MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X 3G high temperatures during gaming

[Bjørgersson]

Hi guys!

My problem is that my MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X is getting quite hot during gaming in the last couple of weeks. It gets around 70-73 °C instead of the 63-65 °C it used to be. So far I've checked GPUShark if there's anything in the background using the GPU that shouldn't be, but unfortunately (or fortunately?) there's nothing. I've also tried 378.57, 378.77 and 378.92 drivers, but non of them made any difference.
Below you can see the more important GPUShark readings during and two screens of GPU-Z with the maximum and average readings after like an hour of Far Cry 4. You can also see my setup, all 3 fans are running @ 900 RPM, so the intake and exhaust shouldn't be a problem I believe.

What could be the problem?




Driver version: R378.92
NV driver branch: r378_78-8
Bios version: 86.06.27.00.2b
GPU temp: 70.0°C (min:47.0°C - max:70.0°C)
Fan speed: 49.0% / 1221.0 RPM
Current clock speeds:
• Core: 2050.0MHz
• Texture fillrate: 147.6 GTexel/sec
• Pixel fillrate: 98.4 GPixel/sec
• Mem: 4498.0MHz
• Mem bandwidth: 215.9GB/s
GPU power:
• Current power: 57.0% TDP
• Min power: 50.0% TDP
• Max power: 108.0% TDP
• Default power: 100.0% TDP
• Power target: 100.0% TDP
GPU and memory usage:
• GPU: 99.0%, max: 100.0%
• GPU memory: 71.7%
• GPU memory controller: 49.0%
Limiting policies (NVIDIA):
• GPU voltage limit reached
Current active 3D applications:
• dwm.exe (PID: 968)
• explorer.exe (PID: 2960)
• ShellExperienceHost.exe (PID: 3272)
• GPUShark-0.9.11.1.exe (PID: 3932)
• farcry4.exe (PID: 112)

 

[PerfectWave]

one is avg the other is max!!!!!

 

[Bjørgersson]

one is avg the other is max!!!!!

"Below you can see ... and two screens of GPU-Z with the maximum and average readings after like an hour of Far Cry 4."

 

[PerfectWave]

nvm XD maybe it is higher ambient temperature or maybe it is an update of gameapp of msi (that i hate a lot)

 

[Bjørgersson]

nvm XD maybe it is higher ambient temperature or maybe it is an update of gameapp of msi (that i hate a lot)

Never have I used that Gaming app.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

in the last couple of weeks.

Has it gotten warmer outside in that time frame? Seems like I remember that these questions pop up every spring.

Edit:

• You're doing the right thing by watching your temps.
• As @alucasa points out below, your temps are not in any way unsafe.
• Your GPU is not concerned about it. It's only running the fans at 49%. If you're fans were at 100%, then you might have a problem.
• If you want to lower your temperatures, increase the fan speeds with something like Afterburner.

 

[alucasa]

High temp? Where? I don't see 90c ~ 100c.

 

[cdawall]

Who cares? It is running 30C below throttle and 35C below max. Move on.

 

[Bjørgersson]

Has it gotten warmer outside in that time frame? Seems like I remember that these questions pop up every spring.

Edit:

• You're doing the right thing by watching your temps.
• As @alucasa points out below, your temps are not in any way unsafe.
• Your GPU is not concerned about it. It's only running the fans at 49%. If you're fans were at 100%, then you might have a problem.
• If you want to lower your temperatures, increase the fan speeds with something like Afterburner.

It has, yet my CPU did not get any hotter. How's that?

 

[Bjørgersson]

Who cares? It is running 30C below throttle and 35C below max. Move on.

I do. Move on to the next thread, thanks.

 

[Vya Domus]

Important question : Do you use V-Sync ? If not those temps are perfectly fine. If you do , well my 1060 with a blower style cooler never gets above 70c with the default fan curve in any game/benchmark I tried with V-Sync on , I would imagine that cooler would do a far better job in this case , though as stated above it's still well within the safety zone.

 

[Norton]

It's possible the thermal paste isn't doing its job and needs to be redone.

MSI Frozer type coolers are notorious for this (heavy cooler/small spring loaded screws/small contact area)- My 6870 Hawk needed to be redone about every 6 months or so.

 

[ASOT]

PREMIUM THERMAL COMPOUND
Every detail counts when it comes to creating the ultimate thermal design, which is why TWIN FROZR VI uses a premium thermal compound to make sure it outlives the competition.

 

[Norton]

PREMIUM THERMAL COMPOUND
Every detail counts when it comes to creating the ultimate thermal design, which is why TWIN FROZR VI uses a premium thermal compound to make sure it outlives the competition.

