[SOLVED] Undervolting Zotac GTX 1070 mini

[Adudui]

Greetings everyone. I'm currently using Zotac GTX 1070 mini and was wondering how to undervolt the gpu to get a better temp plus lower volt. My current temp at idle is 65c and at peak is 82c. Would be glad if anyone can provide the best setting for undervolting this gpu. Thanks !

 

[hotaru.hino]

Using MSI Afterburner or some other tool that lets you configure NVIDIA GPUs like this, you have to adjust the VF curve so that each point is higher than the default. That is, you don't set a voltage value, you have to tell the GPU what frequency you want at which voltage step (and there's like 2 dozen plus steps). Though using the OC scanner will do this for you automatically. So yes, in order to "undervolt" the GPU, you have to overclock it, because the GPU runs on a VF curve.

Looking at the what you're saying about the temperature though, the load temp is fine, but the idle temp isn't what I'd consider normal. So we have to look at the following areas:

• Is the GPU clock speed while the computer is "idling" higher than say 300-400MHz? If so, either you have something running in the background or if you have multiple monitors, their refresh rates don't line up. e.g., mixing a 144Hz display with a 60Hz display causes GPUs to idle higher because the have to handle the disjointed refresh rates.
• Does the GPU have a "zero RPM fan" mode? If so, then it'll idle at higher temperatures. However when I see this, they normally idle around 50C unless the above condition is going on. And even then, the fans should kick on well before 65C
• Do you have sufficient airflow through the case?

 

[Adudui]

Using MSI Afterburner or some other tool that lets you configure NVIDIA GPUs like this, you have to adjust the VF curve so that each point is higher than the default. That is, you don't set a voltage value, you have to tell the GPU what frequency you want at which voltage step (and there's like 2 dozen plus steps). Though using the OC scanner will do this for you automatically. So yes, in order to "undervolt" the GPU, you have to overclock it, because the GPU runs on a VF curve.

Looking at the what you're saying about the temperature though, the load temp is fine, but the idle temp isn't what I'd consider normal. So we have to look at the following areas:

• Is the GPU clock speed while the computer is "idling" higher than say 300-400MHz? If so, either you have something running in the background or if you have multiple monitors, their refresh rates don't line up. e.g., mixing a 144Hz display with a 60Hz display causes GPUs to idle higher because the have to handle the disjointed refresh rates.
• Does the GPU have a "zero RPM fan" mode? If so, then it'll idle at higher temperatures. However when I see this, they normally idle around 50C unless the above condition is going on. And even then, the fans should kick on well before 65C
• Do you have sufficient airflow through the case?

My GPU clock at idle is at 1518 MHz. The stock freq for 900mv = 1672 then I tried to set the curve at 900mv = 1850 but I'm not sure if thats good or not because the temp only dropped to 78c at peak but the fps is quite okay too. Can you help me on how to find out the "sweet spot" for undervolting this because this is my first time trying to do this kind of thing. Will be grateful if you could help me out here.

 

[sizzling]

I would Google some video guides, it’s a fiddly thing to do but I found some good videos when I tried it. Having tried it I cannot imagine someone typing out everything I found in the videos I reviewed. It’s not hard but take patients and being methodical.

 

[Adudui]

I would Google some video guides, it’s a fiddly thing to do but I found some good videos when I tried it. Having tried it I cannot imagine someone typing out everything I found in the videos I reviewed. It’s not hard but take patients and being methodical.

Yes. I'm currently trying to figure this out by watching some videos but I got some things that I don't understand from those videos. Will try to look for more video after this. Thanks for the advice !

 

[Adudui]

So here is my current tries and I think maybe it work well. Was able to decrease the peak temp from 82c to 70c. Is there anything that I can do to improve this ?

https://imgur.com/PJA2H0g

View: https://imgur.com/PJA2H0g

View: https://imgur.com/9Nsgtsy

 

[Karadjgne]

My current temp at idle is 65c

And that's the problem in a nutshell. Undervolting the card isn't going to fix any of that, because at idle the card is only using @ 10-12w, which is a minute amount of amperage vs what the card is capable of.

Fix the idle temp issue, which is almost always related to airflow or more specifically the lack of, and load temps will change. You should be idling in the 30-40°C range at worst, a full 20°C+ lower than current.

 

[Adudui]

And that's the problem in a nutshell. Undervolting the card isn't going to fix any of that, because at idle the card is only using @ 10-12w, which is a minute amount of amperage vs what the card is capable of.

Fix the idle temp issue, which is almost always related to airflow or more specifically the lack of, and load temps will change. You should be idling in the 30-40°C range at worst, a full 20°C+ lower than current.

I see. Then I will try to fix my airflow or find other case that has better airflow than my current case. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Karadjgne]

Have to get air to the gpu. Without a decent supply of air, there's nothing for the fans to blow over the gpu heatsink. If nothing is moving over the heatsink, nothing gets cooled off.

So the cooler the supply of air you can get pushed to the gpu, the lower your gpu temps have a shot at being. If you can get enough air over there, you'll reach a saturation point, and thats where the actual voltages and workloads have set the amount of heat and nothing airflow-wise will change that. It is the same way with the cpu. That's when voltage changes will be of any affect.

Load temps are somewhat different. The gpu will then put out far more heat with the upscale in power use, and while airflow has an affect, it's nowhere near the affect that power plays on the temps.

1w can change 1cubic foot of air about 3°F in 6 minutes. A normal mid size atx case is around 1cubic foot in volume. So with no airflow, a gpu at idle could raise that air @ 3°F in 1 minute.

A 50cfm fan (120mm) can move 50 cubic feet of air in 1 minute. Or about 1 cubic foot of air per second. So figure a pair (intake/exhaust) will totally refresh a case with outside air completely in less than 2 seconds. A 10w gpu at idle raising 3°F in a minute doesn't stand an ants chance of heating up a case. Even if the fans were spinning at 50%, that's still 5-6 seconds for total refresh, all heat gone.

Without good airflow, a case becomes an oven. Because it's physically impossible to cool an object to below ambient temps by mechanical means (fan blowing air is mechanical) if your case is reaching 50ish °C inside, the gpu and cpu has no hope of being less, and because of workloads is usually @ 10ish°C more.

With good airflow, a gpu/cpu should be somewhere around 30-35 if the room is 20-25°C ambient.