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Problem description: Yesterday I had GTA V freeze up on me and had Fallout freeze a couple days ago. I realized I hadn't cleaned out the inside of my case in a while, so I popped it open and vacuumed out the little dust I could find. I decided I should also try to get some of the dust out of my graphics card, but I had to completely remove the cooler from the GPU to do that. I had thermal paste laying around (Arctic Alumina) and reapplied some new on there before I put it back together. After reassembling, I started Doom, and heard the GPU fan speed up a lot and freeze the game. The temp readings on HWInfo 64 show that the GPU was hitting 100 C, while the CPU stays in the low 40s. Sitting here typing this, the GPU stays around 36 C. I also tried running BF4 since I've never had problems on there before, and got the same thing. I'd say it's pretty likely that this is because I took it apart, but I can't figure out what it is I did. Attempted fixes: Reapplying thermal paste twice. Here's a picture of the paste the last time in case it's as simple as I didn't put on enough or too much.  Recent changes: Cleaning, disassembly, applying thermal paste. -- Operating system: Windows 10 Professional Build 10586 System specs: Intel Core i5-3570K ASUS P8Z77-V LK EVGA e-GeForce GTX 660 8 GB RAM 250 GB Samsung EVO 850 1 TB WD HDD Location:  I have Googled and read the FAQ: Yes
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Jul 3, 2016 17:52
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 16:48 |
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I don't think this will lead anywhere, but what did you clean it with? I'm after a solvent name and cloth type.
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Jul 3, 2016 22:32
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Fruit Smoothies posted:I don't think this will lead anywhere, but what did you clean it with? I'm after a solvent name and cloth type. 91% Isopropyl alcohol and a generic microfiber cloth
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Jul 3, 2016 23:38
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it sounds like the graphics card heatsink just isn't securely mounted.
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Jul 4, 2016 00:32
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Here's a stock photo of the back of my card Every time I put it back together, I tighten the four middle ones around the GPU first in an X pattern to keep the load equal. Then i tighten the outer ones and go over them a few times to make sure they're as tight as possible. The paste on the back of the cooler looks evenly spread, but not quite squeezed out the sides if i take it apart again.
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Jul 4, 2016 01:28
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You mean like you don't see a cleanish square in the center of the paste where it was squeezed off the core? That really indicates mounting pressure isn't high enough.
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Jul 4, 2016 01:38
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I took it apart again:  Should I be getting more contact than that? I'm not sure how to increase the pressure on it when all of the screws are as tight as they'll go. Do I just need more paste?
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Jul 4, 2016 14:36
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Try spreading the thermal paste over the GPU core in a paper-thin, even layer. I suspect the paste you're using is thick and you're not getting enough mounting pressure to spread the blob out properly. That will also help you gauge how much paste to use. The idea is that when you screw the heatsink on, the mounting pressure squishes the paste out from between the GPU and heatsink. Those pictures look like you had about enough paste, but judging by the fact that it hasn't reached the corners and you still have paste collected in the middle, it didn't get squished like it was supposed to. Maybe you should pick up some cheap white thermal paste that will be thinner. Your paste could have settled with time too. Cheap white paste is non-conductive as well, meaning smudges don't have the potential to cause damage.
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Jul 4, 2016 22:57
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 16:48 |
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I got the cheapest thermal paste that Best Buy had in stock, spread it on, and now I'm running at around 70 degrees in game. I guess it was just old paste. $7 for more paste is way better than $300 for a new card. Thanks!
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Jul 6, 2016 02:03
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