Solved GTX 970 overheat

[Cris1]

My Zotac GTX 970 AMP Extreme Edition is overheating going over 60°C in the main menu of the game. I determined its temp by Zotac Firestorm. The game that I run is Dying Light, I have 2 fans one at the back and one at the bottom. If I ignore the temp my case would get hot I have examined the video card and the fans if there was any chunks of dust, there was none. Help!

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Cris1,
As far as I understand normal GPU temps are always higher than the cpu and only a real concern if above 80c when highly stressed. You may want to add another intake fan or exhaust fan if you have open spots? Or you can look to add higher performance fans to get more air flow.

 

[Cris1]

Well there's 2 more fan spots at the front specifically the grill. Can you suggest any budget fans that improves airflow?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I'm a Noctua man but budget they're not. Look for Corsair, Cougar or Bitfenix.

 

[Cris1]

I launched the game again and it reached over 68°C this is the actual game itself not in the main menu, is there something wrong?

 

[RoasterMen]

Maybe because the menu has graphical scenes which causes the card to work like during gameplay.

 

[Cris1]

Maybe, but my settings are in the profile of "Balanced" which means 50% Performance and 50% Quality. This still puts my card temp to 60C+

 

[AddRAM]

Are you turning your GPU fans up before you even start gaming ?

I always do.

Adding more fans will get rid of the heat, but your card is still gonna get hot no matter what, that`s normal. The GPU does a lot of work during gaming.

That`s one of the reasons I got away from those types of cards. I don`t want heat from my video cards getting pulled up and through my CPU radiator, that makes no sense to me at all.

Some of todays GPU fans don`t even start to spin until the card hits 60, 60 is nothing to worry about.

Add as many fans as you can to the case, I recommend Corsair LED SP`s

Corsair has destroyed their site, but here is the link.

Air Series SP140 LED Green High Static Pressure 140mm Fan

 

[Cris1]

Do you have any recommended fan curves? I heard that fan curves help alot when gaming.

 

[AddRAM]

I don`t use fan curves, I just raise my GPU fan speed to 60/70/80 %

Precision X will do it on it`s own, but I don`t let it.

 

[Cris1]

What percent should I turn my fan speed up to when the temp hits 60C above. Is it safe to turn the fan speed up to 100% when gaming?

 

[essenbe]

What percent should I turn my fan speed up to when the temp hits 60C above. Is it safe to turn the fan speed up to 100% when gaming?

If you use a tool like MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X and most of the other tools, you can set a fan profile that will increase the fan speed as the temp increases. Are you sure you have sufficient air flow in your case? Intake fans to bring in cool air will help a lot. The fans on your card use the air inside your case to keep itself cool. If that is hot air, it can't cool very well.

 

[Cris1]

Thanks for the help guys! Will make use of the tips you guys gave me, thanks!

 

[AddRAM]

Zotac Firestorm should do whatever you want.

 

[Dude]

Everyone has gave you great advice, more airflow helps. Your temps in the 60's are fine. As long as you stay below 79 while gaming you are safe. The GPU is actually safe for higher temps but it is best to keep them down. Here is an example of a fan curve for you

 

[essenbe]

Here's my fan curve, except there are no curves in mine.

 

[dominickbuff]

Download evga 16x it allows you to set cooling to aggressive I have a Titan and I have it holding 63c instead of 90c lol