My RX 580 suddenly stopped working, and a technician wasn't able to determine what failed. I'm wondering whether unusually high CPU or case temperatures could have damaged it. A few days before the failure, I noticed the PC running hotter than normal, although there were no strange noises or burning smells.
The computer was purchased prebuilt, and I've been replacing parts gradually while learning about PC hardware. I don't want to buy another graphics card only for it to fail again, so I'm considering adding reverse-direction case fans and a CPU water cooler to improve airflow and monitor temperatures. Would that help, or is there something else I should check first? The system has an Intel Core i5-2500 and an RX 580.
3 Answers
The graphics chip itself normally protects against excessive heat by reducing its speed or shutting the system down. A graphics card can still fail because of another board component, such as a capacitor, fuse, or MOSFET, but diagnosing and repairing that usually costs more than replacing the card. Heat may have contributed, but it isn’t necessarily the direct cause.
Those parts are already quite old: the i5-2500 is roughly 15 years old and the RX 580 is around 9 years old. Electronics can fail randomly as they age, even with good temperatures. Better case airflow is sensible, but an expensive water cooler probably isn’t worthwhile for this platform. Put that money toward a newer system or, at minimum, a reliable power supply and replacement hardware.
I’d check the power supply before buying another GPU. If it’s the original unit from the prebuilt computer, it may be old or low quality and could have contributed to the failure. Don’t reuse an unknown or questionable PSU in the replacement system.
Sustained high temperatures can shorten the life of components such as capacitors, but the age of this system makes ordinary component failure just as plausible. Cooling can reduce future stress, but it can’t restore a damaged card.