GPU temperature + new fans- lower temperature?

[G3org314]

Hi all,

I have a zalman z11 neo case which has 5 fans on it. My GPU is Sapphire R9 390 nitro tri x. Now that is summer, the temperature of my case has increased. I currently have 9 fans in the case (5 from the case, 3 from the gpu and a stock cooler for my intel cpu)

The problem is that when i am playing games, for example The witcher 3 at max settings the gpu temperature is around 72-76 Celsius degrees (with gpu's fan speed of 72-76 degrees, also i use msi afterburner to set my fan speed to control the temperature. So i have set it that when it is 76 Celsius degrees the fan speed will be 76%).

My case can support up to 3 more optional fans.
My question is: if i buy 3 new fans(i prefer air fans) will the temperature decrease in my case? And if yes, which fans do you recommend me on buying?

Thank you very much for you assistance!

 

[Karadjgne]

Temps in your case are directly related to temps outside the case. It's physically impossible to air cool anything lower than the ambient temperature. So since you've said 'it's summer' it sounds like it's warmer by the pc, so the insides are warmer, so air across the heatsinks is less effective and cpu/gpu temps go up. Adding more case fans won't solve this, you'll only be able to push/exhaust a certain amount of air and more air of the same temp won't change how the heatsink exchanges heat.

You could change the cpu/gpu fan curves, intake/exhaust fan curves etc

Witcher 3 is brutal on a gpu, so depending on settings, 76°C isn't out of the bounds of reality.

 

[G3org314]

I understand. But having a temperature of 76-80 grades on full load, is it threatening for my GPU? Can it be destroyed if used for many hours of playing with this temperature, or is it normal to be like this? Thank you again!

 

[Karadjgne]

Most ppl will tell you that the upper safe limits for a cpu/gpu run @ 70/80, so accordingly, your gpu is right at the top end of still being safe. I'd definitely give some though into tuning the pc fan curves though, if your cou/gpu is reaching those temps and the case fans are not spinning fast, its half the issue. Case temps generally run from 30-40,yet bios often sets the upper limit as 70. At 30 your fans can be at min speeds, but should be at @70% by 36, 80% by 37, 90% by 39 and 100% by 40°C. This will bring in / exhaust more cool/heated air. Airflow is very important, without it, your case temps rise, which lowers the efficiency of the cpu/gpu heatsinks which causes more heat... And so on in a big circle until you start running into the cpu/gpu throttling down, which kills your fps. With 5 case fans, you should be having 0 issues with airflow and it's heat related affects.

 

[Adam59600]

I understand. But having a temperature of 76-80 grades on full load, is it threatening for my GPU? Can it be destroyed if used for many hours of playing with this temperature, or is it normal to be like this? Thank you again!

Well yes eventually it will degrade mechanically after so long running at high Temps. That's just how heat and metal working at high speeds, voltage, or clocks works. Heat and moving metallic parts don't mix so well. Whoever said you CAN'T get your gpu/cpu cooler than ambient Temps isn't all that smart. Air gets cooler when it's blown, and hotter when it's stagnant, that's just thermal.physics work. If u keep ur pc clean I'd add in the max fans allowed by the case and crack the side of the case open so It can draw more passive airflow thru the crack. You are limited on passive air intake and need a bigger hole or open up the case to draw more air in. Sorry if I bumped an old post but I've recently been experimenting with overclocking dual nvidia gtx570's and was having the same issues. I keep my PC in a clean room with the side of the case half way off and I blow it out all the heat sinks and wipe fan blades once a week if needed. And do what the guy above me said. If you dont know how to tune ur face curves then youtube or google it. You will get better fps, life, and stability out of the card when ran at optimal temps, voltage, and clocked properly. Don't just turn everything up to the Max setting. (I'm not assuming you did that, just saying..) If this doesn't help or solve your issue (which I hope it does and did for me) then I'd suggest you look into water cooling. I live in the states (indiana) and in the summer it can get 103 farenheight plus! But usually stays in the high 90's i lived in phoenix for a while where in the summer its 110 farenheit on the daily, which is abut the highest temp jve seeb in the states and my pc still ran at decebt temps. Unless you live somewhere in that big middle eastern sandbox or Australia I can't imagine it getting much hotter than it does here in the states. (Summer time in Iraq is about 120-140 Fahrenheit daily. (Sucks carrying a m4 and a ruck in that weather while hiking up mountains or clearing Hajis from their cow, goat, or camel shit constructed houses) yeah that's how those stupid poor fucks over there make "concrete". Guess I can't complain. It's saved me from a few close 7.62 rounds lol. btw I just love winter here tho I can have my case all sealed up and run my fans at 50% and stay at a steady 85 degrees Fahrenheit while playing Arma 2 dayZ mod on max settings. So ur heat issue is making me think it's a software over voltage or software overclocking issue. Always overclock thru the bios (if u can ). Hope I helped! Sorry for the rant. Yes it's running pretty warm and COULD damage it in a short time but most likely won't if you know what ur doing with ur voltage input, clocks, and fan speeds. But eventually running warm all the time WILL fudge it up. I wouldn't be in panic mode yet rushing off to best buy just yet tho. I should stop posting on forums after I take my Adderall lmfao!

 

[Karadjgne]

It's physically impossible to mechanically cool a cpu or gpu to below ambient temps. It's not true that moving air is cooler than stagnant air. It just feels that way because of evaporation. It doesn't matter how much 70°C air you blow across a heatsink trying to reach 200° or better, the cpu will never reach 69°. That's how thermal dynamics works. The only means of reaching a temperature below ambient is by chemical means. LN2 or peltier or even refrigerants used in automobile ac's.

The best coolers on the market today, whether air or closed loop cooler (AIO or CLC) can only bring temps down as low as 3°C above ambient. That's it. Generally, coolers do well to bring temps to within @6°C above ambient and stock coolers are looking at @12°C or worse.