Power control setting, HD7950 MSI TF3

[ChristTheGreat]

Hey guys,

I was doing some test as I was finding that my card gets hot when stressing it (over 80C).

Tests:

1150/1350, Power +20%, I stopped at 81C
960/1250, Power 0%, 71-72C
960/1350, Power 0%, card runs 880mhz GPU
960/1250, Power +20%, I stopped at 81C.

Room temp: 27C
idle 47C at 40% RPM

Why Power limit makes the card getting hotter event at stock clock? Case is well cooled, bottom 140 (not full speed), front 140mm not full speed, 2x 140mm top full speed fractal, one front XSPC 120mm full speed intake.. I could maybe put a 120mm front full speed instead of that akasa, or side 140mm, but I doubt this will change something..


Thanks for any help

 

[d1nky]

maybe read this pdf

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...=SXLn7zPPW9A_DKbKANlYNw&bvm=bv.50952593,d.d2k

In brief the card has a raised TDP envelope allowing it to draw more power resulting in more heat.

 

[ChristTheGreat]

Thanks.

So having the card at 0% if your GPU get over a fixed TDP, the card will run stock clock as the TDP is too high?

So now I understand, that with my card running at 1.25v stock, and overclocking a little bit, at 0% it is going down to stock clock..

 

[zepedee]

vapourx

dam I read nothing bad about this card I particularly liked the vapor-x technology thing, supposed to keep it cool and silent, read, some reviews, and watched some youtube stuff.
So I ordered one payed lots of hard earned sheckles.
then I find lots of negative reviews bout it over heating and becoming noisy and all that.
I find that its got bad VRM cooling because sapphire has used the same heatsink plate that cools the gpu for the vrm chips and used thick thermal pads so the vrm chips heat to over 100c wich is ridiculous.
As far as I can understand from what I've read and common sense, the vaporx big heatsink, transfers heat from the gpu to the vrm chips and that thick thermal pad they use on the vrms don't help matters.
and why do manufactures use such crap thermal paist who the fck uses the the thermal paist that comes with a cpu .in a little bag NO you go get some arctic silvir or mx-4 or something.
I even get some 2500grit and a little brasso and buff down that heatsink and cpu .
through experimentation I find I can get 25c off the temps by doing this,if you know what your doing.

 

[Vario]

Thanks.

So having the card at 0% if your GPU get over a fixed TDP, the card will run stock clock as the TDP is too high?

So now I understand, that with my card running at 1.25v stock, and overclocking a little bit, at 0% it is going down to stock clock..

Id recommend only raising TDP if your card needs it to stabilize an overclock. As I understand it TDP raises the maximum amount of power the card will draw under load and reduces any throttling. So if its drawing more power even at stock clocks it will run hotter.

I haven't really ever seen a good engineer's definition for the Power Limit Control in CCC, just a lot of speculation. Again, I'd only use it when you can't overclock further, then raise it up 5% each increment until you get the stability you need. It might also help with benchmarking because it will remove some throttling, so check your benchmark scores with it raised and without it raised. With my 7970, it improved stability and smoothness with a simple overclock but with my 7850, which was at a much greater overclock, it caused some small annoying stutters.

 

[ChristTheGreat]

just when I start furmark, the card drop to 880 mhz if I am under 15% for 1150mhz :S

so I guess I'll leave it at 20% for gaming, but no big stress on the card.

 

[EarthDog]

Id recommend only raising TDP if your card needs it to stabilize an overclock. As I understand it TDP raises the maximum amount of power the card will draw under load and reduces any throttling. So if its drawing more power even at stock clocks it will run hotter.

A GPU will only draw as much power as it needs. If you raise the power limit, it will not automatically use more power UNLESS IT GOES PAST 100% (0% power limit).

just when I start furmark, the card drop to 880 mhz if I am under 15% for 1150mhz :S

so I guess I'll leave it at 20% for gaming, but no big stress on the card.

Furmark is a power virus and will throttle. I don't think there could be a worse thing to use to compare power limits than Furmark. If you leave MSI AB up while playing a game at stock clocks, I bet you dont come CLOSE to the 100% power use... I have only seen a couple of cards go past 100% power with a FULL overclock.

 

[Jstn7477]

My old Sapphire HD 6950 went over the power limit with a modest OC to 860MHz. Also, my first XFX 7950 did not perform its best at stock until I raised the power limit to +20%, otherwise it would get about 60% of the 3DMark score it was supposed to be getting.

 

[ChristTheGreat]

A GPU will only draw as much power as it needs. If you raise the power limit, it will not automatically use more power UNLESS IT GOES PAST 100% (0% power limit).

Furmark is a power virus and will throttle. I don't think there could be a worse thing to use to compare power limits than Furmark. If you leave MSI AB up while playing a game at stock clocks, I bet you dont come CLOSE to the 100% power use... I have only seen a couple of cards go past 100% power with a FULL overclock.

I'll give it a shot.