I recently purchased a Gigabyte RTX 3060TI Windforce OC from someone who sold it at a low price due to its high temperatures. He mentioned that it regularly hits around 87°C or 88°C. I assumed the issue was related to thermal paste or pads, so I bought the card. However, after testing it myself, I found the hotspot temperatures reaching 105°C, which is concerning. I took it to a friend who's more experienced, and he opened it up to find dry thermal paste and degraded thermal pads, along with a scratched heat sink. He replaced the thermal paste, changed the pads, and polished the heatsink, which brought the temperature down to 75°C, but the hotspots remain at 105°C. We checked for uneven spots on both the GPU die and the heatsink, but didn't find any. Now we're puzzled about why the hotspot continues to be so high even when the main temperature readings are significantly lower.
3 Answers
What thermal paste and pads are you using? It's also important to make sure the mounting screws are tightened properly in a star pattern to ensure even pressure across the GPU.
It could be worth checking the airflow in your case too. Poor ventilation can lead to hotspots, even with good thermal management on the GPU. Just a thought!
Does the hotspot always read 105°C, or does it vary with load? Asking because sometimes hotspots can spike under heavy usage.
No, the hotspot hits 105°C only when the GPU is under load.