[SOLVED] RTX 2060 Super graphics card has me confused!

[PAULO40]

Hi All

I just bought a used, cheap, but very good condition Gigabyte RTX 2060 Super Windforce OC 8GB GPU Rev 1.1, in the hope that it would provide a better gaming experience than the Sapphire Pulse RX 5500 XT 4GB GPU that was previously in my PC. It is definitely a significantly better experience which was what I was hoping for, but there are a few things that have me stumped and was hoping that any of you guys can help answer some queries I have.

I have noticed that load temperatures run quite high, around the 80'C mark. I have read various discussions about this so was fully aware this card does run quite hot under load, so I came up with the idea of undervolting it, just enough to drop temps to the mid 70s would suffice. I have attempted undervolting with MSI Afterburner but for some reason no matter what undervolt I set the card to, the temps still hit around 80'C. After a bit of research I saw a thread where the OP was having similar issues, and advice to him was to update the GPU bios as undervolting and overclocking was locked on initial bios version, but unlocked on latter releases. I have just check the bios version on this card and it states it is on version FX0, however the Gigabyte website states that the latest version is F3. The odd thing is that the Aorus Engine software utility says there are no updates? Does anyone know if I should update the bios or not?

Also, when trying to undervolt the GPU I used Heaven 4.0 as my benchmark test, now GPU-Z states my GPU clock speed is 1470 MHz with boost to 1680 MHz, however Heaven benchmark says graphics are at 2145 MHz, and maximum recorded GPU clock on HWiNFO reads 1950 MHz. To me none of these readings match up at all, I could very well be missing or not understanding something very simple here, if so then please excuse my naivety, but could someone please explain why this is happening?

Any thoughts and comments on these queries would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

When you swapped cards, did you run the DDU to remove ALL traces of the previous AMD graphics drivers and settings from the registry, or did you simply swap out the cards and install the Nvidia drivers? Or did you even install the latest drivers at all?

 

[MeanMachine41]

Hi Paul

Heat can build up rapidly with a none reference card and create hot pockets of air within the case.
Your case air flow may be inadequate and require extra or larger extraction fans.
If a Bios update does not rectify the heat issue then there are after market water cooling solutions.
Both NZXT and Corsair offer solutions for this so check them out and see if one will fit.
I live in a hot climate and have a hybrid cooler. they work great.

 

[PAULO40]

When you swapped cards, did you run the DDU to remove ALL traces of the previous AMD graphics drivers and settings from the registry, or did you simply swap out the cards and install the Nvidia drivers? Or did you even install the latest drivers at all?

I did uninstall the AMD drivers, but not using DDU. Current Nvidia drivers are installed. Should I reinstall the GPU using DDU to remove all traces of previous GPUs?

 

[PAULO40]

Hi Paul

Heat can build up rapidly with a none reference card and create hot pockets of air within the case.
Your case air flow may be inadequate and require extra or larger extraction fans.
If a Bios update does not rectify the heat issue then there are after market water cooling solutions.
Both NZXT and Corsair offer solutions for this so check them out and see if one will fit.
I live in a hot climate and have a hybrid cooler. they work great.

Many thanks for the info.
I have two 120mm intake fans and two 120mm exhaust fans. I have set the fan curve quite aggressive for these fans and there does seem to be decent airflow. My only concern with my cooling is that I have a 240mm AiO CPU cooler attached to the intake fans, I'm wondering if the warm air from the CPU cooling going into the case could be having a detremental effect on the GPU cooling?? Do you thing a normal air cooler would possibly help? I will have a look at water cooling options if no other solutions work though.

 

[MeanMachine41]

Many thanks for the info.
I have two 120mm intake fans and two 120mm exhaust fans. I have set the fan curve quite aggressive for these fans and there does seem to be decent airflow. My only concern with my cooling is that I have a 240mm AiO CPU cooler attached to the intake fans, I'm wondering if the warm air from the CPU cooling going into the case could be having a detremental effect on the GPU cooling?? Do you thing a normal air cooler would possibly help? I will have a look at water cooling options if no other solutions work though.

I don't think changing to AIR cooling will help.
Concentrate on Maxing your air throughput in your case.
If you can replace the 120mm exhaust fans with 140mm fans then that would definitely help dissipate the hot air better and with Mag lev fans they would be more efficient and quieter.

 

[PAULO40]

I don't think changing to AIR cooling will help.
Concentrate on Maxing your air throughput in your case.
If you can replace the 120mm exhaust fans with 140mm fans then that would definitely help dissipate the hot air better and with Mag lev fans they would be more efficient and quieter.