Paste loses contact between the gpu and cooler- sometimes all it takes is a little sideways twist of the card. Doesn't matter if it was provided with premium or the cheapest they could get.

 

[cdawall]

I do. Move on to the next thread, thanks.

There is nothing wrong with the card. 70C isn't even remotely close to warm and the reason your CPU didn't step up in temp is probably related to the fan curve. No GPU I know of even tried to step the fans up until 80C.

In fact your own pictures show that the fan never exceeds 50%. That should say something all on its own. Stop making problems out of ones that don't exist.

 

[Bjørgersson]

Important question : Do you use V-Sync ? If not those temps are perfectly fine. If you do , well my 1060 with a blower style cooler never gets above 70c with the default fan curve in any game/benchmark I tried with V-Sync on , I would imagine that cooler would do a far better job in this case , though as stated above it's still well within the safety zone.

Depends, in FPS games I don't.

 

[Bjørgersson]

There is nothing wrong with the card. 70C isn't even remotely close to warm and the reason your CPU didn't step up in temp is probably related to the fan curve. No GPU I know of even tried to step the fans up until 80C.

In fact your own pictures show that the fan never exceeds 50%. That should say something all on its own. Stop making problems out of ones that don't exist.

Well, it's still disappointing, especially when compared to my previous GTX 960 Gaming 4G. That could maintain a ~65 ºC temperature during gaming even in summer heats with lower fan speed, while having the same TDP and almost the same hugeass Gaming cooler.

 

[Vya Domus]

Depends, in FPS games I don't.

So there you have your answer , 72c in FC4 with V-Sync off is not abnormal in any way whatsoever.

Well, it's still disappointing, especially when compared to my previous GTX 960 Gaming 4G. That could maintain a ~65 ºC temperature during gaming even in summer heats with lower fan speed, while having the same TDP and almost the same hugeass Gaming cooler.

The thing is , you simply cannot compare two GPUs built on different manufacturing nodes in this way.

 

[kn00tcn]

but how old is the card? 4 weeks? 4 months? what was the fan speed before? what was the voltage before? crazy idea but have you updated the mobo bios during these 2 weeks? i'm unclear if any of those drivers you tried are the same ones as before

speaking of fan speed, that's how this works, that's how every model works, more fan speed means lower temps (assuming the heatsink is properly designed)

if the bios says 'do not raise the fan speed much until after 70 degrees' then you're going to see wild fluctuations in temps below 70 depending on a lot of things, but then stable temps after 70 no matter if it's summer or winter, with wild fluctuations in fan speed as an example

you are free to use afterburner to make a fan curve that targets temperature rather than noise, or even mod the card's bios itself, or simply not care until the summer when it's time to really experiment to make sure it's hitting boost clocks like the winter

edit: one more thing about fan speed, the percentage is the voltage, but the rpm is the result, meaning, if the fan is having problems, the percentage wont change while the rpm goes down (such as when it's failing/rattling) resulting in higher temps triggering the bios to increase the percentage & so on

if you dont have actual readings of all of these sensors from when it was colder, then we're just guessing & experimenting

 

[Bjørgersson]

but how old is the card? 4 weeks? 4 months? what was the fan speed before? what was the voltage before? crazy idea but have you updated the mobo bios during these 2 weeks? i'm unclear if any of those drivers you tried are the same ones as before

speaking of fan speed, that's how this works, that's how every model works, more fan speed means lower temps (assuming the heatsink is properly designed)

if the bios says 'do not raise the fan speed much until after 70 degrees' then you're going to see wild fluctuations in temps below 70 depending on a lot of things, but then stable temps after 70 no matter if it's summer or winter, with wild fluctuations in fan speed as an example

you are free to use afterburner to make a fan curve that targets temperature rather than noise, or even mod the card's bios itself, or simply not care until the summer when it's time to really experiment to make sure it's hitting boost clocks like the winter

edit: one more thing about fan speed, the percentage is the voltage, but the rpm is the result, meaning, if the fan is having problems, the percentage wont change while the rpm goes down (such as when it's failing/rattling) resulting in higher temps triggering the bios to increase the percentage & so on

if you dont have actual readings of all of these sensors from when it was colder, then we're just guessing & experimenting

It's ~5 months old, I bought it in november. I don't know exactly, it was somewhere around 30-35%, definitely not 50+, and the voltage was the same, I haven't touched anything related to that. I've upgraded the motherboard itself from a Z77A-GD55, not its BIOS.