Question RTX 2070 runnning hot and loud - How to decrease temp to lower the fan curve?

[Balazs_Vincze]

Hey guys,

Lately I noticed that my RTX 2070 quite noisy (not sure if it's like that for a while and I just started to notice or it's a new thing). Shortly after starting a demanding or less demanding game the fans are above 85%-90% and the temp is at least 80-85C (it does not go over 90) and the fans are loud. I would like to lower the temps somehow so I can lower the whole fan curve for a more silent experience.

Some extra info

• Currently the gpu is not overclocked.
• All drivers are the latest.
• I've cleaned the whole PC recently with compressed air.
• No extra fans were added to the case, only the 2 stock fans are in it.
• CPU temps and fan noise is all fine and quite with Noctua.

My setup:

• GPU: GAINWARD GeForce RTX 2070 TwinX 8G
• RAM: HyperX 16GB KIT DDR4 3200MHz CL16 FURY Series
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Hexa-Core 3.6GHz AM4
• MOBO: MSI B450 GAMING PLUS MAX
• PSU: FSP Raider RA 550 | 550W | PPA5502314
• CPU Cooler: Noctua DH15
• CASE: Corsair Carbide Series 200R

 

[Dj0gany]

Have you tried repasting it?

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Not yet, do you think it what the problem stems from? Can I use the same thermal paste I used for the CPU?

 

[Dj0gany]

Not yet, do you think it what the problem stems from? Can I use the same thermal paste I used for the CPU?

Well for the GPU die, you need a better thermal paste.
Something like the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut will last you much longer while keepjng the die cooler than a $2 cpu thermal paste.

 

[Fiorezy]

Don't worry about repasting as gpu's thermal paste doesn't wear up this fast, what you need is better airflow, you can achieve this by adding more fans, try the P14 and P12 from Arctic, also you can remove the dvd drive bay from the front if that is possible.

The fans layout for your case:
1x 120mm rear exhaust
2x 120mm front intakes (one included)
2x 120/140mm top exhausts (optional)
2x 120/140mm side intakes (optional)
1x 120/140mm bottom fan (optional)

As a temporarily solution, you can downvolt the gpu with Afterburner.

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Thank you Fiorezy, that helps a lot! I am not sure if I can fit the top left one due to the huge Noctua heatsink, but will definitely add atleast
1 front intake on the right
1 bottom intake
1 top exhaust

Also a strange observation. I've moved the GPU down to the bottom PCIe slot so now it's closer to the PSU, but looks like it gave me 1-2C decrease. I will report back with the results once I've installed the new fans.

 

[Fiorezy]

Thank you Fiorezy, that helps a lot! I am not sure if I can fit the top left one due to the huge Noctua heatsink, but will definitely add atleast
1 front intake on the right
1 bottom intake
1 top exhaust

Also a strange observation. I've moved the GPU down to the bottom PCIe slot so now it's closer to the PSU, but looks like it gave me 1-2C decrease. I will report back with the results once I've installed the new fans.

The 2nd PCIe slot is usually slower which will result in lower performance. Regarding the airflow, I would suggest adding a 2nd front intake, 2x140mm side intake, and if possible 1 or 2 140mm top exhaust, also it is better to replace the stock fans.

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Thank you, I really appreciate the answers! I will add the results once I've changed the fans so other people reading this thread can hopefully profit from it.

 

[Fiorezy]

Thank you, I really appreciate the answers! I will add the results once I've changed the fans so other people reading this thread can hopefully profit from it.

You're welcome. Cheers!

 

[Karadjgne]

Lately I noticed that my RTX 2070 quite noisy (not sure if it's like that for a while and I just started to notice or it's a new thing).

I'd start by cleaning it out thoroughly. Pretty much guarantee you'd have noticed if the card was that loud when you first installed it. Those cards aren't exactly hotboxes like the R9 290/X series, and have better designed heatsinks, but it still doesn't take much to plug them up.

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Welp, It did not solve the issue.

I've installed 7 new case fans and also really, really thoroughly cleaned out using compressed air as well

• 2 front intake, 1 bottom intake, 1 side intake, 2 top exhaust, 1 rear exhaust
• the fans are ARCTIC P14 PWM PST 140mm, ARCTIC P12 PWM PST 120x120x25mm and a Arctic Case Fan Hub

Here are my test results with Heaven Benchmark

https://imgur.com/HTJTsZu

View: https://imgur.com/HTJTsZu

 

[HWOC]

I think you should try repasting the GPU next. You don't even need a super high end thermal paste, something like Noctua NT-H1 will do (or if you want to spend a bit of extra money, then NT-H2 or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut). Carefully remove the heatsink and cabling from the GPU, and clean up the old thermal paste the best you can. Personally I just use kitchen towel to wipe it off, it doesn't have to be super clean, just wipe it all off and apply the new paste. Some people use special cleaning chemicals to take it off, but I find it makes feck all temp difference if you just mechanically wipe it all off before applying the new stuff.

Also, to determine if your case airflow is the issue or not, just take off the sides off your case and see how the temps change. If there is no major change then the case airflow wasn't the issue to begin with.

