Is my 6970 system underpowered? I really can't tell...

[reehdus]

Hi there guys, I've been troubleshooting all this while and I really can't get to the bottom of this so I would appreciate some expert opinions. My rig is listed as below:

1) Intel i5 2500K CPU OCed to 4GHz
2) Gigabyte P67 - UD3 Mobo
3) 4GB Value RAM (2 sticks of 2GB)
4) A WD Blue 1TB Hard Disk
5) 1 DVD Drive
6) A Powercolor HD6970 with two fans on the heatsink
7) 6 12cm case fans

all powered by a Corsair GS600 600W PSU. My issue is that I've had trouble with all 6950/6970 cards from powercolor (I RMAed two actually so far), and I'm wondering if the issue is that my PSU is not supplying enough power to the card.

What I actually see in this most recent card is when I go into games etc., the GPU usage starts going to 100%. That's fine...but the GPU fan suddenly goes crazy and starts hitting 100%. Doesn't seem to be doing it's job though bcause the GPU temps reach 105 degrees C. I've reseated the heatsink and reapplied thermal paste but nothing seems to work. I actually think the card is dead now though...it crashes even when browsing the net. What do you guys think was the problem? Idle temps were at 42 degrees btw...thanks for the help!

 

[Zhriver]

A powermeter doesn't cost much these days. Should be able to grab a decent one around 20bucks.
That should give you a ballpark figure off your draw.

 

[slyfox2151]

your 600watt PSU will supply more then enough power for your system.


your GPU shouldnt be going higher then around 90-95 degress max.
thats where your problem lyes.

 

[Evolved]

600Watts is way too little. The minimum recommended wattage is 550w,
according to the official AMD website. You need, at least, 750+

I recommend PC Power & Cooling - Silencer MK II (750w 80PLUS Silver - 880w Peak)
Or, you can get a solid 950w for just $30 more, your choice.

You have 6 fans, OC'ed your CPU (which you then OC your RAM).
Those non-reference 6970's from PowerColor definitely draw more power because of the aftermarket cooling (two fans).
I take it you are OC'ing your video card too?

Dang, your 600w is getting a serious workout, but seriously, you're going way over with your build.

 

[reehdus]

I figured that was the problem...but wouldn't my system being underpowered manifest itself differently? Like maybe auto shutdown etc? I haven't OCed my card at all...but I think my roommate tried once = instant crash.

 

[slyfox2151]

600Watts is way too little. The minimum recommended wattage is 550w,
according to the official AMD website. You need, at least, 750+

I recommend PC Power & Cooling - Silencer MK II (750w 80PLUS Silver - 880w Peak)
Or, you can get a solid 950w for just $30 more, your choice.

You have 6 fans, OC'ed your CPU (which you then OC your RAM).
Those non-reference 6970's from PowerColor definitely draw more power because of the aftermarket cooling (two fans).
I take it you are OC'ing your video card too?

Dang, your 600w is getting a serious workout, but seriously, you're going way over with your build.

if power was the issue he would be getting Blue screens or just simply shutting down, this is not the case.

 

[LDNL]

600Watts is way too little. The minimum recommended wattage is 550w,
according to the official AMD website. You need, at least, 750+

I recommend PC Power & Cooling - Silencer MK II (750w 80PLUS Silver - 880w Peak)
Or, you can get a solid 950w for just $30 more, your choice.

You have 6 fans, OC'ed your CPU (which you then OC your RAM).
Those non-reference 6970's from PowerColor definitely draw more power because of the aftermarket cooling (two fans).
I take it you are OC'ing your video card too?

Dang, your 600w is getting a serious workout, but seriously, you're going way over with your build.

A 600 watter has enough juice for your rig. If the card is hitting well over 100c thats a huge problem. Keep the side cover of your case open and see what kind of results you get. With that kind of heat you might wanna invest in some fans to get good airflow through your case.

E: What kind of airflow pattern do you have in your case? Seems youve already got a ton of fans

 

[Evolved]

I figured that was the problem...but wouldn't my system being underpowered manifest itself differently? Like maybe auto shutdown etc? I haven't OCed my card at all...but I think my roommate tried once = instant crash.

On idle, your system will be fine.
Won't draw much power from your PSU.

But under load, I'd imagine your PC would shut down.

Try playing a PC game and see what happens.

EDIT: Nvm, "ignore me". My help doesn't matter.

Jesus, these forums need better community members

 

[slyfox2151]

On idle, your system will be fine.
Won't draw much power from your PSU.

But under load, I'd imagine your PC would shut down.

Try playing a PC game and see what happens.

EDIT: Nvm, "ignore me". My help doesn't matter.

Jesus, these forums need better community members

the problem is not his PSU from the infomation he has given us, its clearly heat related as he said his card is hitting 105 degrees.




as a test, touch the heatsink on your video card while its under load. is it Hot / Very hot to touch? does it burn your hand?

if its burning your hand, then you either need more airflow over the GPU, or a larger/better heat sink. if its not hot, then its not touching the GPU enough. ( or in the unlikely event, its a false reading.)

 

[LDNL]

the problem is not his PSU from the infomation he has given us, its clearly heat related as he said his card is hitting 105 degrees.

Indeed.

On idle, your system will be fine.
Won't draw much power from your PSU.

But under load, I'd imagine your PC would shut down.

Try playing a PC game and see what happens.

EDIT: Nvm, "ignore me". My help doesn't matter.

Jesus, these forums need better community members

Sorry about that. Didn't mean to offend you.

