Why is my graphics card so hot?

slyfoxbr · 2015-11-13 20:13:55

My NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti runs at 52-60 C when idling. I was checking the temperatures through the NVIDIA X Server Settings and I'm using the proprietary Nvidia graphics driver. Why does this happen? Is it normal? I get 37 C idle temps on the same computer on Windows. Same fan speeds and all.

jasonwryan · 2015-11-13 20:16:00

What is the critical temperature threshold for the card?

slyfoxbr · 2015-11-13 20:48:39

85c

Daerandin · 2015-11-13 21:18:06

I have a Nvidia GTX 980M on a laptop, and I'm seeing temperatures around 39-44 C when idle. I would expect a desktop card to run slightly cooler, although I can't confirm anything since I only have a laptop. Something you may want to try is to run a different desktop environment, or just run a simple window manager instead and see if it makes a difference.

slyfoxbr · 2015-11-13 21:50:33

I was running the full KDE desktop environment, if that helps. And on a desktop.

Last edited by slyfoxbr (2015-11-13 21:50:49)

Daerandin · 2015-11-14 11:26:00

What driver are you using? You mention the Nvidia X Server settings, so I assume you are using the nvidia driver, but you don't specify which one you are using.

And like I said, trying out a window manager instead of your current desktop environment would at least help you figure out if it has anything to do with it or not.

Awebb · 2015-11-14 11:57:29

What does the fan do? Maybe the cooling profile is different on Windows. I'd say we have a look, but the closed source drivers are neither readable in plain text, nor can I find sufficient documentation.

slyfoxbr · 2015-11-14 14:00:10

Daerandin wrote:

What driver are you using? You mention the Nvidia X Server settings, so I assume you are using the nvidia driver, but you don't specify which one you are using.
And like I said, trying out a window manager instead of your current desktop environment would at least help you figure out if it has anything to do with it or not.

I was using the proprietary Nvidia drivers.

Awebb wrote:

What does the fan do? Maybe the cooling profile is different on Windows. I'd say we have a look, but the closed source drivers are neither readable in plain text, nor can I find sufficient documentation.

The fan was at 1025rpm, both on Windows and Linux. Linux was at 52-60C while Windows was at 37-40C.

Awebb · 2015-11-14 14:37:24

I suggest you try a simple window manager like Openbox. If it's cool there, you will have to prune the KDE effects a bit. They can be hard to assess.

slyfoxbr · 2015-11-14 18:08:15

I'm using awesome without compositing and it's idling at 45C. I feel like it could've been cooler...

Mercader1902 · 2015-11-15 05:42:20

Did you try the beta drivers?

Daerandin · 2015-11-16 22:51:12

slyfoxbr wrote:

Daerandin wrote:
What driver are you using? You mention the Nvidia X Server settings, so I assume you are using the nvidia driver, but you don't specify which one you are using.
And like I said, trying out a window manager instead of your current desktop environment would at least help you figure out if it has anything to do with it or not.
I was using the proprietary Nvidia drivers.

There are three different versions of the nvidia driver in the repos, I was just wondering which one of these you are using. Since you have a a GTX 980 you should be using the 'nvidia' driver and not one of the legacy drivers (like 'nvidia-340xx').

But if you are on the correct driver for your card, and still running at 45C with just a window manager and no other applications running then I agree that it is a bit high.

Awebb · 2015-11-17 07:51:22

I have done some digging in my old notes. It looks like I have encountered this phenomenon in the past, too. Let's summarize the possible reasons:

1. The card runs hotter, because there is more idle workload in X than in Windows. Too bad there is no "task manager" for GPU workload.
2. The energy management is less aggressive in X than in Windows. That means the card does not reduce clock speeds as fast (or as "dynamically").
3. The cooling profile is less aggressive in X than in Windows. That means the fan allows higher temperatures before cooling down the card.

I'd try another way to read the temperature. Try lm-sensors, it should be able to read the card's data. Maybe the config tool is putting stress on the card. If lm-sensors work, try a very minimal setup: xterm directly launched from xinitrc, no WM nothing else. From there it's a loop of reading lm-sensor data and launching windows, comparing the data.

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#1 2015-11-13 20:13:55

Why is my graphics card so hot?

#2 2015-11-13 20:16:00

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#3 2015-11-13 20:48:39

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#4 2015-11-13 21:18:06

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#5 2015-11-13 21:50:33

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#6 2015-11-14 11:26:00

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#7 2015-11-14 11:57:29

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#8 2015-11-14 14:00:10

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#9 2015-11-14 14:37:24

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#10 2015-11-14 18:08:15

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#11 2015-11-15 05:42:20

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#12 2015-11-16 22:51:12

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

#13 2015-11-17 07:51:22

Re: Why is my graphics card so hot?

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