... if it isn't cooled property.
People are frying their video cards with sc2
In case you ain't a geek or a freak about computers, here is some tips to safe yourself from breaking your v-card with games like SC2.
If you don't wanna take things apart or risk of killing your PC, find a small computer repair store and ask them to clean your PC for 30-50 bucks. Stand behind them while they do it to make sure that do clean it through. Follow this guide and you will know what needs to be and how it should be done. If you think it is too much, is it cheaper? or a new v-card? Of course, you can always DIY.
Go youtube on CPU thermal paste as well as your video card. Note that all video cards are different, so make sure that you look at the model that you have. After watching and if you think you can do it, than you can proceed.
If you are an expert and catch any mistakes in the follow wall of text, please point them out so I can correct them.
If you have several bucks to spare, you buy a can of compressed air from the nearest computer store, they are around 10 bucks USD. Otherwise, have your vacuum and a dry paint blush ready.
Before you take off, if you have mother, sister, wife, or daughter who is living with you, go check and see if they have 80-100% alcohol. Yes, they should have it.
If you found 80% alcohol, great, else you may wanna get thermal paste (TIM) remover, or 80-100% industrial alcohol if you really really want maximum cooling. Of course, a tube of thermal paste, like AS5.
If you don't have a screw driver, get them too.
If you don't have paper towel, get them. DO NOT USE TOILET PAPER!
By now you should have everything you need to really clean your beloved PC.
Turn off your PC, unplug the power cord and other cables away from the PC. Open the side over of the case. Inspect the heatsink(HS), the big piece of finlike metal on top of the CPU with a fan on it. If you have TIM, remove the HS and CPU away (gently!) from the PC. Unscrew the HS and it should stuck to the CPU if you never done this before. Gently turn the HS clockwise and counter-clockwise until it come off the CPU. Unlock the lock that is holding the CPU in place and carefully remove the CPU away from the motherboard.
Note that TIM are highly conductive, so be extra careful not to touch bottom side of your CPU with it. Check youtube on how to remove TIM from the CPU, or use a paper towel and with the alcohol to remove the TIM on the of the CPU. The alcohol will soften the TIM and you may need to do it several passes with several paper towels. The idea is to clean it until no TIM left and the chip should look like new. Place it on the table up side down afterward so you don't damage the CPU. Yes, stepping on the CPU will break it, so please put it on the table.
Now take the Heatsink to washroom, note that TIM are also on the HS, you can clean it before or after dusting. Either use the compressed air or vacuum to get ride of the dust that are stuck inside the fins. Use the dry paint blush to help.
By now you will have a clean HS and CPU, but don't put them back yet. Remove the power cord off the video card, then remove the screw that is holding the card on place. There is a small "hook lock" and the PCI-E socket, reach down and push it and GENTLY rock the card out. Don't Yang it out. Put the v-card(s) on the table as well as any cards that are plugged into the motherboard. Bring the entire case into washroom and starts to clean it. Wherever there is a fan, there will be dust. PSU is tricky and troublesome to clean. It is best to use vacuum as it sucks the dirt out instead of pushing it inside the box. Opening the PSU box will void the warranty, so it is up to you.
Note that, while it is fun to make fans turn really quick by blowing air or suck it with the vacuum, it will actually break the ball-baring track of the fan, making it more noisy.
After the case is cleaned, use the blush and gently clean the sockets, where the CPU and cards used to sit on. Back the case back to where it should be.
Now, clean the surface of the CPU again with alcohol again and place the CPU back to the socket and lock it. Apply 4-6 rices of TIM on the center of CPU and place the HS on top of it and gently turn the HS counter/clockwise to spread the TIM evenly. If you are not sure how much TIM to use and don't use the size of a rice, then you can find a unused credit card or alike, put a bit of TIM at the center of the CPU, then spread it with your card. If it isn't enough TIM, add a bit and spread. The goal is to use the less amount of TIM to cover the suface of the CPU. Again, TIMs are highly conductive, so you don't want to stick it anywhere other then the surface of the CPU. The surface of the CPU is actually thin plate of HS and the cores are at the center, so don't worry about the edge of the CPU. The thinner the layer of TIM, the better.
Note, the surface of the CPU and HS are Metal, and metal transfer heat better. The problem is the surface isn't completely flat, and therefore doesn't transfer heat. TIM is used to fill up these gaps, thus thinner layer works better than thicker ones. Turning the HS allows the TIM to go into the gaps in between, therefore maximizing its performance. Air bubble on the other hand, is not good. This is why there are different methods.
After all that crap, screw back the HS. Those screws should be tight as the pressure from the HS helps cooling too.
Okay, now the v-card. Note that the fins are likely hiddlen under the cover of the v-card. Youtube your v-card model and brand on how to remove the cover. If you are luckly, you can just remove the cover. If you are not, you may need to remove the HS. The idea is almost the same as the CPU, except that the HS of v-card not only sits on top of the GPU, but rams too, and sometimes they use thermal pads for RAMs.
