[SOLVED] Is my GPU overheating?

[gpu999]

Specs-
cpu: Ryzen 5 1600
gpu: GTX 1060
memory: 16GB RAM

When I play any game, there is no issue in the initial 2 minutes of gameplay. But thereafter, the GPU temperature rises to 96 celcius and CPU temperature hovers around 50 celcius. When this happens .i.e. when the gpu temperature reaches 96 celcius, the CPU usage which used to be around 50% normally, drops to just around 13%.

So, the FPS drops dramatically to around 10fps from around 50fps.

Also to add, I did have a lot of dust in my cabinet and cleaned it only now, but the problem still persists.

Any insight into improving the situation is highly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Nikhil9971]

Did you try changing the Thermal paste on the GPU? Most of the times, doing that, drops the temps by approx.10 to 15 degrees.

 

[gpu999]

Did you try changing the Thermal paste on the GPU? Most of the times, doing that, drops the temps by approx.10 to 15 degrees.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will do that tomorrow. Also in your opinion what is the fundamental problem here?

 

[Karadjgne]

Dust in the gpu heatsink blocking airflow, paste, thermal pads ineffective on vram/VRM's in the gpu.....

There's multiple underlying possibilities. Eliminate the probable, whatever is left, no matter how improbable is the answer.

 

[RodroX]

Not to mention your PC Case, Have you tried to run games with the side panel off ?

 

[gpu999]

Not to mention your PC Case, Have you tried to run games with the side panel off ?

Yes. Sadly does not make a difference.

 

[RodroX]

Yes. Sadly does not make a difference.

How old is this GTX 1060? How long have you been using it for gaming?

Just in case, can you post a picture (using imgur for example) of the inside of your case?

 

[Nikhil9971]

Thanks for the suggestion. Will do that tomorrow. Also in your opinion what is the fundamental problem here?

I am no expert, but symptoms point towards thermal throttling. Had it been an airflow issue, side panel being off would have shown improvements. Since it doesn't, i think its improper dissipation of heat from the dye. Thermal paste would conduct conduct heat better improving the dissipation.

 

[Historical Fidelity]

So your first problem was dust accumulation in the GPU heatsink fin stack, which in turn decreased your GPU’s ability to dissipate heat, which meant the heatsink, thermal paste, and GPU dye saw higher and higher thermal loads as dust accumulation continued. This caused the thermal paste to dry out drastically reducing heat dissipation further still. Depending on how long your gpu has been in this condition, if opening up the gpu, thoroughly removing dust in the fin stack, and replacing the thermal paste does not help, I’m afraid the sustained higher thermal energy has degraded the silicon transistor structures to the point where significant voltage leaks are present and will translate into more heat production than normal and the GPU VRM will attempt to compensate causing more voltage to leak from the core transistors and causing the VRM to increase its heat production which will then shorten the life of their thermal pads, etc, etc. As you can see, something as simple as dust can cause a complex cascade of effects that would ultimately destroy the card if not rectified in time.

 

[gpu999]

How old is this GTX 1060? How long have you been using it for gaming?

Just in case, can you post a picture (using imgur for example) of the inside of your case?

The card is 4 years old. Gaming since then. Cable management is terrible in my cabinet, sigh.
But I think I made some progress.
I observed that even if the temperature of the gpu crosses 90 and reaches 96, the fan attached to the gpu does not spin at all. So, should the fan be repaired?

 

[gpu999]

So your first problem was dust accumulation in the GPU heatsink fin stack, which in turn decreased your GPU’s ability to dissipate heat, which meant the heatsink, thermal paste, and GPU dye saw higher and higher thermal loads as dust accumulation continued. This caused the thermal paste to dry out drastically reducing heat dissipation further still. Depending on how long your gpu has been in this condition, if opening up the gpu, thoroughly removing dust in the fin stack, and replacing the thermal paste does not help, I’m afraid the sustained higher thermal energy has degraded the silicon transistor structures to the point where significant voltage leaks are present and will translate into more heat production than normal and the GPU VRM will attempt to compensate causing more voltage to leak from the core transistors and causing the VRM to increase its heat production which will then shorten the life of their thermal pads, etc, etc. As you can see, something as simple as dust can cause a complex cascade of effects that would ultimately destroy the card if not rectified in time.

