Overheating stabs the PC components, gradually reducing their lifespan. Or, on rare occasions, cause permanent damage to your valuable GPU.
This single issue, which can be caused in a variety of ways, is one of the most immediate concerns in modern times.
In case, you are having this problem, you have come to the right place. In this article, I will demonstrate how to monitor GPU overheating and how to resolve it. So, let us begin.
Why is My GPU Overheating?
Poor airflow, inefficient fan speed curve, or graphics-intensive tasks can cause overheating of the GPU. When a great number of apps and services running in the background, the GPU fan stops spinning, or extreme overclocking can provoke the GPU overheating.
A high-tempered room will cause excessive heat to your system. How? When you use an air-cooled system, it pulls the hot air from the surroundings and increases the interior heat.
When you play graphics-comprehensive games or edit video, your GPU heat will raise enormously in a short period of time. That does not mean it will overheat. If cooling is sufficient and has no other issues, then the heat will stay in a safe range.
A GPU can handle a tremendous amount of graphics-related workload. It is designed to operate at maximum or 100% load for extended periods of time. And when performing those heavy loads at maximum capacity, the GPU gets extremely hot.
Why is overheating bad for GPU?
When a GPU overheats, it leads to a decrease in FPS, sluggish performance, and other issues. It also causes hardware damage. Besides that, if you are playing a graphics-demanding game, the GPU will be overheating consequently, and shut down the system.
When discussing computer issues, one of the most common concerns is overheating. High temperatures are not only bad for the GPU, but also for the rest of the computer’s components. And, if you don’t take care of the overheating issue, it can even cause the graphics card to fail.
One of the main concerns about overheating is that it shortens the product’s lifespan. Most GPUs now have safe technology that can protect the graphics unit from serious damage.
At what temperature will a GPU overheat?
The highest temperature that is tolerable is 80 degrees Celsius. Anything more than that, even a single degree of excessive heat can easily shorten the lifespan of your valuable card or cause permanent damage. In case the temperature of your GPU exceeds 85 degrees, consider it severely overheated.
A GPU can become overheated for a variety of reasons. A dusty heat sink, a stressed GPU, an old graphics driver, or a worn-out thermal inside the GPU can all cause the temperature to rise above the safe level. Most users can resolve the heating issue by cleaning the GPU.
Also, sometimes the fan curves are not appropriate, or the fan motor dies, which prevents the fan from spinning. As a result, the temperature may rise. Besides, if you used an air-cooled system, proper air optimization is required to cool the GPU as well as other components.
That being said, GPU overheating is a serious issue. Let’s now address the graphics card overheating problem.
How to Fix High GPU temperature
The GPU’s high temperature is extremely dangerous. Normally, GPU is positioned in such a way that the exhausted air first travel in the interior that came out of the PC. As a result, if the GPU overheats, it creates a high-temperature environment inside the PC.
That being said, if you frequently encounter GPU high-temperature issues, there are some optimal GPU overheating solutions. And I’ll go over them with you in the section below.
Here are the solutions for graphics card overheating:
Optimize the Airflow
When using an air-optimized system, proper fan organization is critical. Setting the fan correctly can help to keep the interior cool. GPUs have fans that exhaust hot air, and if your PC does not properly send that air out, it creates hot weather inside the computer.
Inadequate cooling can easily heat up the interior. It will also produce the same result if the airflow is obstructed.
You must properly install your fans. You can also add more fans if necessary. A reasonable amount of air pulling and exhaust can result in an optimized airflow situation. Which can address the overheating problem.
Genuinely, if the hot air from the interior does not escape properly, it aggravates the situation. That is why you should spend some time properly configuring the fans and adding more fans if the PC demand. This will result in improved air optimization.
Clean Dust and Debris
Over time, the GPU fan itself becomes filthy. Dust and debris accumulate on the fan blades. This disrupts cooling and slows the fans.
You must clean up those filthy fans using a compressed air can. It is best to remove the GPU from the motherboard and clean it thoroughly.
Even if your air optimization is better, you still need to clean your GPU on a regular basis. Because dust specks naturally accumulate in an air-cooling system over time.
Avoid Extreme Overclocking
When overclocking a CPU or GPU, you must be concerned about heat. The more you overclock for performance, the more heat it produces. That’s why, whenever I overclock my system, I use something beefy to cool it down. Like CORSAIR iCUE H170i ELITE AIO or Noctua NH-D15 for air cooling solution.
