My HD 6870 idles at 58*C. I'd like to do the Furmark stress test, but what happens if the temp goes too high? Will I 'melt' my card or does the test just stop at a certain temp? Do you see a temp graph on screen as the test is running, if so, at what temp should I stop the test to prevent 'disaster' striking?
Graphics Issue?
- Thread starter Unweakened
- Start date
My HD 6870 idles at 58*C. I'd like to do the Furmark stress test, but what happens if the temp goes too high? Will I 'melt' my card or does the test just stop at a certain temp? Do you see a temp graph on screen as the test is running, if so, at what temp should I stop the test to prevent 'disaster' striking?
NilSatis
Bright Spark
Hmm...seems a little hot at idle; but could be one of a few factors: Any overclocking? How long have you had the card? How hot is the ambient temperature of the room you are in? Is there good airflow in the case? Might there be a lot of dust in the case? Are cables blocking the airflow etc? Can you hear the fan working at idle temp? If not then you may need to set up a custom profile for the fan.
If you look at this thread:http://www.overclock.net/ati/855035-6870-heat-issue-5.html people have also complained about the heat on their card. Some of these guys have been overclocking so have probably overdone it!
If the fan is very quiet at idle and you want it cooler (not essential) then you need to set up a custom fan profile in something like msi afterburner. (Of course if you are not overclocking then the card should not get too hot in Furmark, but be aware that this is hotter than it will run in any game so is not something to be alarmed about, if you are satisfied with the performance of the card whilst gaming).This will increase noise but you can set it to combat the high idle temp if you like.
Strictly speaking these cards can sometimes get to 90-100 without problems but you really dont want it to get that hot and stay that hot. IF it is working correctly and the fan profile is right (see above) and not set on auto (which may run a quiet but inefficient fan setting) then a max temp of about 80c would be normal give or take 5 in each direction. I cant tell you how hot yours should run as I dont know the case you have, the airflow, or whether the fan is working properly; and all cards will run slightly different.
The test in Furmark (if you are just getting a benchmark) on the latest version I linked to will not last that long. Temps will not go into an area they shouldnt do for long enough to cause any harm. This is just one of a few benchmarking programmes gpu overclockers use whilst stress testing their cards after tweaking overclock settings. If the test runs fine, temps are not too hot etc. and no artifacts appear, then you would test for stability in games, and other benchmarking programmes to see if the overclock you had performed was stable. I think there are settings that will allow Furmark to run for longer but as it stresses the gpu more than games i would not advise using it on that setting for longer than 30 mins at a time. The setting "benchmark, no preset" will give you a short test that will get the gpu up to temps. No, it wont melt it! You also see the temperature in real time alongside a graph.
I would not bother with it unless you have problems, just gives you something to worry about that might not be an issue!
If you look at this thread:http://www.overclock.net/ati/855035-6870-heat-issue-5.html people have also complained about the heat on their card. Some of these guys have been overclocking so have probably overdone it!
If the fan is very quiet at idle and you want it cooler (not essential) then you need to set up a custom fan profile in something like msi afterburner. (Of course if you are not overclocking then the card should not get too hot in Furmark, but be aware that this is hotter than it will run in any game so is not something to be alarmed about, if you are satisfied with the performance of the card whilst gaming).This will increase noise but you can set it to combat the high idle temp if you like.
Strictly speaking these cards can sometimes get to 90-100 without problems but you really dont want it to get that hot and stay that hot. IF it is working correctly and the fan profile is right (see above) and not set on auto (which may run a quiet but inefficient fan setting) then a max temp of about 80c would be normal give or take 5 in each direction. I cant tell you how hot yours should run as I dont know the case you have, the airflow, or whether the fan is working properly; and all cards will run slightly different.
The test in Furmark (if you are just getting a benchmark) on the latest version I linked to will not last that long. Temps will not go into an area they shouldnt do for long enough to cause any harm. This is just one of a few benchmarking programmes gpu overclockers use whilst stress testing their cards after tweaking overclock settings. If the test runs fine, temps are not too hot etc. and no artifacts appear, then you would test for stability in games, and other benchmarking programmes to see if the overclock you had performed was stable. I think there are settings that will allow Furmark to run for longer but as it stresses the gpu more than games i would not advise using it on that setting for longer than 30 mins at a time. The setting "benchmark, no preset" will give you a short test that will get the gpu up to temps. No, it wont melt it! You also see the temperature in real time alongside a graph.
