gtx 980 overheating

[Cerberus]

I have a zotac gtx 980 that I've been trying to keep alive, temp limit in afterburner is hard set to 88c (any higher and I'll bsod) but it will do that temp for months straight (while folding).

 

 

now, i've re seated and re pasted this card at least 10 times, what gives? no overclock on card, fans at 100%

 

this card

https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-980-amp

Edited October 23, 2020 by Cerberus

[Mistio]

How is the cooler surface? Fairly flat?
How is your case airflow on the card? 
 

Edited October 23, 2020 by Mistio

[Cerberus]

2 hours ago, Mistio said:

How is the cooler surface? Fairly flat?
How is your case airflow on the card? 
 

tbh, never really paid attention to the cooler surface, case has moderate airflow (360mm rad push only, 120mm exhaust) ill take some pics of the cooler later tonight

 

[Bastiaan_NL]

Do you remember what the temps were like when the card was new?
88C sounds really high, but there are many results if I google it (no personal experience with the 9xx cards). 
I would take a good look at the cooler surface and chip like @Mistio said, look at how the paste has been pressed out to the sides on the die(maybe not enough pressure), and confirm that all 3 of the fans work.
If all the above is looking like it should I would try to add fans to direct cool air to the gpu, and make sure the hot air can escape out of the case. Play around with the config and look for changes. 

Edited October 23, 2020 by Bastiaan_NL

[Cerberus]

AFAIK everything seems fine, except for no memory cooling

[J7SC_Orion]

...I happen to have 2x GTX 980 Classified running in one of my retro machines. Even with XOC bios and on stock air cooler, they are at about 57 C max (no oc) after 20 min at 100 % load / 1.212v per test just now. That, though, is with a well-ventilated case (mesh side panel).

 

One thing that would definitely help is to clean that card...I did a double-take re. your top pic. The memory, power stages and all that contribute to heat, and their heat transfer is diminished per your pic. Also, if the fan shroud / fans have a similar build-up, their efficiency will be very much affected.

 

...an additional test you can try beyond the above and the GPU itself is case flow and cooling efficiency...try running your system with both the side-panel on and off and compare the GPU stress test temp results. 

   

Edited October 27, 2020 by J7SC_Orion

[Bastiaan_NL]

Yes, that card needs some thorough cleaning.

How does that pc intake clean air, from the bottom standing on the floor or on a desk?

 

[Cerberus]

on a desk, with filters, I promise this isnt a airflow issue, and the heatsink is super clean. possible the hatpipes i nthe heatsink have failed? i might just pick up a cheap waterblock for it

[UltraMega]

7 hours ago, Cerberus said:

on a desk, with filters, I promise this isn't a airflow issue, and the heatsink is super clean. possible the heatpipes i nthe heatsink have failed? i might just pick up a cheap waterblock for it

Def possible. I once did a repair on an imac where the heatsink had failed and the gas inside it had leaked out through a tiny hole. Replacing the heatsink fixed it.

Edited October 28, 2020 by UltraMega

[J7SC_Orion]

2 hours ago, Cerberus said:

on a desk, with filters, I promise this isnt a airflow issue, and the heatsink is super clean. possible the hatpipes i nthe heatsink have failed? i might just pick up a cheap waterblock for it

 

I would still clean the PCB but in any case, I have used these universal-GPU w-coolers on various (by now older) GPUs, including the 980 Cls. They work great. Just add 120 mm fan for the VRM and VRAM, and you're done.

 

[The Pook]

Did you buy the card refurb? Zotac regularly sells cheap refurb 1080/1080 Tis, maybe it was a return but made it through QC since they (probably) just test for function. 

 

If you don't want to go the WC route then you can get an Arctic Accelero or a slightly more expensive Morpheus II. the Morpheus is marginally better but doesn't come with fans.  

[Sir Beregond]

Did you notice it steadily getting worse over time, or did it just one day crap out on temps? 

 

Immediate thoughts are that either the gas in the heat pipes leaked out as mentioned before and thus they aren't working to carry away the heat, or maybe fans are broken even if reading at "100%", but that seems unlikely.

 

I'd see if you can source another heatsink, or else look at a universal water block or aftermarket heatsink. Considering you've re-pasted and reseated several times, I'm inclined to agree that the heatsink is probably toast if everything else is clean and airflow is good.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Sir Beregond