Gaming is one of the most popular sports today, and the gaming community is constantly expanding. As this popular sport evolves, many popular games require more hardware support from the processor. But playing online games is not only a passion; it also includes other things like concentration, responsiveness, fast action, and high-speed internet.
If you have everything, you are ready to go. But one thing can make you fall behind in all of the above. The only thing is that it generates excessive GPU heat while playing. If you want an exclusive gaming experience, you must know how to keep GPU cool. Read this in-detailed guide that will introduce several tactics to keep GPU heat optimal and manageable.
Key Takeaways
- Excessive GPU heating can cause abrupt device shutdowns, reduced gaming experience, louder fan noise, and early hardware failure.
- To keep your graphics card cool, ensure proper airflow, clean your graphics card regularly, replace old thermal paste, disable overclocking, lower the clock speed, and adjust the GPU settings while gaming.
What happened due to heating?
Excessive heating of the GPU can cause various gaming device issues that ultimately prevent you from playing your favorite online games. Some of these effects include:
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Abrupt shutdown of the device: When a GPU overheats, it can cause the device to shut down suddenly, leading to potential loss of progress and frustration for the user.
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Reduced gaming experience: Overheating can cause the GPU to throttle, reducing performance and frame rates. This can impact the gaming experience, leading to lag and other issues that make gameplay less enjoyable.
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Louder fan noise that can annoy you: As the GPU overheats, the fan speeds may increase to cool down the device, resulting in louder fan noise. This can be distracting and annoying for the user, making it harder to focus on the game.
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Early hardware failure: Overheating can cause damage to the GPU and other hardware components over time, leading to potential hardware failures and the need for costly repairs or replacements.
In summary, GPU overheating can negatively affect gaming devices, ranging from reduced performance and annoying fan noise to potential hardware failure and the need for repairs or replacements. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your GPU cool to ensure proper gameplay and avoid these issues.
How to keep your graphics card cool?
Given the potential issues that can arise from GPU overheating while gaming on your PC, it is crucial to understand how to lower the temperature of your GPU. Several are the measures you can take to achieve the best possible results:
Ensure Proper Airflow
Ensuring proper airflow in a gaming PC is critical in keeping the GPU cool and preventing overheating. When the GPU generates heat while processing graphics-intensive tasks such as gaming, it must dissipate the heat to maintain optimal performance and avoid damage.
The following are the things to consider to achieve proper airflow in a gaming PC:
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Clean dust filters regularly: Dust buildup on filters can impede airflow and cause the GPU to overheat. To prevent this, cleaning the dust filters regularly is essential, ideally every few months or as needed depending on usage.
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Ensure proper ventilation: Ensure the gaming PC is positioned in a well-ventilated area allowing adequate air circulation around the device. Avoid placing the PC in cramped spaces or against walls, as this can limit airflow and cause heat buildup.
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Use high-quality fans: High-quality fans with good airflow and low noise can help to circulate air through the gaming PC and keep the GPU cool. Consider investing in quality fans if your PC is overheating or if you plan on running demanding games or applications.
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Optimize cable management: Proper cable management can help to reduce clutter and improve airflow in the gaming PC. Consider organizing cables with cable ties or using a cable management system to ensure wires are not blocking airflow.
By ensuring proper airflow in a gaming PC, you can help to prevent GPU overheating and prolong the life of your hardware. Monitoring temperatures regularly and addressing any overheating issues is essential to ensure optimal gaming performance.
Clean your Graphics Card
When the GPU is used, its components generate heat, typically dissipated through air intakes and vents. However, dust and other substances can accumulate over time inside the GPU, blocking these airways and restricting airflow. This can lead to frequent GPU overheating, reduced gaming performance, and potential hardware damage.
Note: Read this post on how to clean a graphics card to know an in-detailed step-by-step process to clean it safely.
To prevent this, it is recommended to clean the GPU regularly, typically 2-3 times a year. This involves removing the GPU from the processor case and cleaning it thoroughly to remove dust and other debris. While compressed air can help remove dust, it is not always the most effective method.
Blowing compressed air can scatter dust and debris further inside the GPU, making it harder to remove. Instead, taking the GPU out of the processor case and cleaning it thoroughly is recommended. This involves blowing out the parts with compressed air and thoroughly cleaning the pads and crevices to remove any remaining dust or debris.
By cleaning the GPU regularly, you can help prevent overheating, improve gaming performance, and extend the lifespan of your hardware. It is essential to take caution when cleaning the GPU and to follow manufacturer guidelines to avoid damaging the hardware.