I would not bother with it unless you have problems, just gives you something to worry about that might not be an issue!Unweakened
Bronze Level Poster
Hmm...seems a little hot at idle; but could be one of a few factors: Any overclocking? How long have you had the card? How hot is the ambient temperature of the room you are in? Is there good airflow in the case? Might there be a lot of dust in the case? Are cables blocking the airflow etc? Can you hear the fan working at idle temp? If not then you may need to set up a custom profile for the fan.
If you look at this thread:http://www.overclock.net/ati/855035-6870-heat-issue-5.html people have also complained about the heat on their card. Some of these guys have been overclocking so have probably overdone it!
If the fan is very quiet at idle and you want it cooler (not essential) then you need to set up a custom fan profile in something like msi afterburner. (Of course if you are not overclocking then the card should not get too hot in Furmark, but be aware that this is hotter than it will run in any game so is not something to be alarmed about, if you are satisfied with the performance of the card whilst gaming).This will increase noise but you can set it to combat the high idle temp if you like.
Strictly speaking these cards can sometimes get to 90-100 without problems but you really dont want it to get that hot and stay that hot. IF it is working correctly and the fan profile is right (see above) and not set on auto (which may run a quiet but inefficient fan setting) then a max temp of about 80c would be normal give or take 5 in each direction. I cant tell you how hot yours should run as I dont know the case you have, the airflow, or whether the fan is working properly; and all cards will run slightly different.
The test in Furmark (if you are just getting a benchmark) on the latest version I linked to will not last that long. Temps will not go into an area they shouldnt do for long enough to cause any harm. This is just one of a few benchmarking programmes gpu overclockers use whilst stress testing their cards after tweaking overclock settings. If the test runs fine, temps are not too hot etc. and no artifacts appear, then you would test for stability in games, and other benchmarking programmes to see if the overclock you had performed was stable. I think there are settings that will allow Furmark to run for longer but as it stresses the gpu more than games i would not advise using it on that setting for longer than 30 mins at a time. The setting "benchmark, no preset" will give you a short test that will get the gpu up to temps. No, it wont melt it! You also see the temperature in real time alongside a graph.
like i said m8 they are sending out another card to me on wednesday so i'll try out this new card and see what results i get if it's still tearing issues then i'll be sending the pc back to get either repaired properly or replaced by one with an Nvidia card in.
Unweakened
Bronze Level Poster
Thanks NilSatis
- No overclocking
- Had PC and card 3 months and it's been like this from new
- Room temp 21*C
- No dust, looks like decent airflow (only one HDD and DVD so not many cables run).
- I can hear fans running (CPU, front and rear fans show running on CPUID HWMonitor).
- Does the GPU fan run constantly, just at varying speeds?
- I admit, one factor probably contributing to temp increase is possibly the case as it's a Cooler :sweatdrop:Master Sileo 500 Quiet and has foam padding on both side panels for sound proofing (no, NOT the packing material from PCS before you ask
)I'll have to try it with a side panel removed just to see the difference in temp.
It's just I've heard other people say that their GPU temps are nearer 40*C.
Oh, and apologies to Unweakened if I've hijacked your post a bit :gunsmilie: I just see something that connects and start posting, then realise I've turned in to Dick Turpin.
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NilSatis
Bright Spark
I do think that those idle temps are a bit high, if it seems really quiet then the fan probably isnt working hard enough...you can set up a custom fan profile as mentioned in the last post so that the gpu fan comes on at a higher percentage at idle. You really need to monitor the temps while gaming hard to see if the maximum temp is ok, as that is the critical area, but a lower idle would be good too. You may find to do this your quiet computer becomes a little louder lol.
The GPU fan will proably be controlled by an auto fan profile at the moment so it will come on when temps start rising, but i would have thought it should be on already with those idle temps, where did you get the temp reading from? If it was from furmark......dont worry so much, especially after having just used it. If its from a prog like gpu-z that will be a better indicator.