I think I made some progress.
I observed that even if the temperature of the gpu crosses 90 and reaches 96, the fan attached to the gpu does not spin at all. So, should the fan be repaired?
What do you think?

 

[Karadjgne]

Bingo. You just solved it. Yes, you'll have to replace the fan, it's not repairable as such, but generally just unplugs like any other pc fan. Sometimes multiple fans are ganged together, requiring you purchase both as a single unit (best option anyway since if one fan died, likelihood of the other dieing shortly is high).

If you feel that's beyond your ability (lookup your gpu teardown) then have it done at a shop.

 

[gpu999]

Bingo. You just solved it. Yes, you'll have to replace the fan, it's not repairable as such, but generally just unplugs like any other pc fan. Sometimes multiple fans are ganged together, requiring you purchase both as a single unit (best option anyway since if one fan died, likelihood of the other dieing shortly is high).

If you feel that's beyond your ability (lookup your gpu teardown) then have it done at a shop.

Thank you for your help. I've given it to a shop to get the fan changed. Will update tomorrow if the issue gets rectified. Again, thanks everyone.

 

[Historical Fidelity]

I think I made some progress.
I observed that even if the temperature of the gpu crosses 90 and reaches 96, the fan attached to the gpu does not spin at all. So, should the fan be repaired?
What do you think?

Yes definitely get that fan replaced! Might as well have the shop clean the fin stack, replace thermal paste and thermal pads since they will have to take off the fan shroud to replace the fan anyway.

 

[gpu999]

Update: The fan was replaced and now the temperature of the GPU stabilizes at 82 degrees(while gaming) . Is 82 degrees fine?

 

[Historical Fidelity]

Update: The fan was replaced and now the temperature of the GPU stabilizes at 82 degrees(while gaming) . Is 82 degrees fine?

It’s better than the high 90’s but my 1060 stays around 65-68 C in gaming, 3dmark, and furmark. But I use a custom fan curve, try setting your gpu fans to constant 50-60% and see if your temps improve. Like I said previously, you should have the fin stack cleaned and thermal paste replaced, also thermal pads if needed

 

[gpu999]

It’s better than the high 90’s but my 1060 stays around 65-68 C in gaming, 3dmark, and furmark. But I use a custom fan curve, try setting your gpu fans to constant 50-60% and see if your temps improve. Like I said previously, you should have the fin stack cleaned and thermal paste replaced, also thermal pads if needed

Okay I'll get the thermal paste also reapplied. But on average what temperature decrease can be expected after doing the same?

 

[Historical Fidelity]

Okay I'll get the thermal paste also reapplied. But on average what temperature decrease can be expected after doing the same?

That’s something I cannot say, you probably won’t be able to compare my 65-68 C temps to yours, I have a high airflow case with 12 fans. What is your airflow situation like?

Guesstimate for temp improvement after repaste:

If you have high airflow like me then 18-20 C isn’t out of the realm of possibility if the original paste is now chalk lol. Less than that if the original paste is still somewhat pasty.

If you have a low airflow case then I’d say maybe 10C difference if the OG paste is chalk, less than if it’s somewhat pasty.

 

[gpu999]

That’s something I cannot say, you probably won’t be able to compare my 65-68 C temps to yours, I have a high airflow case with 12 fans. What is your airflow situation like?

Guesstimate for temp improvement after repaste:

If you have high airflow like me then 18-20 C isn’t out of the realm of possibility if the original paste is now chalk lol. Less than that if the original paste is still somewhat pasty.

If you have a low airflow case then I’d say maybe 10C difference if the OG paste is chalk, less than if it’s somewhat pasty.

My case is really small. And it has the worst cable management one can imagine. And when it comes to fans, I have one pre-attached to the graphics card, one on the cpu cooler, one small fan at the back of the case and one fan at the front of the case. And for now, the place where I keep my case has really poor ventilation, but I'm getting a new table made to resolve this.
So, what do you think now, getting the thermal paste reapplied worth it?

 

[Historical Fidelity]

I’d say if you do it yourself yes, paying for it no