 

[reehdus]

Ignore him. A 600 watter has enough juice for your rig. If the card is hitting well over 100c thats a huge problem. Keep your side cover of your case open and see what kind of results you get. With that kind of heat you might wanna invest in some fans to get good airflow through your case.

E: What kind of airflow pattern do you have in your case? Seems youve already got a ton of fans

I pretty much followed the diagram from here: http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6654

I'm not sure if the problem is heat related. My first 6950 (which died of unnatural reasons and got RMAed) was running well...only about 70 - 80 degrees on load. I had a reference 6970 which ran around 90 on load as well. The non reference card now runs very hot.

My contact with powercolor suspects my PSU. I suspected it as well but was skeptical. Was my PSU really behind the brutal murders of my previous cards?

Evolved makes a good case. It could really be that the PSU is being pushed. The GS600 is only rated at a power factor of 0.8 after all, which means that it's only probably delivering real power of 480W minimum.

 

[slyfox2151]

I pretty much followed the diagram from here: http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6654

I'm not sure if the problem is heat related. My first 6950 (which died of unnatural reasons and got RMAed) was running well...only about 70 - 80 degrees on load. I had a reference 6970 which ran around 90 on load as well. The non reference card now runs very hot.

My contact with powercolor suspects my PSU. I suspected it as well but was skeptical. Was my PSU really behind the brutal murders of my previous cards?

Evolved makes a good case. It could really be that the PSU is being pushed. The GS600 is only rated at a power factor of 0.8 after all, which means that it's only probably delivering real power of 480W minimum.

no, efficiency works the other way around. your PSU will deliver all 600 watts of DC. it will pull more then 700-800 watts of AC out of the wall due to efficiency witch can bounce anywhere from 65-75% upto 85% depending on the PSU, Gold or higher rated PSUs have much better efficiency but it does not change how much power they can output, only how much they draw from the wall.



if you want to test your PSU, you will need a Multi meter and a Kilawatt meter

use the multi meter to test the volts on each rail on your PSU to make sure they are within spec.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimeter


use the watt meter to check how much ac power your pulling from the watt, then remove roughly! 14-22 % due to efficiency to show how much DC power is being pull from your PSU.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7657/




better yet, if you have another stronger PSU you can borrow then that will rule it out.

i see no reason to suspect your PSU at this point in time however. as i said before, if it was a power problem then you should also experience full system lock / instant shutdown under load and likely blue screens.



its simple, your GPU should not exceed 95 Degrees. if it does then you will have problems.

 

[LDNL]

As stated it might be killing your cards but it doesn't make em run hotter than normal. There has to be something wrong with the airflow or the card itself.

 

[reehdus]

darn it...i think the card's gone to hell..once i start putting it under load it goes all black screen of doom on me...i think it's fried. Man this sucks. The airflow should be alright I'm guessing, three intakes and three outtakes. Probably if I can get another identical 6970 on my system, if the fans go haywire, I'll know it's my system. RMA here I come.

 

[slyfox2151]

black screen straight away under load? or after a few mins?

 

[LDNL]

Let us know how it turns out. If the next one dies or they dont find anything wrong with the current card like Evolved said get a new psu but it doesnt have to be a 900 watter. A 500-700 with somekind of certification of quality.

 

[reehdus]

black screen straight away under load? or after a few mins?

Well sometimes it goes straight black screen under load and sometimes it goes after a few mins. This just happened recently though. Prior to this i was able to actually 'play' at 105 degress (i ran through an entire 3dmark11 benchmark a few times against better judgment). I didn't see black screens before. Like LDNL suggested I'll try getting this card returned in favor of an identical card and see what happens. If it happens again then it might be the PSU like Evolved pointed out.

You've been really helpful guys, thanks a lot for the help

 

[reehdus]

Hey guys I'm back...got my card back from testing and they claim all their similar model cards are running at the same temp. I've changed my PSU to a 850 watt one. The good news is that everything runs fine without crashing. The bad news is that on heavy load (like Crysis 2), the temperatures stay at a constant 103 degrees celcius or so. That's really sucky as the framerate drops because I think the card is throttling performance to keep temps safe. I've no idea what to do now. I'm considering an aftermarket option like the Accelero Xtreme Plus 2 or something. Do you guys think it would actually help?

 

[Steevo]

The core was doing its job of thermal throttling at 105C as it is designed to. The power supply was dropping voltage causing all the mosfets and power regulation circuitry on the card to die a premature death.

You should have used gpuz and monitored your other temps to get the full story.

 

[erocker]

if power was the issue he would be getting Blue screens or just simply shutting down, this is not the case.

Not true. I've experienced stuttering and horrible performance without bluescreens/crashes due to an insufficient PSU. Results can vary depending on what aspect of the PSU is not sufficient enough.

 

[reehdus]

I'll try that Steevo, but exactly what would I be looking for?

 

[reehdus]

Not true. I've experienced stuttering and horrible performance without bluescreens/crashes due to an insufficient PSU. Results can vary depending on what aspect of the PSU is not sufficient enough.

I think 850W should be more than enough now. I'm using a Corsair TX850 V2. The problem now is probably the card itself...sigh

 

[Steevo]

Absurd phase temps. I added a cooler and superglued a sink on my phases for my watercooling to control temps as it was unstable at the speeds the core will support, especially when I am running 1.35 volts.

 

[AsRock]

I only hit 380w with my setup. So if the PSU is doing what it should it should be fine.

 

[reehdus]

I only hit 380w with my setup. So if the PSU is doing what it should it should be fine.

I figured as much...850w is probably high enough to crossfire 6970s...hahaha...still...will have a look at the other temperatures and see what I can gather from there...sigh...this has been a real headache.