If you use afterburner (free download---make sure it is the latest version, search under google) you can set it to be at e.g 50% at 50c, 60% at 60c etc. If you enter settings in MSI Ab, you should see the Fan tab, tick Enable user defined software automatic fan control and that will bring up the custom fan graph letting you set up a Custom fan profile. You can then set up a fan profile like above. The case you have (although quiet, and maybe slightly restrictive and small) shouldnt make it get that hot i wouldnt have thought. Trying the gpu with the side off would be a good step to see if better airflow helped...if it does, you might want to get rid of maybe one side of the foam padding if you think it might be dust clogged or stopping a good airflow.
1. Do you have any problems with games crashing etc after a long time playing them? If not....dont worry so much. Would be better to get it down however....
2. Would you like to lower that idle temp, or would you like a quieter pc?
3. Try with the side of the case off to see if airflow is poor.
4. Do you run the card on just a single monitor? I assumed so but if not, or if you have two cards then one will always run hotter.
5. Try setting a fan profile so the fan is on more immediately....i.e at your idle temp, have the fan on to 50% and see if it goes down.
6. You can always get aftermarket gpu coolers. (I wouldnt bother....just try to get these temps down another way or keep using the card unless it gets far too hot under the most stressful conditions.)
7. Afterburner is a better tool than ccc in every way.
8. With a case like that a higher fan speed might be a good idea as you may not be able to hear it as much....a loud fan will sound something like a mini hairdryer :walkman:
Hope this helps in some way....
The GPU fan will proably be controlled by an auto fan profile at the moment so it will come on when temps start rising, but i would have thought it should be on already with those idle temps, where did you get the temp reading from? If it was from furmark......dont worry so much, especially after having just used it. If its from a prog like gpu-z that will be a better indicator.
If you use afterburner (free download---make sure it is the latest version, search under google) you can set it to be at e.g 50% at 50c, 60% at 60c etc. If you enter settings in MSI Ab, you should see the Fan tab, tick Enable user defined software automatic fan control and that will bring up the custom fan graph letting you set up a Custom fan profile. You can then set up a fan profile like above. The case you have (although quiet, and maybe slightly restrictive and small) shouldnt make it get that hot i wouldnt have thought. Trying the gpu with the side off would be a good step to see if better airflow helped...if it does, you might want to get rid of maybe one side of the foam padding if you think it might be dust clogged or stopping a good airflow.
1. Do you have any problems with games crashing etc after a long time playing them? If not....dont worry so much. Would be better to get it down however....
2. Would you like to lower that idle temp, or would you like a quieter pc?
3. Try with the side of the case off to see if airflow is poor.
4. Do you run the card on just a single monitor? I assumed so but if not, or if you have two cards then one will always run hotter.
5. Try setting a fan profile so the fan is on more immediately....i.e at your idle temp, have the fan on to 50% and see if it goes down.
6. You can always get aftermarket gpu coolers. (I wouldnt bother....just try to get these temps down another way or keep using the card unless it gets far too hot under the most stressful conditions.)
7. Afterburner is a better tool than ccc in every way.
8. With a case like that a higher fan speed might be a good idea as you may not be able to hear it as much....a loud fan will sound something like a mini hairdryer :walkman:
Hope this helps in some way....
Thanks very much NilSatis, you've made some good points there.
Temp reading are taken using HWMonitor. I haven't used Furmark or anything.
1) No problem with games crashing, but I've only used one very light game.
2) Whatever will keep my card safe.
3) Will do (on weekend)
4) One HD 6870 card running 2 monitors (Dell 24" 1920x1200 and Dell 20" 1600x1200). Will 2 monitors create much increase in tem?
5) How do I set a fan profile? I can see some settings in CCC > Performance > AMD Overdrive. There is a 'key' symbol, which if I select gives me a warning about altering AMD processor settings may void the warranty (I presume this is referring to the GPU processor?). Does this mean if I continue and select 'OK' that the greyed out boxes will become available, but I would void my warranty? and what about if I use something like MSI Afterburner?(I would like a PCS Mod reply on this point if possible)
Current settings show:
- Temp: 60c
- Activity 0% (yes, I said 0%)
- Fan speed: 28%
On the weekend I'll try, one monitor and remove a side panel from PC to see what, if any difference.
