[SOLVED] RX470 4gb turning off in some games

[nerzius]

Hello!

So the problem is that the MSI RX470 4gb turns off in some games while gaming. When im not playing anything, it works just fine. I have played some games on it and i found out that it turns out in only two games - when i play PC Building Simulator it turns off in like 5mins, with fans spinning pretty fast, but the average temperature is 80 degrees. The second game is Rust, the GPU turns off in about 2-3h of gameplay. When i play Subnautica, it doesnt turn off, even if it runs on 75-85 degrees. I havent played the games too much, so i dont know - maybe the GPU turns out after many hours of gaming, but this is all i have right now. I have changed the thermal pads and paste, but it still manages to get pretty hot.
I know that this is a GPU problem, as it had this problem even if i installed it in another PC. I have reinstalled drivers as well.

Maybe someone has some tips for me or knows how to fix the problem.

Thanks!

My PC specs:
I5-6500
MSI RX470 4gb
16gb of DDR4 2133Mhz
MSI H110M Pro D
4T HDD
Samsung SSD 500gb
Be quiet! System power 9 500w

 

[Aeacus]

For testing, remove the side panel of your PC case and look if GPU temps get better (lower). If they do, it's the PC cooling issue and in this case, buy more/better fans.
Keeping the PC case open for longer, well past the testing, will ruin the airflow path of your PC and can suck in loads of dust.

 

[nerzius]

I already have the side panel opened, its been open for years, and i clean everything at least 3 times in a year, so everything is pretty clean.

 

[Aeacus]

MSI RX470 4gb

Which model of MSI GPU you have? Since for example, Gaming X version of RX470, at most, goes to 66C on the GPU die. Though, Gaming X has really good cooler on it and lesser versions may run hotter. But 80C and more is a bit too much for it, unless you have reference or close to reference GPU cooling on GPU (blower style).

Oh, it is possible that GPU itself is defective in some way, having issues dissipating heat. But GPU cooler is just heatsink with fans. So, might want to use more agressive fan profile and/or run fans 100% to see if it helps.

 

[nerzius]

I think its MSI RX470 4gb Armor OC (Im not sure abt the OC). Yes, there could be a defect in cooling. Im gonna open and check the thermal paste again, as i didnt change it (it was a friend of mine who changed the pads and thermal paste). The fans while im gaming almost every time spin at max or 3000 rpm.
I also found out, that the GPU shuts off in Subnautica as well, im gonna play Metro Exodus probably today and check if it shuts off as well.
I really would like to fix this problem, but i just cant figure out what is the problem.

 

[Aeacus]

MSI RX470 4gb Armor OC

Armor series is the lowest open-air MSI offers and it doesn't have that good of a cooler on GPU.

Besides switching thermal paste/pads, another thing is to clean dust from heatsink. Also, you can downclock your GPU a bit, so that the temps are within reason.
Sure, downclocking GPU may loose you some FPS from games, but at least it would be stable and doesn't crash the games due to overheating.

 

[nerzius]

Interesting, i opened the GPU and the thermal pads werent changed, could this be a problem?
Also, that guy took 30 euros (33 usd i think) just for thermal pastes change, i think its a little bit too much.

 

[Aeacus]

thermal pads werent changed, could this be a problem?

Could be, since as thermal pads age, they stiffen up and worsen in heat transfer capabilities.

Also, that guy took 30 euros (33 usd i think) just for thermal pastes change, i think its a little bit too much.

I can not say if that's too much or too little. 4g of Arctic MX-4 thermal paste (it's what i'm using with my CPU) costs €12. Then again, 4g is quite a lot and i don't think he put that much into GPU.

Also, did you supply thermal paste? Or do you let him pick any paste he desired? Since not all thermal pastes are created equal either.
Further reading: https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-thermal-paste
Where difference between the best (liquid metal) and worst is 21C. That's a lot. Even when we take out the liquid metals and compare the pastes alone, diff between the best (Arctic MX-5) and worst is 19C. That is also a lot.

So, if there is poor paste in there, that can be a reason as well.