How To Lower GPU Temperature? - Complete Guide

how to lower gpu temp

Keeping your GPU cool will help it last longer and run better. This blog post will teach you how to lower GPU temperature of your video card by a few degrees.

The first step is to learn what type of GPU cooling system you have; if you have an air-cooling solution, then find out how many fans there are on the card and make sure they're all in working order (i.e., not clogged).

If you have a water cooling system, make sure that the radiator has enough water flowing through it for optimal performance (a good way to tell is by checking the flow rate with a hydrometer) and also clean any dust off of the fins that might be causing excessive heat build-up.

If you have an ice-cooling solution, make sure the GPU is resting on a flat surface to ensure there's no uneven contact--a good way of doing this would be by using a piece of cardboard as a base.

Lastly, if you're not overclocking your graphics card or CPU and still want to keep it cool, try opening up either BIOS settings (depending on what type of motherboard) or Nvidia Control Panel and lower the fan speeds manually from 100% to 50%. This will let your video card run more quietly and at less risk for overheating.

Physical Ways To Reduce The GPU Temperature

Ways To Reduce The GPU Temp

If your computer has been overheating then the reason for overheating will be a physical one that requires you to open up your case. Remember that if you're careful and remember what all those screws do when putting them back in again, then everything should go smoothly!

1. Removing The Dust

A clean PC is a happy computer. Dust will get inside of your case one way or another, but there are ways to help avoid it! If you have more fans leading outside the chassis, then less dust and other particles can enter your enclosure and settle on sensitive components where they don't belong.

The rule here would be - the more vents for air intake that lead into the system’s interior from all sides (rather than just in front), combined with having an exhaust fan at the rear of your machine pulling out hot stale air away through slots/vents cut in the back panel.

These two design features should work together to reduce the dusty build-up within an average size gaming rig's innermost areas by re-circulating fresh cool external ambient airflow through the cabinet.

Take off any dust-covers that are blocking your CPU fan and heat sink – some computer cases come with an attached cover, while others have covers you can remove or pull out from in front of the fan and heatsink to blow on it for a quick clean up.

Steps to remove dust from your CPU :

Ways To Reduce The GPU Temp
  • Open the case – This is usually done with a latch or by removing the side panel.
  • Takeout the GPU – First, remove the screw that holds it in place. Unplug all cables and then make sure you disconnect from your computer first before continuing to unplug any other cords. Although this isn't mandatory for many cases, it's a good practice to remove the GPU because you can then clean the dust off of its fan blades.
  • Remove the fans – Unplug all the connectors and open up the screws that hold the fan.
  • Use a vacuum cleaner to suck up dust
  • Use compressed air cans to blow the dust off
  • Clean your PC's inside with cotton swabs and some water. Use cleaning fluid, actually, it's better to use a damp cloth instead of spray liquids as it doesn't leave any residue on the surfaces. Spray liquid can drip into your case that can cause electrical problems.
  • Put the components back together and screw the PC back together and you're done.
  • Ensure The Fans Are Working Properly

Many people don't realize that their computer fans are broken until they turn on the PC, but it's easy to overlook this if you open your case while the power is off.

When your PC is on, the fans are running. You can tell if they're working properly by looking at them or listening to the sound of air being blown out.

If you don't hear a high-pitched whirring noise coming from inside your case then it's likely that one or more of the fans has stopped working and should be replaced.

The humble GPU is a miracle of ingenuity, and its manufacturers have taken great pains to innovate with every new design.

One such innovation was the ability for many GPUs to turn off their fans when they are not needed in order to save power. This can lead some users who don't know about this feature into believing that there's something wrong with their computers.

Reasons that could stop working of the fan properly

Ways To Reduce The GPU Temp
  • The fan could be clogged with dust.
  • There may not be enough airflow inside the cabinet to move all the hot air away from components.
  • You might have too many fans and they are fighting against each other for a limited airflow supply.
  • Power connectors might not have connected properly.
  • The power supply unit might not be working properly and is unable to provide enough electricity for the fan.
  • Fan bearings out of commission - If you are at a loss for what is wrong with your fan, do not worry. It could be that the bearings have gone out or it might just need some lubrication to get things running smoothly again.
  • Fans stopped working entirely – Fans are usually the first thing to go, and if your machine is having trouble with anything else it's likely due to a defective fan. Luckily you can just replace those without needing an entirely new graphics card.

2. Replace The Thermal Paste

Replace The Thermal Paste

The thermal paste on your graphics card might be the problem. If it is old and dried out, you will need to replace that before continuing with any other troubleshooting steps.

The warning signs of GPU issues are often hard to notice. You don't know if it's the issue until you remove your graphics card from its case, and that can take time.

If anything else is wrong with your PC or laptop after removing the heat sink and CPU fan, changing thermal paste will only make things better in the long run.

Steps To Replace Thermal Paste :

  • Put on protective gloves
  • Remove the graphics card from the case
  • Remove the old, dried out the thermal paste with rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs (DO NOT USE ALCOHOL IF YOU ARE USING LAPTOP)
  • Clean any other residue or dust off of the graphics card's heat sink and CPU fan.
  • Apply a small amount of new thermal paste to your GPU using an applicator tip if needed.
  • Reattach all cables to components in order for the computer to function properly."

3. Improve The Airflow Within The Case

how to lower the gpu temp

If you have been playing games for a long time, then you know that it can get really hot inside your computer's case. This is because all of the components generate heat and are crammed together in one tiny space.

