I am at a loss of what could be casuing this and how to fix it since it was running fine for months..


  Thanks!

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[Mitchell]

Did you think of dust? You might have to clean the fans. The more dust gets in, the less effective they cool.

[KWH]

Blow out the dust, redirect air flow and reapply thermal paste.

[Kuroth]

Thanks for the replies.. Will blow out the dust..

What the hell is thermal paste and where do I get it and how do I use it?

[nachius]

Thermal paste is the semi-liquid substance between your heat sink and chip on your graphics card.  It increases the heat dissipation by eliminating the "air" in between the 2 surfaces and helps cool the chip by transferring the heat to the heat sink better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease

https://www.google.com/search?q=thermal+paste&rlz=1C1CKMB_enUS543US543&oq=thermal+paste&aqs=chrome..69i57.1913j0j1&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=122&espv=210&q=thermal+paste&tbm=shop

If you are not extremely familiar pulling apart/building hardware be careful and read up on anti static and proper handling etc.  Not a difficult task at all, but there is a slight possibility you could inadvertently damage the card.

[Kuroth]

Thermal paste is the semi-liquid substance between your heat sink and chip on your graphics card.  It increases the heat dissipation by eliminating the "air" in between the 2 surfaces and helps cool the chip by transferring the heat to the heat sink better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease

https://www.google.com/search?q=thermal+paste&rlz=1C1CKMB_enUS543US543&oq=thermal+paste&aqs=chrome..69i57.1913j0j1&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=122&espv=210&q=thermal+paste&tbm=shop

If you are not extremely familiar pulling apart/building hardware be careful and read up on anti static and proper handling etc.  Not a difficult task at all, but there is a slight possibility you could inadvertently damage the card.

Thank you VERY much..

[pand70]

Did you checked the fan's rpms? Are they working as they used to?

[hulk]

Check your voltage and watt also, maybe there is something wrong with your PSU?

[chandrakant]

Just a tip - If you are new to thermal paste thing then just don't mess with it.
I remember applying thermal paste for the first time. I didn't do it properly & the temperature just went 20 degrees up instead of going down.

Just send it to RMA saying it has heating issues.

Or go through how to apply thermal paste thing properly before applying it.

[Kuroth]

Thanks for all the tips..  Yea I was wondering how hard it is to apply the paste

[hulk]

Thanks for all the tips..  Yea I was wondering how hard it is to apply the paste

Not hard, just don't void any warranty while opening the case. Some maker have RMA sticker on the side.

[leoragraves666]

Thanks for all the tips..  Yea I was wondering how hard it is to apply the paste

 Can you tell me which card is it exactly? I might be able to explain the process step by step, I have various 7970s at hand

[rampalija]

you just need to remove all screews from you card XD
Than remove fan cover if you have.
than you need to remove pasive coller, after that you will see the gpu processor.
On it should be some white or gray paste.


you need to remove all remains of thermal paste. when u do that u need to place a new one and than u can assebmle your graphic card

[johncarpe64]

you just need to remove all screews from you card XD
Than remove fan cover if you have.
than you need to remove pasive coller, after that you will see the gpu processor.
On it should be some white or gray paste.


you need to remove all remains of thermal paste. when u do that u need to place a new one and than u can assebmle your graphic card

Thanks, but would this void the warranty?

[rampalija]

you just need to remove all screews from you card XD
Than remove fan cover if you have.
than you need to remove pasive coller, after that you will see the gpu processor.
On it should be some white or gray paste.


you need to remove all remains of thermal paste. when u do that u need to place a new one and than u can assebmle your graphic card

Thanks, but would this void the warranty?

If you safely remove the warranty sticker without any  damage , it is usualy placed on some screws, and after work is done put those stickers back on screews, than u will no loose warranty!

[waltermot321]

I guess it is safer to RMA, unless he know what he is doing...

[ssateneth]

why is everyone throwing around "thermal paste" for a card that suddenly gets got? Why would the contacts between GPU core and heatsink suddenly not be contacting? And don't say "thermal paste cracks/dries". That would not cause sudden catastrophic overheating.

If anything, your fan is dying. Check its RPMs. Try cranking up the fan speed and see if it vibrates, or if you shut if off, see if the fan freely spins when you flick it with your fingers, or if it feels like trying to push it through thick mush and resists turning. If it's the latter, you will need the fan replaced (or temporarily fix it with re-oiling, but is difficult to do without breaking the fan unless you know what you are doing)

Also possible that your heatsink is clogged with cust/cat hair, preventing hot air from exhausting out.

[rampalija]

thermalpaste on processeor which usage is normal can last for years. But on GPU whish usage is 100% all time can last few months!
but cooling fans are not execluded