Keep Cool, Avoid Meltdown

As gamers today, we’re lucky enough to be able to enjoy the latest super shiny visuals thanks to some seriously potent GPUs. If you’ve been gaming/tweaking for a while, you might well remember the days of the old 486 DOS systems, where 2D pixel graphics weren’t cool and retro — they were cutting edge (wipes tear from eye). Graphics cards then had no need for cooling. It’s quite a different story today, and heat is without doubt the searing nemesis of every overclocker out there.

Some like it hot, but not your rig

Heat, if left unchecked, can absolutely destroy your system. While this is serious for any user, if you’ve sunk a large amount of your hard earned money into making an incredible system, heat damage is really going to sting.

Without getting too technical, heat is caused by the resistance that an electrical current meets as it moves around circuit boards. The more power that is needed for a task, like rendering that super high fidelity forest that would turn lesser systems to dust instantly (looking at you, Witcher 3), the more heat will be generated.

As a general rule, your GPU should never be pushed over 90 degrees celsius and a CPU should stay under 80 degrees celsius if you don’t want to be scraping it off your motherboard after a few months. The other thing to note is that high heat levels can cause your CPU to choke your system to prevent damage (throttling), and that means a drop in performance. 

Causes and counters

While increased demand is ultimately the cause of all heat, a number of things can lead to your system having to work harder. Dust build up, poor ventilation, and even badly optimized games can make your GPU and processor have to push more.

These potential problems are exacerbated when you overclock your hardware. Additionally, all hardware is not created equally, so it’s important to make sure you’ve got gear that can actually handle the strain.

Something like the ROG Poseidon GTX 980 Ti for example, not only delivers 9.6% faster performance than a reference card, it’s also equipped with DirectCU H20 cooling. This baby is 10% cooler when on air and double as cool when liquid cooled! Couple that with the AUTO-EXTREME technology for long lasting quality and reliability, and you’ve got a card built for pushing far beyond normal performance levels safely. Match that with the air or liquid-cooled ROG Maximus VIII Formula motherboard and you'll be laughing.

If you’re looking for something a bit more hardcore, the ROG STRIX GTX 1080 is an absolute monster (just be careful it doesn’t start taking over the world’s military computers — or your toaster). 

It’s also worth mentioning that GPU Tweak II, which comes bundled with these cards, allows you to easily adjust and tweak clock speed, fan speed and more. If things are getting a little hot, it’s also a great way to closely monitor your temperature as you make adjustments on the fly. 

Don’t forget to visit our product range to check out other options that might suit your build, and get involved over at our active, helpful community for advice and help (especially on ways to thwart a despotic 1080). 

 

By Simon Marshall