System shutdown due to graphics card overheating

Dick B

Browsing the Web today with my desktop computer running Chrome with SmartSDR, HRD and their associated programs running Minimized when the screen went black and the computer failed to respond to anything - no disk activity at all.  Did a 4-sec forced power off and restarted, checked Event Log and had 100's of this message "System shutdown due to graphics card overheating".  Shutdown again and used my laptop to research this issue and found FurMark utility that reports video card status and does stress testing.  It reported 92C temperature!  Seemed a bit hot so I pulled the covers and checked all fans (video card, CPU, and case) - all running but video card and case fans were not running full speed.  

This computer has been working fine for 4 years, one year with PowerSDR and since October 2015 with a 6300 and SmartSDR.  I ran with the side removed and an extra fan blowing in while I researched the normal temp of this graphics chip ATI All-in-Wonder PC3670.  Seems 80C's is fairly normal with 90C's being top end.  I ran the FurMark stress test and the temp went quickly to 92C with all fans running high-speed now but it kept on running for several minutes until I stopped it.  

I moved the thick bundle of power cables and some SATA cables around and away from the video card and put the covers back on.  Ran the FurMark monitor the rest of the day along with SmartSDR and all the rest - no problems.  The video card runs about 80C-82C with SmartSDR visible and right now with SmartSDR running but covered by this Chrome window it is 72C.  

Has anyone had experience with video card overheating?  It does not appear that SmartSDR over-stresses the card nearly as much as the FurMark test program does - unless SmartSDR did something crazy.  That's why I thought I'd ask this group if anyone has seen a video card over-stress issue while running SmartSDR.

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KF5SA

Rick

I too have experienced the shut down and reboot many times often shortly after boot up and starting Chrome and without SSDR Running and sometimes with it running. I never knew what the problem was and also checked fans. I found one fame not running at all and had come unplugged and the video card was not well seated. I addressed those problems but it still happens on occasion. I also wonder if it's related to a faulty external backup drive. I'm soon to replace the internal boot drive with a SSD. I've never checked the heating issue. Rick, W2JAZ

Jean Drolet

Just change your Card after many years it's normal

Brent Parker

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I'm running a dell T5400 workstation, two 4 core processors. Graphics is a GTX 670 which if I remember has two 6 pin extra power cables off the back.

I'm driving a 30" 2560x1600 monitor, with two 24" 1920x1200 each side.

I'm using Everest to report on my system, and the GPU temp is running 68c. I've got SmartSDR up across the full large screen. (Smartsdr is only about 4,000 pic's wide. You can't drag it across three monitors. Steve Hicks told me, when they were designing SmartSDR, they never thought some one would be silly enough to want a three monitor wide display!      ).

I've got email up, WSJT-X up, DAX, DDutil and a few other items. I've never seen a heat issue, but haven't really tried to really stress it.

I've got Passmark's PerformanceTest here which can stresses it a bit and I will try and see if I can run the temps up, and let you know. But I'm seeing no evidence of extra stress with the new release.

73  W8XG  Brent

Brent Parker

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Follow up. I just ran a performance stress (and speed) test. Yep, the temp shot right up to 90c, but still ran fine, so this sounds very normal. I also heard the fans really speed up (it got a little loud). But as soon as the test finished, the fans slowed right down and temp came right back to 66c.

I didn't have SmartSDR running during the test. When I re-started SmartSDR, the temp came up 1 degree and it's full screen on the 30".

W8XG  Brent

Neal_K3NC

****, unless you have a cable or something preventing the card's fans from turning, its not unusual for them to run hot. Its also not unusual for for fans to run at different speeds, including the motherboard fans, case fans and CPU fan.

I run Speccy from Piriform.com which has temp displays (it has displays for everything). If it shows a problem, I would worry. If it doesn't I wouldn't worry. You might need more exit ventilation fans to move heat out of the case.

73

Dick B

Thanks for all of the responses.  Full story - I had been into the case several times during the prior week replacing DVD drives and SATA 2 HDD's with SATA 3 SDD's ... I may have inadvertently moved the power and SATA cables to somewhat block airflow - they definitely were NOT touching the video card fan.  I have moved them far away from the card and everything seems "normal".  The card runs 60C-70C without SmartSDR and about 80C with SmartSDR.  At least I have a benchmark now, and a new test tool - FurMark.    BTW I already use Speccy and Belarc Advisor.  

Tnx all,
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KF5SA

AA0KM

(Show and Tell) of a computer I worked on a few years back.

 Too many times of this most definitely **** the hardware!!!!

I clean mine personally every 3 or 4 months. So don't forget this important maintenance.

Dick B

Wow that's absolutely the worst I've seen in 30 years of PCing.  I did use a can of air to carefully **** out the fans and heatsinks (without breaking the fans).  I've been running FurMark constantly and have not seen a temp above 82C (momentarily) since I moved the wiring away from the card.  It usually runs between 60C-70C and goes up to 80C when running SmartSDR and/or Chrome.  

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KF5SA

Neal_K3NC

One way to help avoid this is to not place your computer on (or near) the floor. Thats where the dust bunnies live!

Isaac

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Isaac

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