[SOLVED] Old GPU running very hot even when idle.

[Josh-Sweeny]

Decided to have a go at overclocking my gtx780, trying to squeeze a little performance out of it whilst waiting for new GPUs at the end of this year. I hadn't considered overclocking the card before so never really looked at temps when i bought it around 7 years ago but looking at it now, even when not overclocking at all it is idling at ~50C and can get to almost 90C when playing games. If i open the window behind the PC on a cold night then this sometimes runs at ~80C.

The exact model I have is the Zotac AMP! edition and according to old reviews this card should be idling at around 30C and mid 70s under load.

From what I've read I would guess my option now would be to take apart the gpu and reapply thermal paste. Are there any tips on doing this that I should be aware of when doing this or is it even worth risking opening up the 7 year old GPU when its to be replaced in 3-4 months?

 

[Shjacks55]

Industrial grade semiconductors usually have a max 85 degree C surface temperature at epoxy surface. Military grade is ceramic and 125C. Higher temp draws more current which makes higher temp which ... Higher temps at case surface means even higher temp inside chip, diffusion increase in silicon and epoxy allow chip damage to progress.