Hey everyone,
I recently installed a PCIe expansion card that has 7 USB slots because my motherboard's I/O ports couldn't keep up with my needs. The problem is that my Sapphire Pulse RX 5600 XT's fans barely fit next to the card. Now, one of the fans isn't moving because it's too close to the PCIe card.
When I put the GPU under load using Furmark, it hits about 90°C and its hotspot temperature reaches 105°C, all while drawing 160W. I managed to use MSI Afterburner to limit the power and undervolt it, bringing the GPU temperature down to around 85°C and the hotspot to 95°C. I have a Corsair 3500X case with two Thermalright fans pulling air in from the side and one fan blowing air out the back.
I'm wondering if I should get a PCIe x1 riser cable to fix the fan issue, and if that would help, will it still be okay to use my PC with these temperatures until the cable arrives? Thanks!
Also, just to give you some context: in July, before all this, my GPU temps were maxing out at 70°C during a 3DMark test with the same fan setup, and I didn't notice much of a difference in hotspot temperatures either.
Appreciate any help!
1 Answer
You definitely shouldn't let that second fan stay blocked! A PCIe riser cable is a good call. While 95°C on the hotspot isn't dangerous necessarily, it can hurt performance and shorten the life of your thermal paste. By the way, thermal paste can dry out over time, so you might want to consider replacing it, especially if it’s been a while since it was last done. Using something like PTM7950 could help drop those temps by at least 10 degrees!
I think the last owner might have repasted it when I bought it in February because the difference between GPU temps and hotspot temps hasn't been too high. I might have some thermal paste lying around—do you think that would do the trick?