The airflow within the case has to be increased so that there is more movement of cool air around every component.

If you want to do this, then I recommend purchasing some fans with high CFM ratings and installing them in different spots on the case - such as on top, at the bottom, or along each side.

If you don't feel like doing any work, then just buy an open-air type case instead!

One thing is taking off all of the side panels of your computer and making sure they're not blocking anything such as a graphics card or cables coming out from inside.

This will help with air circulation, which reduces heat build-up by getting rid of hot air before it has time to accumulate in one place on the motherboard.

You should also make sure that any area where dust could get into your PC is covered – this includes vents, fans, and areas around the CPU fan socket.

The last thing you want is for dust buildup because then there would be even more heat being generated while at the same time restricting airflow.

Airflow

The best PC setup is one that takes into consideration the airflow. Cool air should be coming in through a front-facing vent and hot air out of top vents, for an even flow throughout your system.

In order to optimize airflow within your computer, it's important that you position fans correctly-making sure cool air enters from the front while warm exhaust exits from the back or above.

Arranging them so they push rather than pull will ensure these two functions are optimized as well as maximizing their efficiency by using less energy.

4. Cable management

Cable management

Cable management in PC can be a pain, but it's worth the effort. Cables produce heat that will damage your computer if they're not properly placed and don't allow for airflow inside the case.

If you’re looking to reduce the GPU temperature, it's a good idea to have hot air from wherever your card is positioned to blow somewhere else.

Ideally, this would be clear and away from other electronics in order not to affect them with heat or make for an uncomfortable experience.

Improve Cooling

One of the easiest ways to improve your computer's cooling is with a case fan.

A lot of cases come with at least one, but if you find that it just isn't enough, consider adding more to blow out hot air or draw in cool air from outside.

It doesn’t take much for this to make noticeable changes as far as temperature goes and before long might be all you need when overclocking your GPU.

For example, liquid cooling may not always be necessary but can offer significant improvements over fans alone.

Reduce GPU Temperature Using Software

In some cases, there may be a software solution that can help you reduce the GPU temperature.

Software like MSI Afterburner will allow for manual control over fan speeds and clock rates to give your graphics card more headroom when overclocking without having to physically change hardware components.

Users should also take note of any limitations or risks associated with this process, including voiding their warranty agreement if they go too far.

Rollback The GPU Driver

A recent update to the GPU manufacturer’s drivers can cause your graphics card's fans not to work as hard. This is usually fixed by rolling back the driver, but it may be worth waiting a little while before downloading and installing an updated version of them in order to prevent this issue from happening again.

When you update your GPU drivers, the fan may not work as intended. You can fix this by rolling back to a previous version of the driver or just waiting a while and installing it again when they've fixed any issues in later versions.

Underclocking The GPU

You can fix the problem by underclocking your graphics card. This will reduce its performance and allow it to work more efficiently in order to avoid overheating, but this isn't recommended for new or high-end cards as they may not be able to function correctly without overclocking.

The best way of solving a graphics card issue is through underclocking them. This reduces their power usage and allows them to do less damage when running too hot - though you should only have done if you're using an older model with lower clock speeds which might otherwise overheat due to excessive power use even at low settings.

Reducing the clock speeds of a GPU can be done in reverse to overclocking by reducing both core and memory clocks. Where you would increase these speed settings, reduce them for underclocking your device.

Some of these steps are more involved than others, but it should be noted that before doing any overclocking or underclocking you should consider the power requirements and heat outputs (if applicable) from your graphics card.

If there is no need for a particular component then don't use it. This will help to keep things running smoothly without needing to adjust settings unnecessarily in order to avoid overheating your device.

If you're not sure about your hardware compatibility at all, then run a GPU Scanner first! This way, you'll know exactly what's going on with your video card.

Purpose To Reduce GPU Temperature

There are many reasons to reduce GPU temperature. The most important reason is that a reduction in the GPU’s temperature will help the lifespan of your graphics card and its components.

This is because heat increases wear on your graphics card, which can lead to system instability and crashes. In a world where technology is constantly evolving, it’s important to take care of the devices we use.

A GPU performs at its best when it has an optimum operating temperature. When you’re playing one of your favorite games, the last thing on your mind is how to keep your graphics card cool.

But it is important! Your GPU works hard and generates a lot of heat when it does its job. So if the temperature gets too high, that can lead to malfunctions and even permanent damage.

To ensure that your graphics card is running at peak performance, it's important to reduce GPU temperature.

The most common cause of PC overheating is due to insufficient airflow around the processor, which causes the metal fins on the heat sink to heat up and transfer that heat all over inside your pc case.

If this continues for too long without any cooling, then eventually it can lead to permanent hardware damage through thermal throttling and even system shutdowns with some processors.

This means that you need a way of getting rid of excess heat coming from your computer's power supply unit (PSU).

Conclusion

If you’ve found that your GPU is running at a higher temperature than usual, it may be time to take some steps to lower the temperature.

The first thing we recommend doing is looking for physical ways of reducing the heat produced by the graphics card. These include taking off any case fans and replacing them with better quality ones or adding more case fans if possible (some cases only have one).

You should also clean out dust from inside your computer regularly as this can cause high temperatures in addition to just making things dirty.

One way of lowering the GPU temperature without changing any hardware is underclocking which means setting an even slower speed limit on what's considered playable frame rate so that anything above 60 FPS will not work anymore but your graphics card can cool down significantly.

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