Regrettably, when overclocking a GPU, you have to rely on built-in cooling solutions. As a result, excessive overclocking will simply generate unbearable heat for your GPU.
You must overclock at a certain level to achieve the best performance while also keeping the temperature below the danger zone, or precisely below 85 degrees Celsius.
Change GPU Fan
When you have GPU hardware issues, such as a broken fan or burnt-out fan motors, the cooling of the GPU is compromised, and the heat rises above normal. Other components, such as a loose cable, can also obstruct the fans.
GPU fans have a high rotational speed but a low torque. As a result, a small block can prevent the GPU fan from spinning.
You can replace the fans if they are broken or have other problems. If they are obstructed by an external component, simply organize the interior. Give some thought to cable management as well.
Update Drivers and Change the Fan Curve
The cause of overheating is not always hardware. Overheating can be influenced by software. As previously stated regarding overclocking. Overclocking excessively can result in overheating, which is also a software issue.
Additionally, old GPU drivers can cause overheating too. You should always keep your graphics drivers up to date. Consequently, I recommend that you always use the manufacturer’s driver app.
Many people use MSI Afterburner to overclock their GPU. MSI Afterburner can also be used to configure various graphics card fan curves. You can set a new fan curve for your GPU to reduce the temperature.
Cool Down with Water Block
If your high temperature is slightly elevated from the safe range but everything else appears to be in order, you can cool your GPU with a water block system. It is usually much more expensive than standard cooling. And you’ll need specific expertise to do it yourself.
Even so, water cooling will assist you in overclocking the GPU, and most mainstream users utilize water blocks to cool down their GPU.
How to Fix GPU Overheating Laptop
My Dell Inspiron 17 has an Nvidia GeForce MX230 graphics unit. Overall the GPU works perfectly fine, but it becomes hot whenever I was playing Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. And I didn’t find any similar reports, so I just get a laptop cooling pad.
And if your laptop graphics unit has overheating issues or you have a mighty GPU included in your laptop, then you must use a laptop cooling pad. Also, you can get a good result by elevating the laptop and keeping it on solid surfaces.
As with a desktop interior, a laptop’s interior is far more complex. If you use the laptop for a longer period of time, then your laptop needs a good cleaning to reduce the laptop’s heat.
How to Know if Your GPU is Overheating
Typically, encountering graphics-related errors such as FPS drops or laggy situations can assist you in determining whether your GPU is overheating.
The best way to determine this is to monitor the GPU’s temperature. You can either use the windows task manager or MSI Afterburner which is vastly popular
When you encounter, the GPU fans are making so much noise to reduce the temp. And curiously, you just touch it and feel like it’s burning. That just ensures your GPU is overheating.
Another sign that your GPU temperature is too high is when you play a GPU-intensive game like Shadow of the Tomb Raider or perform GPU-intensive tasks like video editing. If the GPU is overheating, the symptoms will be very noticeable while performing this task.
The surge in temperature over a short period of time is another GPU temperature idea that appears terrifying.
Why does the temp rise so fast?
In order to reduce fan noise and conserve energy, GPU keeps the fans off when it is in an idle state. And, when you start gaming or rendering a video the GPU begins to work. But the fans kick in after the GPU reaches a certain temperature.
As a result, during that little window of time, the temperature rises significantly before falling after the fans function properly.
FAQs
What is the safe GPU temp while gaming?
If you experience a graphics unit temperature range in the 80 to 85 °C range while gaming, this is considered normal. Temperatures in the 70 to 85 °C range are considered “normal” for some modern Nvidia GPUs. Similarly, graphics temps within the 65 to 75 °C range are considered “normal” for AMD GPUs.
Is 90c too hot for GPU?
While ideal GPU temperatures under load range from 70° to 85° Celsius, AMD GPUs (such as the Radeon RX 5700) can securely achieve temperatures as much as 110° Celsius (230° F).
How do I know if my GPU is dying?
If your computer crashes and reboots more frequently than usual, that could be a sign that your GPU is going to fail. You should look into the issue right away if your game keeps freezing or crashing.
Wrapping Up
Overheating not only results in poor performance, but can also permanently damage the GPU. A graphics card is one of the most pricey computer components. As a result, no one wants their expensive components to be compromised.
You should keep an eye on the temperature of your GPUs and, if you encounter any problems, use the methods I discussed throughout the article. Which will subsequently resolve your issue.
