Have I Got a Graphics Card Problem??!!

[Dougal 165]

My video card is an Asus Strix GTX970

The twin fans are normally OFF until under load, which is normal, and according to GPUz and other temp sensors, the GPU itself never actually overheats, even when running Furmark.

HOWEVER, I've just discovered, that although the twin fans on the card 'appear' to be working correctly as the card comes under load, the heat pipe on the card is getting REALLY hot.  So hot, that I can't touch it without burning my finger. Even under just a low load. I can't say I remember if its always been that way:-(

What does the panel think?

Edited November 13, 2018 by Dougal

[RamonB 449]

Sorry to read you are having problems with the card.

I would try:
Dusting off the card and heat sinks. (Hold the fan blades while doing it. I use canned air and a soft brush.)
Resettling the card, check slot and power connectors.
If that does not work, then it could probably be a bad PSU.

Hope that helps.

Edited November 13, 2018 by RamonB

[Dougal 165]

4 minutes ago, RamonB said:

Sorry to read you are having problems with the card.

I would try:
Dusting off the card and heat sinks. (Hold the fan blades while doing it)
Resettling the card, check slot and power connectors.
If that does not work, then it could probably be a bad PSU.

Hope that helps.

The PC is 'spotless'. No muck - no dust. Also reseated card after cleaning contacts, No change.

Intrigued to hear it could be a PSU issue. How?

[Bob Scott 7,720]

The instrumentation for measuring GPU temp is already in place on the board, so why not use it?  Get a copy of GPU-Z or any one of a host of other utilities that report the GPU's temp, fan speed, and load, and you'll immediately be able to determine if there's a problem.  The temp on the heat pipes is not what's important, the temp at the GPU is.  Might be that those hot heat pipes are normal...that's why they're called "heat' pipes and not "cold" pipes.  😉

That said, it's never a bad idea to blow the dust out of all your computer's heat sinks...

Regards

[RamonB 449]

16 minutes ago, Dougal said:

Intrigued to hear it could be a PSU issue. How?

A faulty PSU might fail to supply enough power to all/some connectors. (If it is one of the connectors to the card it might not provide enough "juice" for the fans)

Not long ago my motherboard auxiliary power connector failed, took me a while to pinpoint that one. Anyway I replaced it with a new Corsair HX850i.
I tested the old 750 PSU on another PC and had the same problem so I measured the voltages and that connector was dead.

Edited November 13, 2018 by RamonB

[Dougal 165]

11 minutes ago, w6kd said:

The instrumentation for measuring GPU temp is already in place on the board, so why not use it?  Get a copy of GPU-Z or any one of a host of other utilities that report the GPU's temp, fan speed, and load, and you'll immediately be able to determine if there's a problem.  The temp on the heat pipes is not what's important, the temp at the GPU is.  Might be that those hot heat pipes are normal...that's why they're called "heat' pipes and not "cold" pipes.  😉

That said, it's never a bad idea to blow the dust out of all your computer's heat sinks...

Regards

Hi Bob.

Like I said in the opening post (according to GPUz and other temp sensors, the GPU itself never actually overheats). And the PC has ZERO dust in it:-)  I've just never bothered to 'test feel' the heat pipe before, and it VERY hot!

Although its only a 970, it does everything I need for now, and having a custom loop, I'd really like a GPU water block, but it seems nobody stocks them for this card:-(

If anyone has an oldd water block for this they don't need, please gimmi a shout:-)

[Dougal 165]

3 minutes ago, RamonB said:

A faulty PSU might fail to supply enough power to all/some connectors. (If it is one of the connectors to the card it might not provide enough "juice" for the fans)

Not long ago my motherboard auxiliary power connector failed, took me a while to pinpoint that one. Anyway I replaced it with a new Corsair HX850i.
I tested the old 750 PSU on another PC and had the same problem so I measured the voltages and that connector was dead.

Interesting. I have a spare CX750. Will swap out my CX850 to check...

[Bob Scott 7,720]

OK, then the heat pipes are doing their job, and concentrating the heat on the fins away from the GPU.  If you want them to run cooler, program a more aggressive fan curve on the GPU (using a utility like eVGA Precision, MSI Afterburner etc) to spin up the fans earlier/faster, and that'll solve that.

But...short version is you don't have a problem.

Regards