Question Strange low power wattage on my GTX 1660 Super during full load, I have no idea what caused this

[ocean95]

Hello, I'm getting a sudden low power wattage on my 1660 Super the last couple of days. I don't know what causing it or if this is normal at all. I don't see any performance issues on my games so far, temps fine, gpu is fully utilized and runs normally like the usual but the power wattage has gone down significantly. Before it was hovering around 80-100(undervolt) now it won't even past 50w. Is this a good or bad sign, should I be worried? A hardware issue or something else?

I tried:
-resetting the CMOS
-clean uninstall of NVIDIA driver
-install older and newer drivers
-fresh install of new windows
-turn on high perf mode on NVDIA control panel and PC
-reseating the GPU, RAM, and SATA cables
-using different power connector

 

[Ralston18]

Take a look in Reliability History and Event Viewer.

Either one or both tools may be capturing some error code, warning, or even informational event just before or at the time the wattage declined.

May not be GPU related.

Check update history as well. Some update may have quietly fixed a problem and the lower wattage is now the "new normal".

 

[ocean95]

Take a look in Reliability History and Event Viewer.

Either one or both tools may be capturing some error code, warning, or even informational event just before or at the time the wattage declined.

May not be GPU related.

Check update history as well. Some update may have quietly fixed a problem and the lower wattage is now the "new normal".

Where can I find that? I forgot to mention, all this happened after I installed a windows 10 update. And also, I tested it on a fresh windows, old version, I get the same low power consumption on my GPU. It's really odd.

 

[Ralston18]

You can access either tool by typing its' name in the "Type here to search" box usually located in the lower left hand screen corner.

Reliability History is much more end user friendly so start with Reliability History. Reliability History uses a timeline format that can be very revealing with respect to individual errors or patterns of errors. Errors can be clicked to obtain more detailed information. The details may or may not be helpful.

Event Viewer requires more time and effort. No need to rush through it all.

To help:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-3128616/windows-event-viewer.html

And you can also check Windows Update History by typing 'Update history" into the search box. Determine if there were any failed or problem updates.

= = = =

That said, if there are no other problems then a reduction is wattage use/requirements is likely a good thing.

Consider that the software being used may have been incorrectly reporting the wattage (too high) and that the code was quietly corrected.

Wattage now being correctly reported....

Sometimes updates provide a listing of what the update is intended to fix, correct, change, improve, etc.. Check the last couple of updates.

May or may not be Windows related. Could be one of those "which came first, the chicken or the egg" conundrums......

 

[ocean95]

You can access either tool by typing its' name in the "Type here to search" box usually located in the lower left hand screen corner.

Reliability History is much more end user friendly so start with Reliability History. Reliability History uses a timeline format that can be very revealing with respect to individual errors or patterns of errors. Errors can be clicked to obtain more detailed information. The details may or may not be helpful.

Event Viewer requires more time and effort. No need to rush through it all.

To help:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-3128616/windows-event-viewer.html

And you can also check Windows Update History by typing 'Update history" into the search box. Determine if there were any failed or problem updates.

= = = =

That said, if there are no other problems then a reduction is wattage use/requirements is likely a good thing.

Consider that the software being used may have been incorrectly reporting the wattage (too high) and that the code was quietly corrected.

Wattage now being correctly reported....

Sometimes updates provide a listing of what the update is intended to fix, correct, change, improve, etc.. Check the last couple of updates.

May or may not be Windows related. Could be one of those "which came first, the chicken or the egg" conundrums......

Thanks, I'll look into it. This will not cause any issue in a long run? I mean this GPU is rated 125w on full load and it barely reach 40w. It's just so odd that my 1660 Super is consuming less power and as much as my old GT1030. I truly hope it's not hardware related as I don't have much to spend for a replacement.

 

[ocean95]

After looking at the event viewer, this was the only thing I saw that is related to my GPU in the last 7 days

"The description for Event ID 0 from source nvlddmkm cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\Device\Video3
Error occurred on GPUID: 700"

I have never experience any crashes whatsoever, so I don't know what this means.

 

[Ralston18]

The GPU will only use the power that it needs. And it is quite fine if the GPU is only using 40 Watts versus some 125 Watt rating (likely a peak value).

Any errors etc. in Reliability History?

If all is well otherwise, I would not be concerned about a single error that may or may not be directly related to the power wattage drop.

Keep an eye on both Reliability History and Event Viewer. There will always be errors etc., but Windows will likely recover from most of them.

Changes in errors (including warnings and informational events) or the numbers of errors would be cause for concern.

Otherwise, if the system is running well. Leave things alone.

 

[ocean95]

The GPU will only use the power that it needs. And it is quite fine if the GPU is only using 40 Watts versus some 125 Watt rating (likely a peak value).

Any errors etc. in Reliability History?

If all is well otherwise, I would not be concerned about a single error that may or may not be directly related to the power wattage drop.

Keep an eye on both Reliability History and Event Viewer. There will always be errors etc., but Windows will likely recover from most of them.

Changes in errors (including warnings and informational events) or the numbers of errors would be cause for concern.

Otherwise, if the system is running well. Leave things alone.

Got some errors but mostly just apps and games that didn't close properly.
I'll just keep a look out on them. Thanks.

It's not even reaching 40w, it's around 25-35 full load , which doesn't make any sense.
Aside from this low power consumption, everything's good so far, no crashes, shutdowns, glitches. Hopefully it'll stay that way.

 

[Ralston18]

🤞