Overclocking my GPU works fine with a single monitor, but dual monitors cause major artifacts and crashing?

matthewh96

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Dec 2, 2012
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As described in the title, when I try to overclock my graphics card, I am able to achieve a stable overclock. The issue is that when I connect my second monitor, I get artifacts (fuzzy lines) all across the primary monitor. It is only ever this one that it happens on. If I then switch the cables around, it transfers this state to the other monitor. Any idea on why this is happening or if there's anything I can do to fix it? It is usually triggered by viewing videos or other web media.

The GPU I have is the VTX3D Radeon R9 280X. Is this a common issue with that card?

Thanks
 
Solution
If you do replace the thermal compound, be sure to re-connect the heatsink properly afterward. Often, users don't re-attach them tight enough and end up with the GPU running hotter than before. Just something to keep in mind.

Also, it sounds like your Radeon is not quite up to snuff anyway. It may indeed be time for something else. What budget do you have in mind (for academic purposes should the thermal compound swap not work out)?
Think about it like this. When you OC a GPU, you make it work harder to achieve greater performance. Now, double the number of pixels it is processing and you increase the workload even more. Running two displays makes it work harder and generate more heat.

How hot is your GPU getting when running two monitors? Also, what make/model PSU are you using?
 


Thanks for your reply! The PSU I am using is the OCZ ZS Series 650W power supply. (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-ocz-technology-zs-series-zs650w-uk-86-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-135mm-quiet-fan-)
Temperatures have always been really high on this graphics card, particularly when v-sync is disabled in games (resulting in high fps).
As I am typing this post with only the browser window open and no heavy applications running in the background, I'm currently getting temps of 49°C with my GPU. I've seen it reach as high as about 95°C in certain games with v-sync disabled, the max safe temps for my card being 99°C. However, it usually averages at around 60-70°C when gaming which is pretty common from what I've seen. The issue can happen at any time though, no matter what the temps are when playing videos. It does not tend to happen whilst gaming.
 


Intel Core i7-3960X CPU
ASUS X79 Sabertooth Motherboard
VTX3D AMD Radeon R9 280X
OCZ ZS Series 650W PSU
8GB RAM (2x4GB)

Removing the side panel of the case doesn't seem to make a difference to the GPU temp, and I have previously tried reapplying the thermal paste inside it, which helped for a short time but temps have always been uncomfortably high with this card. I have tried running stress tests at stock settings with fan speed at 100% but the temps still reach high 90s and cause throttling on the clock speed.
 


I'm currently running on a single display, which reaches the same temperatures dependant on how graphically intensive the games are, etc. The difference is that on one single monitor, the idle temps are as low as 32°C as the GPU core clocks down to 300MHz and the Memory Clock sets at 150MHz.
 


It was about 5 months ago that it was last changed. I am tempted to try it again since it is an easy enough procedure to do, and I may consider upgrading soon anyway.
 
If you do replace the thermal compound, be sure to re-connect the heatsink properly afterward. Often, users don't re-attach them tight enough and end up with the GPU running hotter than before. Just something to keep in mind.

Also, it sounds like your Radeon is not quite up to snuff anyway. It may indeed be time for something else. What budget do you have in mind (for academic purposes should the thermal compound swap not work out)?
 
Solution