Thanks for the reply
Unfortunately this is where I'm stuck, I have a NZXT H200i case, a large ITX case, which is relatively small (if that makes sense). It will only accept 120mm fans on the top and back, It may well accept 140mm fans on the front, but this would mean having to buy a new cooler anyway, whether it be an AiO or air cooler. I have my stock Ryzen cooler that I've never used in the cupboard, I'm quite tempted to fit it just to see if it will make any difference. Aside from that, it looks like my only other option is the GPU water cooling route as you mentioned previously.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I have a NZXT H200i case

Try removing front panel to improve airflow.

 

[MeanMachine41]

Thanks for the reply
Unfortunately this is where I'm stuck, I have a NZXT H200i case, a large ITX case, which is relatively small (if that makes sense). It will only accept 120mm fans on the top and back, It may well accept 140mm fans on the front, but this would mean having to buy a new cooler anyway, whether it be an AiO or air cooler. I have my stock Ryzen cooler that I've never used in the cupboard, I'm quite tempted to fit it just to see if it will make any difference. Aside from that, it looks like my only other option is the GPU water cooling route as you mentioned previously.

If this works it's a no brainer. This company offers a solution so shoot them an email to assess it's viability.
https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000468875797.html?spm=2114.12057483.0.0.51b7550dcuM0BH

 

[PAULO40]

Try removing front panel to improve airflow.

Tried it and no improvement unfortunately, thanks anyway.

 

[thekillerx10]

Did u try pushing the fans of the gpu to 100%? and see if there is any difference

 

[PAULO40]

Did u try pushing the fans of the gpu to 100%? and see if there is any difference

I've actually been doing that for the past half an hour with Heaven benchmark, still no difference although it has dropped temps down by about 1 to 2 degrees. I have used DDU to do a fresh install of the GPU prior to this last benchmark I've been running, but that has made no difference either, although I'm getting weird behaviour from Afterburner, voltage reading is showing 0 mV??

 

[PAULO40]

A quick update for you all.
Well no matter what I tried, whether it be ramping up all fans to full speed, taken the front of the case off to help airflow or a fresh install of GPU after using DDU to clean my PC, nothing has lowered the temps. I've even gone as far a a thermal paste change, the old paste had gone a bit hard, but again no change.I'm still getting the odd behaviour where GPU-Z states my GPU clock speed is 1470 MHz with boost to 1680 MHz, however Heaven benchmark says graphics are at 2145 MHz, and maximum recorded GPU clock on HWiNFO reads 1950 MHz. That to me seems very odd!
I also have no idea whether I should be updating the current FX0 bios version with version F3 that is stated on the Gigabyte website, which incidentally is for Micron type memory, which my RTX 2060 super is.
I'm wondering if a bigger case with more fans, and hence more airflow would be a solution. Any more ideas other than looking into water cooling would be appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Hi All

I just bought a used, cheap, but very good condition Gigabyte RTX 2060 Super Windforce OC 8GB GPU

There, I fixed it for you. This is almost certainly your problem. Chances are nearly 100% that there is a problem with the card. Likely it was grossly overclocked by the previous owner and has been thermally damaged, now, nothing you do is likely going to make much difference in terms of taming the heat because it's damaged. Not a certainty, but a probability.

This is EXACTLY why I try to steer people away from buying used cards and why my signature says exactly what it says.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I also have no idea whether I should be updating the current FX0 bios version with version F3 that is stated on the Gigabyte website

FX0 is probably some custom user modified BIOS.

 

[PAULO40]

Latest update for you.
Contacted Gigabyte directly and they said that the bios on my GPU, version FX0, is in fact a legitimate Gigabyte bios version and the only one available, there are no updated bios versions for my GPU.
I also asked if the temperatures were a concern, they said no as long as my system does not crash, which it doesn't.
Finally, added an extra intake and exhaust fan to my PC, and temperatures under load now range from 75'C to 78'C, much happier that I've managed to get temps below 80'C at least. If I cap frame rate in Nvidia control panel to 80 FPS, the GPU temperature never exceeds 70'C. Seems like lack of case airflow was the biggest issue in relation to GPU temperatures.
Many thanks for all the help and advice guys, much appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Anything at 85°C or lower is absolutely 100% fine. Even slightly higher, if there is good airflow, under an extended period of full load, might be acceptable, although it is not preferred. I would certainly not want to run it regularly beyond 85 degrees but at or below that should be totally fine.

For future reference, ANY time you are dealing with a thermal issue, take the side panel off. It doesn't matter what it is, CPU, graphics card, memory, if you take off the side panel and the thermal issue is due to a lack of airflow through the case, your temperatures will drop. It is not "airflow" specifically, except maybe in cases of VRM throttling where a tower cooler is used and no airflow is being applied directly to the VRMs, it is the fact that you are not supplying enough ambient air, which is cooler than the air inside the case, to the CPU cooler or graphics card fans. Take off the side panel. If temperatures drop, you need more case cooling. That should always be the very first thing you do with any overheating issue on a CPU or graphics card.