It's not a big deal at the end of the day as I've got 3 year warranty on the card (haven't I?), but I just thought that the lower the temp, the longer the card will last.
Cheers!
Temp reading are taken using HWMonitor. I haven't used Furmark or anything.
1) No problem with games crashing, but I've only used one very light game.
2) Whatever will keep my card safe.
3) Will do (on weekend)
4) One HD 6870 card running 2 monitors (Dell 24" 1920x1200 and Dell 20" 1600x1200). Will 2 monitors create much increase in tem?
5) How do I set a fan profile? I can see some settings in CCC > Performance > AMD Overdrive. There is a 'key' symbol, which if I select gives me a warning about altering AMD processor settings may void the warranty (I presume this is referring to the GPU processor?). Does this mean if I continue and select 'OK' that the greyed out boxes will become available, but I would void my warranty? and what about if I use something like MSI Afterburner?(I would like a PCS Mod reply on this point if possible)
Current settings show:
- Temp: 60c
- Activity 0% (yes, I said 0%)
- Fan speed: 28%
On the weekend I'll try, one monitor and remove a side panel from PC to see what, if any difference.
It's not a big deal at the end of the day as I've got 3 year warranty on the card (haven't I?), but I just thought that the lower the temp, the longer the card will last.
Cheers!
NilSatis
Bright Spark
You set up the fan profile with 3rd party software, called MSI Afterburner. Here is a thread on how to do it, and how heat is actually created by the card: http://www.overclock.net/ati-cooling/646422-how-adjust-your-fan-curve-msi.html once you have been told whether using a custom fan profile will invalidate your warranty (not sure how long it is either mate to answer that question...mods?). As it potentially makes the card less likely to fail due to possible heat build up I wouldn't have thought so...leave the settings in AMD overdrive alone however.
Try and use the card with just the one monitor and see if it makes any difference. The card generally needs to use a higher amount of memory, and this caused huge problems for people with nvidia cards at one stage whose cards needed to run at full clocks to work with two screens.http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=202592 With ATI cards, as far as I know this is less of an issue, but it would be interesting to see if that makes temps drop? In any case, the temperature you have at idle, although a little higher than i would have thought it should be, is not dangerous for the card in any way, and you can attempt to run Furmark linked a few posts above to put it through its paces and see what temp. it comes out with on load; if it is too high then; you have a problem.
Try and use the card with just the one monitor and see if it makes any difference. The card generally needs to use a higher amount of memory, and this caused huge problems for people with nvidia cards at one stage whose cards needed to run at full clocks to work with two screens.http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=202592 With ATI cards, as far as I know this is less of an issue, but it would be interesting to see if that makes temps drop? In any case, the temperature you have at idle, although a little higher than i would have thought it should be, is not dangerous for the card in any way, and you can attempt to run Furmark linked a few posts above to put it through its paces and see what temp. it comes out with on load; if it is too high then; you have a problem.
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Unweakened
Bronze Level Poster
post away m8 if you can get information to help you anywhere then post i've had loads of help from these people and i'm very glad for it and happy that your finding solutions in the answers to my problems.
Unweakened
Bronze Level Poster
will take my graphs card out in a bit and package it up.
Thanks a lot...appreciate it.
Yes, I'll wait to hear from a Mod before using MSI.
When you said " you can attempt to run Furmark linked a few posts above to put it through its paces and see what temp. it comes out with on load; if it is too high then; you have a problem.", what is considered too high?
NilSatis
Bright Spark
I would say that if it gets to 90-100c then stop the test. It wont do it any harm getting to that stage (although i would hope it gets to 85c or less) and the test doesnt last too long either. Your temps should keep getting higher as you run the test and then should peak at a certain level (you may hear your fan running) and unless it is not working properly or something is wrong then temp level will flatten out. All cards are different but anything between 70c-85c would be ok.
