Xonar DX 7.1 sound card - very hot to touch

[Poco468]

Greetings to all,

I just bought a used ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 PCIe sound card that gets very hot to the touch. This is the first dedicated sound card I have used so I don't know how hot a sound card should get - if at all.

I installed the card without much problem. After 30 minutes of light MP3 music everything seemed fine. I opened the case to ensure everything was okay and gave the card a touch to confirm before closing up for good. To my surprise the card was hot on the back of the circuit board. I gave it another 30 minutes and checked it again. This time it was hotter. The card was warm in the center and became progressively hotter closer to the PCIe socket – hot enough that the motherboard was warm. Close to the PCIe socket, the temp was not painful but hot enough to cause concern.

I don’t know if it would matter, but the Xonar Dx card has a 4 pin power supply connection which made me wonder if this card runs hot.

So, how hot should a Xonar DX 7.1 card get? Is it normal for a sound card to get hot?

Ventilation in the case is modest, but adequate. The case is a roomy mid-tower with very basic components - microATX Gigabyte Mob, Celeron G530, integrated graphics, 1 HD, 8 gigs, 430w Coolmater PSU, and one 120mm fan. A very modest build that never gets hot.

Thanks for your replies and help,
Poco468

 

[BrightCandle]

My Xonar gets warm to the touch as well. I haven't had any problems with that aspect of the card however, it seems to just always be that way used or not. It takes that extra power plug for a reason.

 

[MongGrel]

Should be fine.

 

[bononos]

Is there a reason why that sound card needs to have an extra power cable when the pcie slot should be sufficient?

 

[Poco468]

Is there a reason why that sound card needs to have an extra power cable when the pcie slot should be sufficient?

Good question - I don't know. I have an email into ASUS, but no reply yet (it's only been a day). I'll post their reply if they say anything about the power supply.

Also, Thank you to BrightCandle and MongGrel for your replies. I have been running the card for the last few hours - the temp seems to have stabilized, but it is still hotter than I would like.

Still seems awfully hot.

 

[tweakboy]

That is normal. Just have a small fan around and blow on it.

 

[mfenn]

In general, "hot to the touch" is not a problem for electronics. 50C would be quite hot to the touch, but is a very normal operating temperature. If you're concerned, pick up an infrared thermometer and measure it. If it's anything below ~65C, then I wouldn't worry.

 

[BrightCandle]

If its not burning your finger its actually quite good considering that CPUs these days are often 70+ C. If you aren't getting burns its definitely not a problem. Mine is warm to the touch but its not warm enough to hurt me and hence no where near warm enough to do damage. Most electronic components are fine to around 120-130C, some of them to 160C.

 

[TerryMathews]

Keep in mind, your model Xonar has a headphone amp integrated, which is the reason for the external power.

 

[Poco468]

Ah! You are all GREAT. Who needs tech support!

Thank you all for your posts - I appreciate your time and help.

Poco468