Question Ram get very hot after switching from a blower style GPU to dual fan GPU

[jdj9]

Hello!

My specs are:

Mobo: Z390 Aorus Master
CPU: Intel 9900K (stock)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance low profile 32GB - 3200MHz (4x8gb) - XMP enabled (VCCSA 1.24v + VCCIO 1.2v)
Cooler: Noctua NH-U12A
GPU: RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition
PSU: Seasonic Titanium 850W
Case: Fractal Design Define 7
Fans: 3 intake front 120mm (noctua) + 1 rear 140mm (noctua)

So as the title suggests, my ram get really hot after switching from a GTX 1080 Ti founders edition (blower style) to an RTX 2080 Ti founders edition.

When using the GTX 1080 Ti, the ram were just a bit warm even during summer and comfortable to touch. But with the 2080 Ti, they feel burning to touch and i can barely keep my fingers more than 2-3 seconds.

The GPU reaches up to 82c-83c during summer, however now it reaches around 80c max due to the drop in ambient temperature. This also affects my ram temperature because now i can touch them a bit longer, but still feel hot.

I have used a temperature probe (cable) that was included with the motherboard, and i have squeezed it between the ram to measure the temp. The max temp i saw was 50c, HOWEVER, i believe this is not accurate.

I have also attached the probe on the backplate of the GPU where the hottest spot is, in order to identify whether the reading was accurate. The temp rose up to 61c as per the probe, however as per MSI Afterburner the GPU temp was 80c, so the probe reading is way off.

Thus i am worried that my ram temp is much higher that 50c as mentioned above. I am guessing it should be around 65c-70c, considering the GPU readings.

What do you think? How hot can ram get before damage incurs?

Thanks a lot for your attention. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Jo.

 

[drivinfast247]

Move more hot air out of the case. Add another exhaust fan.

 

[jdj9]

Move more hot air out of the case. Add another exhaust fan.

I've added 2 exhaust fans on top but it barely made a difference, maybe 1c or 2c drop. This could also be due to the drop in room temperature but i can't know for sure. Unless there is direct cooling on the ram, i don't believe the top fans will help because of how close the gpu is to the ram. The hot air exhausted from the gpu, it directly hits the ram.

Is there any legit source that can show which the 'danger zone' for ram temp?

 

[hang-the-9]

I've added 2 exhaust fans on top but it barely made a difference, maybe 1c or 2c drop. This could also be due to the drop in room temperature but i can't know for sure. Unless there is direct cooling on the ram, i don't believe the top fans will help because of how close the gpu is to the ram. The hot air exhausted from the gpu, it directly hits the ram.

Is there any legit source that can show which the 'danger zone' for ram temp?

Looking at the motherboard, the fans of the GPU should point away from the RAM not toward it. How is the air hitting the RAM from the GPU?

Are you actually having any issues with the system locking up or crashing?

Using the probe to check surface temps vs the die temperature would give you different temp readings.

If the system is not crashing, let it run. If you were having issues with the temps you would be having issues with the temps. If the system is being overclocked you can lower the overclock a bit to drop temps also.

 

[jdj9]

Looking at the motherboard, the fans of the GPU should point away from the RAM not toward it. How is the air hitting the RAM from the GPU?

Are you actually having any issues with the system locking up or crashing?

Using the probe to check surface temps vs the die temperature would give you different temp readings.

If the system is not crashing, let it run. If you were having issues with the temps you would be having issues with the temps. If the system is being overclocked you can lower the overclock a bit to drop temps also.

Thanks for your reply.

No i haven't had any crashing issues. Its just that i am worried after realizing how hot it got when i had the idea to touch the ram. And also because, i had crashing issues in the past with my old build which was caused by high ram temperatures (DDR3 1600MHz).

Regarding the air coming from the GPU, the design of the cooler (which is the same with all after market coolers, dual/triple fan), pushes the air into 2 directions: towards the side glass panel and the motherboard itself, and the it moves upwards and is exhausted by the rear and top fans. However the ram are too close to the gpu and the hot air hits them. That is why with the blower style card, the ram stay cool because the blower pushes the hot air outside the case. I've tested this numerous times this week by swapping the cards. The 2080 Ti heats up the ram, but the 1080 Ti blower doesn't.

My system is not overclocked, i just enabled XMP and the rest are running stock.

I just had an idea to do a stress test of GPU and RAM simultaneously. Maybe that will show any possible issues. Aida64 will do the job?

 

[hang-the-9]

Thanks for your reply.

No i haven't had any crashing issues. Its just that i am worried after realizing how hot it got when i had the idea to touch the ram. And also because, i had crashing issues in the past with my old build which was caused by high ram temperatures (DDR3 1600MHz).

Regarding the air coming from the GPU, the design of the cooler (which is the same with all after market coolers, dual/triple fan), pushes the air into 2 directions: towards the side glass panel and the motherboard itself, and the it moves upwards and is exhausted by the rear and top fans. However the ram are too close to the gpu and the hot air hits them. That is why with the blower style card, the ram stay cool because the blower pushes the hot air outside the case. I've tested this numerous times this week by swapping the cards. The 2080 Ti heats up the ram, but the 1080 Ti blower doesn't.