 

[Karadjgne]

Thermal grizzly yes, or CM master gel maker or Arctic MX-4. Not Noctua. Noctua is a great paste for cpus, it's a lower viscous paste so spreads easily and cleanly. But that same low viscous thing makes it bad for the glass-like surface of a direct die. It'll bleed right off the edges leaving nothing in the middle. Best to stick with the 'gummy' pastes, not the more oily ones for a gpu.

 

[HWOC]

Well I used Noctua NT-H1 on my RTX3070 and GTX1060, and they are running at 52 and 56 degrees celsius under load, respectively. Whether its viscosity is good or bad in theory, in practice it works very well.

 

[Karadjgne]

It's a time thing. It's going to work well at first, but after the gpu has run a while, heat and vibration from the fan makes it bleed out. You'll just have to have faith it's a real thing and an issue at times as posters are stumped because they just repasted a few months ago, shouldn't need to again, has to be a different issue.
It's also called 'pump-out' as that's exactly what happens. High heat ups and downs cause the pcb to contract/expand making a pumping action. The higher the silicon base and more sticky the paste is, the less its affected. Noctua is less silicon based than many of the sticky pastes, so is subject to pump-out more often.

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Thanks, guys. I will report back with the results. After doing some thorough reserach on these pastes I will go with the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut as a long term solution.

Here are my notes so far for future readers who struggle with high temps on gpu (in chronological order)

• Clean The Dust Off (recommended)
  • Use Compressed air
• Cable Management
• Allow Better Airflow In The Case (recommended)
• Buy More Fans/Replace Fans (recommended)
• Underclock Your GPU Clock Speeds
• Replace Thermal Paste
• Buy A New Case (only if you are 100% sure)
• Buy Aftermarket GPU Fan (not an easy solution)

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Also, to determine if your case airflow is the issue or not, just take off the sides off your case and see how the temps change. If there is no major change then the case airflow wasn't the issue to begin with.

Thanks for the reply! As a double check for the airflow I've ran the following test in heaven benchmark

	Clock	Temp	Fan Speed	Min FPS	Max FPS	FPS	Score
Stock, whole computer fully dusted off, no undervolt, 7 new case fan, side panel and front plastic is off	1860	84C	94%	37	219	109	2747

So looks like it is not the airfow. Even if I crank up all 7 new fan to max and let it run the gpu climbs high, the cpu temps never been better and I can also feel the airflow in the case.

 

[Karadjgne]

84°C under a torture load like Heaven isn't exactly abnormal for a gpu.

Also, be careful with airflow. There's a difference between a bunch of fans dumping high amounts of air into a case and a couple of fans blowing air through a case. I'd lower the bottom input rpm to just enough to feed the gpu, and no more. Same with the side fans. Their orientation is counter-productive to the front inputs. If anything, I'd use the bottom as intake and the top as exhaust at a lower rpm than the top exhausts, just enough to pull gpu heat.

That gives the gpu its own eco-system, and puts more air up top for the cpu to deal with. Otherwise the pressure of those 4x intakes is doing nothing but blowing heat around the case and voiding much of the potential of the front fans.

It's a fine balance, but you want what goes in, to come out in a smooth flow of air, not run around in a circular pattern inside.

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

I use heaven for consistent measures, but also check the results in demanding and less demanding games. Here is an example from Dyson Sphere Program (would consider it less demaning early game), you can see the GPU usage doesn't go above 85% but the temp and the fans climbing up. (this was in stock gpu settings, bios fan, with proper airflow in the case, CPU temps are always under 50)

https://imgur.com/BztM62J

View: https://imgur.com/BztM62J

 

[Balazs_Vincze]

Another strange thing, while I was disassembling the GPU i noticed a little burn on the back of the plate (picture below) also I wasn't able to unscrew the 4 main screw as they are sitting on it so tight that I was afraid I would mess up the screw thread.

https://imgur.com/jPr01ge

View: https://imgur.com/jPr01ge

 

[HWOC]

It's a time thing. It's going to work well at first, but after the gpu has run a while, heat and vibration from the fan makes it bleed out. You'll just have to have faith it's a real thing and an issue at times as posters are stumped because they just repasted a few months ago, shouldn't need to again, has to be a different issue.
It's also called 'pump-out' as that's exactly what happens. High heat ups and downs cause the pcb to contract/expand making a pumping action. The higher the silicon base and more sticky the paste is, the less its affected. Noctua is less silicon based than many of the sticky pastes, so is subject to pump-out more often.

That's a fair point and sounds plausible. I can't confirm that in practice, however, since I repasted my 1060 when it was new (4.5 years ago), and the temps are still very good (under most gaming loads around 60-70c). But I agree that Kryonaut is the one I'd go for if I had all types of pastes available on my desk right now.

 

[HWOC]

Another strange thing, while I was disassembling the GPU i noticed a little burn on the back of the plate (picture below) also I wasn't able to unscrew the 4 main screw as they are sitting on it so tight that I was afraid I would mess up the screw thread.

https://imgur.com/jPr01ge

View: https://imgur.com/jPr01ge

Ummm, that doesn't look good! A normally operating GPU should not have any burn marks.