HD3850, 45-55C at Idle

[crockman]

I just put together a Low Budget Dual-Core PC.

As i type this my GeCube 3850-256MB is running at 45C.

I've heard that by using RivaTuner I can adjust the Fan Speeds higher, but is RivaTurner Compatible with Vista-64 Bit ?, If not is there any other way to adjust the Fan Speeds ?

Thanks


Btw I searched using "3850 Fan Speeds", but almost all what came up was about Nvidia Cards.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

well, you could try...

You could also use speedfan or install a better cooler.

Also, check the airflow of your case... If your card is starved of cool air, it really doesn't matter what cooler or speed you blow at, you're just moving hot air.

 

[crockman]

You could also use speedfan or install a better cooler

SpeedFan didn't play nicely on the last PC I had, but maybe it will on this one. A Better Cooler no cause this 3850 is simply a Fill-In Card until I get an 8800GTS or better in a few months.

The Airflow in my PC is fine, an 80mm Fan up front by the HD's, a 120mm in Back of PC, an Arctic Cooler 64 Pro Cpu Fan & a cool running Antec Earthwatt-500.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Acanthus]

Honestly, those temps arent very unusual for a HD3850.

At most id try reapplying tim as long as it wont void the warrenty.

 

[angry hampster]

if it's brand new the TIM could just be burning in.

 

[crockman]

Honestly, those temps arent very unusual for a HD3850.

Cept' I'm kind of worried what the Temps. will reach when i start playing Lord of the Rings Online.

if it's brand new the TIM could just be burning in.

Yes the 3850 is Brand New, as well Brand New is the Hs/f, Cpu, Motherboard, Ram & the Vista-64. I finished putting this PC (PC in Sig) together about 5 Hours ago.

I've been over at the Guru3d Forums for the last couple hours and it seems that Rivatuner has very recently been usable on Vista-64 bit. I have not tried it yet, but will soon. Still reading thru all the "How to use Rivatuner" threads cause i've never used it before.

Thanks

 

[angry hampster]

give it a couple days. Temps will probably go down.

 

[crockman]

give it a couple days. Temps will probably go down.

Will do, Thx

Question: Will i need to use a 3rd Party App. to raise the Fan Speed on this 3850 ?, and Btw What is an acceptable Maximum Temperature that I can accept while playing my Online Games ?

Thanks

 

[crisium]

Those are fine temps.

What matters is load. If you are seeing 70+ then maybe you need to start worrying. Maybe.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: crockman

give it a couple days. Temps will probably go down.

Will do, Thx

Question: Will i need to use a 3rd Party App. to raise the Fan Speed on this 3850 ?, and Btw What is an acceptable Maximum Temperature that I can accept while playing my Online Games ?

Thanks

Check at Rivatuner at guru3d.com. Like Crisium said above me, 45-55 is normal and perfect for stock idle temperatures. Even with my Zalman cooler on my GT, my idle temperature is never below 40*C. However, you need to make sure your load temperatures don't pass 75-80*C. 50-70*C is considered ideal, and anything above it is getting a bit hot.

 

[imported_Scoop]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Check at Rivatuner at guru3d.com. Like Crisium said above me, 45-55 is normal and perfect for stock idle temperatures. Even with my Zalman cooler on my GT, my idle temperature is never below 40*C. However, you need to make sure your load temperatures don't pass 75-80*C. 50-70*C is considered ideal, and anything above it is getting a bit hot.

Are the ATI cards really that bad when it comes to temps? They can't handle higher temps?

 

[v8envy]

It's under warranty just don't worry about it. I was worried about my X1800XT constantly running above 85C at stock clocks/cooling, but then I just decided if it croaks I'll just RMA it. Sure enough, that's what happened.

Call the manufacturer and have their support guys troubleshoot it. Play LOTR and note the temperatures. If you get artifacting, well, time to RMA.

BTW, the standard front/rear fan setup may cause the air flow to curve up and around the back of the video card, leaving air below the fan trapped in a recirculating hot pocket. This happens if the video card is short relative to the case, or worse yet if the card is long and sits below the front fan(s). Try running with the case cover off for a few minutes and see if the tempreatures drop more than a few degrees. If you get a 10C drop time to do some better cable management and/or stare at your case and see if you can duct or otherwise manage air flow differently. A pci slot bracket mounted 60-80mm fan may do you wonders.

For comparison, my accelero-equipped 8800GT idles in mid 30s, and load temps are 43C. TIM isn't cured yet either. =)

But that's got a 120mm fan right above the card, a duct for the CPU, and a front intake 80mm blowing right under the card. And two more 80mm fans on the giant accelero heatsink. Plus it's a wide Antec Sonata case. With mediocre cooling my load temps were about 58C, low 40s idle.

 

[Extelleron]

With stock cooling @ stock speeds, that's what kind of temps you should be expecting. I know with my 8800GT, load temps can reach 80C+ with the fan at 29% (which is stock).

Just use Rivatuner to raise the fan speed a bit. I'd only be worried if you were exceeding 85-90C in full load.

 

[crockman]

I installed Riva Tuner and followed the 8800-Fan Speed Instructions from the RT Home Page.

I read thru many posts about Riva Tuner but still didnt exactly understand if i was suppose to do a Driver Level or a Low Level Fan Control, plus all the Guides were for Nvidia Cards and I saw no comments about the instructions being usable for ATI.

But i got tired of Reading so I downloaded it to see it for myself.

I pretty much followed this guide Riva Tuner Guide. Cept' i changed some of the values abit.

I used 55% as 1st fan speed not 60 like they did. Also i used 100% Fan at 70C instead of the 60C they did, and I used 80% fan Speed at 60C they did it at 55C.

Actually Im quite impressed with Riva Tuner, its Very Effective. And a real Plus it seems to be a very Stable App.

I was idling in Windows at 45C before Riva Tuner, now with RT and Fan at 55% I'm Idling at 36C as I type this. The Load Temps was the Real Gain though, I saw Temps at high as 70C just from installing software when without RT, now I very seldom see even above 55C at Lotro.

at 55% the fan Speed is not really noticeable. at 80% it is noticeable but liveable. 100% is Loud, but I've heard Fans from back in the Socket A Days that were much worse than the 3850 at 100%.

While playing Lord of the Rings Online using DX-10 and all High to Very high Video settings, on very few occasions I'll hear the fan Speed ramp to 80% but it only chirps on n off at 80 for a few seconds then goes away, and normal load temps at Lotro seem to be around 50C-55C.

Thanks for all the help.