Replacing Old Thermal Paste
Thermal grease is a thermal interface material applied between the GPU, CPU, and heatsink to improve heat transfer and reduce overheating issues. While thermal grease can effectively reduce GPU temperatures, it loses its effectiveness over time, leading to decreased heat dissipation and increased GPU temperatures.
To keep the GPU cool, it is recommended that thermal grease be reapplied every 3-4 years to improve heat conductivity and reduce GPU temperatures. Additionally, traditional thermal pastes can be replaced with liquid metals, which are even more effective in transferring heat. However, when applying liquid metals, care must be taken, as leaks or spills can short-circuit the motherboard and damage other components.
Regularly checking and reapplying thermal paste or replacing it with liquid metal is an effective way to keep the GPU cool and prevent overheating issues. But you have to ensure following manufacturer guidelines and taking proper precautions when applying these materials is essential to avoid damaging the hardware.
Disable Overclocking
Overclocking the GPU, which means increasing its clock speed to improve performance, can cause the GPU to heat up quickly. Standard aftermarket fans or essential coolers may not be enough to cool the GPU when overclocked. To prevent overheating, high-quality secondary fans are recommended to help dissipate the heat.
Trying to cool an overclocked GPU with too many coolers or fans that are not designed for the specific GPU model can lead to inefficient cooling and could cause damage to the GPU. Therefore, choosing the appropriate type of cooling system for the particular GPU model is essential to keep the temperatures low.
If the GPU still runs at a high temperature even after installing high-quality secondary fans or coolers, lowering the GPU clock speed is recommended. This will reduce the GPU’s performance and lower its temperature, preventing overheating issues; find the right balance between the GPU’s clock speed and the cooling system.
Lower the Clock Speed
Using third-party software is a convenient way to lower the temperature of your GPU. MSI Afterburner is a recommended software to use to overclock your GPU easily. It allows you to adjust the clock speed and fan speed to optimize the GPU’s performance and cooling.
Reducing the clock speed of the GPU can offer several benefits. One of the main advantages is that it helps to reduce power consumption. Overclocking can increase power usage, increase electricity bills and reduce your GPU’s lifespan. By reducing the clock speed, you can extend the life of your old GPU and save on energy costs.
Another benefit of reducing the clock speed is that it can help to prevent overheating issues. When the GPU runs at a lower clock speed, it generates less heat, reducing the strain on the cooling system. This can help prolong your GPU’s life and prevent performance issues.
Play with GPU Settings
Playing games at higher graphics settings can offer a more immersive and enjoyable gaming experience. However, it is essential to note that higher graphics settings may lead to severe overheating issues for both the GPU and the processor. This is particularly true for hardware-intensive games such as Final Fantasy XV, Metro Exodus, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
When playing these games, the GPU and processor must work harder to render the game’s graphics, leading to increased heat production. This, in turn, can cause the GPU to overheat, leading to issues such as reduced performance, abrupt shutdown of the device, and early hardware failure. Therefore, adjusting the graphics settings accordingly is crucial to prevent overheating problems.
Playing in Cooler Environments
The cause of GPU overheating can sometimes be due to placing the CPU in a hotter environment, especially during the summer season when temperatures can rise above 35°C. This can have a significant impact on gameplay.
To prevent this problem, it is recommended to play your favorite game in a room with an average temperature range of 10-35°C. If the temperature rises, you can still play the game in an air-conditioned room to prevent GPU overheating.
Adjust Fan Speeds
As the temperature of the GPU rises, the fan speed increases to maintain an average temperature. However, sometimes when updating the BIOS, the fan configuration settings can be altered, leading to overheating of the GPU. To prevent this, it’s essential to regularly check the BIOS settings and ensure that the fan settings are correct.
The way to access the BIOS settings can vary depending on your gaming device. Knowing the correct way to access the settings is essential to make necessary adjustments and maintaining a stable temperature. Checking and adjusting the BIOS settings can be an effective way to reduce GPU temperature.
What’s the best temperature for your GPU?
When the computer is used for everyday gaming, the average temperature is between 65°C and 85°C. It is the average temperature the GPU can handle. An increase in temperature can cause the overheating problem discussed above. It can cause a few other issues with your computer that can ultimately prevent you from getting a better and smoother gaming experience.
Conclusion
We have covered several effective methods to lower the temperature of your graphics card. However, it is crucial to identify the underlying cause of the temperature increase before attempting any fixes. High temperature is merely a symptom, and addressing the root cause is the key to resolving the problem permanently.
Once you have identified the cause, you can implement one of the solutions discussed earlier to reduce your GPU temperature. These methods are proven to be effective, and they will result in a cooler and better-performing GPU for your gaming needs.