It wont do it any harm getting to that stage (although i would hope it gets to 85c or less) and the test doesnt last too long either. Your temps should keep getting higher as you run the test and then should peak at a certain level (you may hear your fan running) and unless it is not working properly or something is wrong then temp level will flatten out. All cards are different but anything between 70c-85c would be ok.Unweakened
Bronze Level Poster
Update: New Card done nothing to change the tearing but it was worth the try i guess....
Was advised to reinstall everything (yes win 7 aswell ) done and installing game will post here as to what happens and if it solves the issue. if not i guess it will be getting returned for a refund.
Edit: No it didnt work. fed up now.
Was advised to reinstall everything (yes win 7 aswell ) done and installing game will post here as to what happens and if it solves the issue. if not i guess it will be getting returned for a refund.
Edit: No it didnt work. fed up now.
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I know it sucks, but take a break and come back fresh tomorrow. Maybe someone will have an(other) idea for you. Just don't do anything drastic while your "fed up"....we are all with you mate!
Unweakened
Bronze Level Poster
I know it sucks, but take a break and come back fresh tomorrow. Maybe someone will have an(other) idea for you. Just don't do anything drastic while your "fed up"....we are all with you mate!
lol cheers but there really is no other option really other than return the dam thing and get them to try and get it working or to get a refund and build one myself and the time i've spent ringing up pc companies and getting pc's and returning them because they have not been either tested properly or they are faulty i could have built one in the time. i only chose to use a company because i wanted to not have the hassle of setting things up and trying to get them to work. my last pc i built lasted 5-6 years and one built by a company (not pointing out just pcspecialist but others aswell that i've had) they dont seem to last 5-6 mins. I mean it was nice to get the abundance of texts and emails from them telling me what stage the pc was at even how it done during the testing phase but the testing phase seems to be just run and see if it works i think not run and see if it works with images runnign through it? (unsure but thats what i think it is)
i think what it is thats annoying me is that £1200 lighter and i have a pc that cant play a simple game without giving me problems, heck my last one i built handled the graphics better than the one running now. i just wanted a upgrade.
ahwell ring them back tomorrow as being asked to reinstall windows at 4:20 pm (thanks to the idiotic DHL delivery people who liek to deliver every single item to me between 3:30-5:30 and never before causing me to waste my whole day. things just dont seemt obe going well atm really lol.
NilSatis
Bright Spark
I cant really think what else to suggest mate, sorry to hear you are still having problems.....when you used the programs I suggested above, did you also force triple buffering?
Also, when you have tried different monitors, did you use the same lead everytime when a monitor required the same connection? It could be a faulty DVI lead. Other than this there are very little similar issues going on on the forums at the moment, most say these cards seem brilliant from most feedback; the only problems are typical ATI driver issues; which i think you have ruled out.
For anyone else with an ATI card, this is the recommendation they suggest to remove old drivers on the official site. The uninstall software here should be good enough to remove all old drivers and if you manually check for other ATI files afterwards as this suggests then you can be sure they are all gone. http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/GPU57RemoveOldGraphicsDrivers.aspx
There is a pre-release beta of the next set of drivers available if you would like to try these; obviously the later the driver the better it should be optimised for our later cards; but this does not mean they will be better, and you understand this isnt an official one! Here is a link anyway, in the random off chance it helps:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/AMD-Catalyst-11.4-Early-Preview-7-Vista-x32-x64-download-2687.html
Also, when you have tried different monitors, did you use the same lead everytime when a monitor required the same connection? It could be a faulty DVI lead. Other than this there are very little similar issues going on on the forums at the moment, most say these cards seem brilliant from most feedback; the only problems are typical ATI driver issues; which i think you have ruled out.
For anyone else with an ATI card, this is the recommendation they suggest to remove old drivers on the official site. The uninstall software here should be good enough to remove all old drivers and if you manually check for other ATI files afterwards as this suggests then you can be sure they are all gone. http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/GPU57RemoveOldGraphicsDrivers.aspx
There is a pre-release beta of the next set of drivers available if you would like to try these; obviously the later the driver the better it should be optimised for our later cards; but this does not mean they will be better, and you understand this isnt an official one! Here is a link anyway, in the random off chance it helps:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/AMD-Catalyst-11.4-Early-Preview-7-Vista-x32-x64-download-2687.html