Some idea, gentle and don't yang. Once all screws are removed, the only thing that holds the HS in place is the dried TIM, so turn it counter/clockwise repeated it until it come off. Once it is loose, locate the wire that connects to the fan and carefully unplug the connector off the socket on the card. Clean the 2 parts just like CPU and DO NOT THROW OUT THE THERMAL PADS!!! They are low grade stuff that transfer heat, but without them your v-card will fry. It is okay if they break into 2 pieces, one on HS and the other on the RAM with it sits on, they will still work. Just keep them clean.
Note, as to taking v-cards apart, you will need to count and remember how many screws goes to where. The TIM of GPU isn't a big deal as they usually do their job fine, but replacing them always helps cooling. What is a big deal is the dust inside the HS, they must be cleaned.
After everything is cleaned you can then put them back together, same idea as the CPU, just make sure that the thermal pad is in place between the HS and the center of the RAM and remember to plug the fan power back. Do not leave any screws out and each must be tightly screwed back.
Put the cards back and plug back the power cords to the video card. Don't screw them back yet, test and see if the system boots first. If it does boot (OMG), then check if all the fans are turning. Go into bios and check temperature of each opponents and see if they look okay. Turn the PC off and screw it back. Test again before you place it back where the PC used to sit and put back the side cover.
There, unless the opponent is bad or you are blocking the intake/outtake of the case, it won't overheat. In fact, usually the temp will drop 20 degrees from before. Heatsinks are hotter than before, but that is before it is doing its job more effectively.
Last note, one you have master this, it is very hard not to OC, and you can start laughing at your friends that are in poor conditions.
Edit: Thanks to Grooveriding:
Goto the Startcraft II directory, it may vary depanding on OS, and locate the file variables.txt, make a copy of it (copy and paste, ctrl-c followed by ctrl-v on the file, and a copy will automatically be placed in the same directory with a different name.) Open variable.txt with Notepad, search for "flameratecap", if you find it, modify its value. If not, add it.
frameratecapGlue=30
frameratecap=60
the first line is the cap FPS when you are in the loading/selection screens, the second is when you are in-game playing. You don't need to use the exact number, but those number are good enough for most people/cards/pcs.
Edit 2:
Some suggested to keep vsync on. It keeps the FPS produced by the video card as same as the refresh rate of the display. The purpose is to prevent tearing when the display tries to display while the video card is refreshing, but at the same time caps the maximum flame rate to whatever your display can produce. This will prevent FPS to go over the roof unnecessary.
Note that capping the FPS doesn't necessary mean it doesn't work hard. It only helps under certain areas. It isn't an ultimate solution and your v-card will fry with or without this command if cooling is inefficient.
Happy gaming.
People are frying their video cards with sc2
In case you ain't a geek or a freak about computers, here is some tips to safe yourself from breaking your v-card with games like SC2.
If you don't wanna take things apart or risk of killing your PC, find a small computer repair store and ask them to clean your PC for 30-50 bucks. Stand behind them while they do it to make sure that do clean it through. Follow this guide and you will know what needs to be and how it should be done. If you think it is too much, is it cheaper? or a new v-card? Of course, you can always DIY.
Go youtube on CPU thermal paste as well as your video card. Note that all video cards are different, so make sure that you look at the model that you have. After watching and if you think you can do it, than you can proceed.
If you are an expert and catch any mistakes in the follow wall of text, please point them out so I can correct them.
If you have several bucks to spare, you buy a can of compressed air from the nearest computer store, they are around 10 bucks USD. Otherwise, have your vacuum and a dry paint blush ready.
Before you take off, if you have mother, sister, wife, or daughter who is living with you, go check and see if they have 80-100% alcohol. Yes, they should have it.
If you found 80% alcohol, great, else you may wanna get thermal paste (TIM) remover, or 80-100% industrial alcohol if you really really want maximum cooling. Of course, a tube of thermal paste, like AS5.
If you don't have a screw driver, get them too.
If you don't have paper towel, get them. DO NOT USE TOILET PAPER!
By now you should have everything you need to really clean your beloved PC.
Turn off your PC, unplug the power cord and other cables away from the PC. Open the side over of the case. Inspect the heatsink(HS), the big piece of finlike metal on top of the CPU with a fan on it. If you have TIM, remove the HS and CPU away (gently!) from the PC. Unscrew the HS and it should stuck to the CPU if you never done this before. Gently turn the HS clockwise and counter-clockwise until it come off the CPU. Unlock the lock that is holding the CPU in place and carefully remove the CPU away from the motherboard.
Note that TIM are highly conductive, so be extra careful not to touch bottom side of your CPU with it. Check youtube on how to remove TIM from the CPU, or use a paper towel and with the alcohol to remove the TIM on the of the CPU. The alcohol will soften the TIM and you may need to do it several passes with several paper towels. The idea is to clean it until no TIM left and the chip should look like new. Place it on the table up side down afterward so you don't damage the CPU. Yes, stepping on the CPU will break it, so please put it on the table.
Now take the Heatsink to washroom, note that TIM are also on the HS, you can clean it before or after dusting. Either use the compressed air or vacuum to get ride of the dust that are stuck inside the fins. Use the dry paint blush to help.
