I recently upgraded my PC, getting a B550M motherboard, a Ryzen 5 5500 processor, and a second-hand GTX 1660 Ti. I wanted to test the GPU in some games, and while it worked, I noticed that the temperature shot up to 80°C within just 5 minutes of playing. It even peaked at 89°C at one point! After that, I repasted the GPU and its thermal pads, but I'm still seeing high temperatures—hitting 80°C in 8 to 11 minutes of gaming on high settings, and when idle for an hour, it goes up to 86°C. Is this normal? What am I doing wrong?
6 Answers
What exact model is your GPU? It might help to figure out if you've got the right parts. If Afterburner can't read your GPU, it may indicate that you’ve got a variant that isn’t behaving like typical models, which might need different drivers or settings.
Slow temperature creep might suggest there’s not enough hot air being expelled from your case. Try ramping up your exhaust fans to improve airflow, which could help cool things down.
What thermal paste and pads did you use? It's crucial to have the right thickness and quality. If you used Arctic TP-3 pads, that should be okay, but ensure they were the right measurements for your GPU.
Have you adjusted your fan curves? If your fans are running at lower speeds, that could be why the GPU is heating up so fast. You might want to double-check the MSI Afterburner settings to see if you can increase that filtering.
Those temps are definitely not ideal, and if they're worse after repasting, something might have gone wrong. Make sure your case has good airflow and that your GPU's fans are actually working. If your room's hot, that could contribute, too. You might want to try repasting it again, and consider some slight undervolting if your setup allows it. Check your settings in Afterburner for more options.
It could also be a driver issue. Reinstalling them might help, so keep Windows updates paused during that process. If your GPU is from ASUS, use their site for the latest drivers.
Have you checked how your GPU performs in benchmarks? While 80°C is high, it's not alarmingly bad for your card. If the performance is off, your cooler might not be effective, or the thermal pads need another look, especially if you've noticed higher temps after reapplying everything.
I compared it to some benchmark videos, and it seems my GPU's fan isn't performing well, which could be causing the higher temperatures.
I tried adjusting the fan RPM using MSI Afterburner, but it's greyed out. I couldn't find a FAN tab in the settings either, which is really frustrating.