My system is not overclocked, i just enabled XMP and the rest are running stock.

I just had an idea to do a stress test of GPU and RAM simultaneously. Maybe that will show any possible issues. Aida64 will do the job?

I don't see how it's possible for the air leaving the video card, heading in the opposite direction of the RAM with all the fans you have to move air through the case to heat up the RAM enough that you can't touch them and you can with the other card. What may be happening is the system CPU and RAM are working harder with the faster card.

 

[doolittle]

I would try taking your top-most front fan and use it as a bottom intake fan, the forced air from the bottom should help evacuate the gpu heat in conjunction with your top exhausts...

another thing you can try, use MSI Afterburner with a custom / more aggressive fan curve to get the GPU fans to kick in before it heats up the case

 

[jdj9]

I don't see how it's possible for the air leaving the video card, heading in the opposite direction of the RAM with all the fans you have to move air through the case to heat up the RAM enough that you can't touch them and you can with the other card. What may be happening is the system CPU and RAM are working harder with the faster card.

One thing i forgot to mention is that before buying the 2080 Ti Founders, i bought a 2080 Ti blower style from EVGA which i sold 2 days after because it was extremely loud, way louder that the 1080 Ti Blower i have (i like blower style cards). Anyway, i remember checking the overall temps of the case when i tested the 2080 Ti blower, including ram temps, and the results where identical to the test i made with the 1080 Ti. The ram usage does not change much between the 1080 Ti and the 2080 Ti because i play on 1440p anyway. Maybe just a bit, but not the point that it would justify such increase in ram temps.

The distance between the GPU and Ram is about 2cm. The air being exhausted from the GPU heatsink has to go somewhere before it gets exhausted. It moves upwards and exhausted by the top fans, but during this process it hits the ram indirectly, because ram is in the way (on the right side of the GPU). I don't see any other explanation of why the ram would increase with the dual fan card. It makes sense to me because when the GPU reaches 83c-84c during the summer and spreads the air inside the case, the surrounding components will heat up too. Also ambient temps play a role on this.

For the moment, i don't even reach 80c on the GPU because of the drop in weather temp, and ram temps are much lower compared to 2-3 months ago.

I've emailed Corsair a few days ago and asked them what is the operating temperature of my ram. Once i receive an answer I'll report back.

 

[jdj9]

I would try taking your top-most front fan and use it as a bottom intake fan, the forced air from the bottom should help evacuate the gpu heat in conjunction with your top exhausts...

another thing you can try, use MSI Afterburner with a custom / more aggressive fan curve to get the GPU fans to kick in before it heats up the case

I can't install a fan at the bottom, my case does not support it. I'll play around with MSI afterburner and check the results.

Thanks!

 

[zze86]

Your case is semi-modular in that Fractal offers different panels for it. How do you have it configured at the moment?

The "stock" configuration does not look like it would be a very good airflow case, especially with the front door closed. In fact, I'd think it would have very bad thermals like what you are seeing if in the "stock" configuration. Furthermore, if you have the front caddies filled up. Honestly, the case looks more like a workstation or server case than a gaming case. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but gaming cases tend to be more focused on cooling vs sound dampening or hardware storage.

If you have it, I'd try putting on the mesh top and leaving the the front door open and see how that affects temps over time. Or just try leaving the front door open.

 

[jdj9]

Your case is semi-modular in that Fractal offers different panels for it. How do you have it configured at the moment?

The "stock" configuration does not look like it would be a very good airflow case, especially with the front door closed. In fact, I'd think it would have very bad thermals like what you are seeing if in the "stock" configuration. Furthermore, if you have the front caddies filled up. Honestly, the case looks more like a workstation or server case than a gaming case. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but gaming cases tend to be more focused on cooling vs sound dampening or hardware storage.

If you have it, I'd try putting on the mesh top and leaving the the front door open and see how that affects temps over time. Or just try leaving the front door open.

I have the below fans set up for positive air-flow:

• At the front i have 3 noctua 120mm fans (1200 - 1300 rpm) as intake with the dust filter installed. I have them set at 80% for a balance of airflow and low noise.
• At the rear i have 1 noctua 140mm fan (2000 rpm) as exhaust set at 50%.
• At the top i have 2 Fractal 140mm fans (1000 rpm) as exhaust set a 50%. These are the fans that came with the case. I installed these fans next to each other towards the rear side of the case, thus leaving the first top slot empty, as it not really do anything. Even during gaming, the air coming out from that specific fan is cold. I left this slot empty also because i want the air coming from the front fans, especially the top one, to reach the ram. I think if i installed all 3x140mm on top, the first one will suck the air from the top front fan and exhaust it before it reaches the ram.

I will try your suggestion and leave the door open and see how thermals are affected. Indeed, this case is not really good for thermals but has good sound dampening, built quality and flexibility. Gamers Nexus did a review on this case.

 

[jdj9]

Corsair replied and said that the operating temperature for my Ram is 0-95c.