By now you will have a clean HS and CPU, but don't put them back yet. Remove the power cord off the video card, then remove the screw that is holding the card on place. There is a small "hook lock" and the PCI-E socket, reach down and push it and GENTLY rock the card out. Don't Yang it out. Put the v-card(s) on the table as well as any cards that are plugged into the motherboard. Bring the entire case into washroom and starts to clean it. Wherever there is a fan, there will be dust. PSU is tricky and troublesome to clean. It is best to use vacuum as it sucks the dirt out instead of pushing it inside the box. Opening the PSU box will void the warranty, so it is up to you.
Note that, while it is fun to make fans turn really quick by blowing air or suck it with the vacuum, it will actually break the ball-baring track of the fan, making it more noisy.
After the case is cleaned, use the blush and gently clean the sockets, where the CPU and cards used to sit on. Back the case back to where it should be.
Now, clean the surface of the CPU again with alcohol again and place the CPU back to the socket and lock it. Apply 4-6 rices of TIM on the center of CPU and place the HS on top of it and gently turn the HS counter/clockwise to spread the TIM evenly. If you are not sure how much TIM to use and don't use the size of a rice, then you can find a unused credit card or alike, put a bit of TIM at the center of the CPU, then spread it with your card. If it isn't enough TIM, add a bit and spread. The goal is to use the less amount of TIM to cover the suface of the CPU. Again, TIMs are highly conductive, so you don't want to stick it anywhere other then the surface of the CPU. The surface of the CPU is actually thin plate of HS and the cores are at the center, so don't worry about the edge of the CPU. The thinner the layer of TIM, the better.
Note, the surface of the CPU and HS are Metal, and metal transfer heat better. The problem is the surface isn't completely flat, and therefore doesn't transfer heat. TIM is used to fill up these gaps, thus thinner layer works better than thicker ones. Turning the HS allows the TIM to go into the gaps in between, therefore maximizing its performance. Air bubble on the other hand, is not good. This is why there are different methods.
After all that crap, screw back the HS. Those screws should be tight as the pressure from the HS helps cooling too.
Okay, now the v-card. Note that the fins are likely hiddlen under the cover of the v-card. Youtube your v-card model and brand on how to remove the cover. If you are luckly, you can just remove the cover. If you are not, you may need to remove the HS. The idea is almost the same as the CPU, except that the HS of v-card not only sits on top of the GPU, but rams too, and sometimes they use thermal pads for RAMs.
Some idea, gentle and don't yang. Once all screws are removed, the only thing that holds the HS in place is the dried TIM, so turn it counter/clockwise repeated it until it come off. Once it is loose, locate the wire that connects to the fan and carefully unplug the connector off the socket on the card. Clean the 2 parts just like CPU and DO NOT THROW OUT THE THERMAL PADS!!! They are low grade stuff that transfer heat, but without them your v-card will fry. It is okay if they break into 2 pieces, one on HS and the other on the RAM with it sits on, they will still work. Just keep them clean.
Note, as to taking v-cards apart, you will need to count and remember how many screws goes to where. The TIM of GPU isn't a big deal as they usually do their job fine, but replacing them always helps cooling. What is a big deal is the dust inside the HS, they must be cleaned.
After everything is cleaned you can then put them back together, same idea as the CPU, just make sure that the thermal pad is in place between the HS and the center of the RAM and remember to plug the fan power back. Do not leave any screws out and each must be tightly screwed back.
Put the cards back and plug back the power cords to the video card. Don't screw them back yet, test and see if the system boots first. If it does boot (OMG), then check if all the fans are turning. Go into bios and check temperature of each opponents and see if they look okay. Turn the PC off and screw it back. Test again before you place it back where the PC used to sit and put back the side cover.
There, unless the opponent is bad or you are blocking the intake/outtake of the case, it won't overheat. In fact, usually the temp will drop 20 degrees from before. Heatsinks are hotter than before, but that is before it is doing its job more effectively.
Last note, one you have master this, it is very hard not to OC, and you can start laughing at your friends that are in poor conditions.
Edit: Thanks to Grooveriding:
Goto the Startcraft II directory, it may vary depanding on OS, and locate the file variables.txt, make a copy of it (copy and paste, ctrl-c followed by ctrl-v on the file, and a copy will automatically be placed in the same directory with a different name.) Open variable.txt with Notepad, search for "flameratecap", if you find it, modify its value. If not, add it.
frameratecapGlue=30
frameratecap=60
the first line is the cap FPS when you are in the loading/selection screens, the second is when you are in-game playing. You don't need to use the exact number, but those number are good enough for most people/cards/pcs.
Edit 2:
Some suggested to keep vsync on. It keeps the FPS produced by the video card as same as the refresh rate of the display. The purpose is to prevent tearing when the display tries to display while the video card is refreshing, but at the same time caps the maximum flame rate to whatever your display can produce. This will prevent FPS to go over the roof unnecessary.
Note that capping the FPS doesn't necessary mean it doesn't work hard. It only helps under certain areas. It isn't an ultimate solution and your v-card will fry with or without this command if cooling is inefficient.
Happy gaming.
Last edited:
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