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Question

How to handle an overheating GPU

Feb 24, 2015 5:53AM PST

Hello everyone.
I recently purchased a new game for my pc. 3/4ths of the way through the storyline my computer began to suffer a series of increasingly frequent crashes. The crashes have remained consistent in their symptoms. Roughly ten minutes into playing the game will crash, resulting in a black screen and odd noises coming from the speakers. To figure out the problem I tried troubleshooting everything I could. The cpu is clean and fine temperature wise. All fans are working normally. All drivers are up to date. Even programs such as photoshop and the internet work fine. Only graphically intense video games crash my computer. (lowering in game settings does not stop the crashes)

I began to test my GPU and found that stress testing it resulted in a crash. Bad news for me.
Stressing it, which would push the temp past 110 degrees seems to result in a crash, which would occur every time I'd try to play a game. This is a problem I've never had before and don't really know how to proceed. I'm currently using a GeForce GTX 480.

I'm not super knowledgeable with these issues and could use some help figuring out where to go from here. In short, what should I do about my chronically overheating GPU?
Thank you very much.

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
Did you re-do the heatsink? Example at link.
Feb 24, 2015 6:02AM PST
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My options
Feb 25, 2015 5:03AM PST

Thanks for the reply Bob.
I have not literally opened the GPU, but clean the inside of my computer about once every two weeks, so can't imagine it's an accumulation of dust.
Would the thermal paste issue really be causing issues this bad? And if so, why now?

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Sure.
Feb 25, 2015 5:10AM PST

It tends to dry, crack and some cards just arrive without the best it can be. Once in a while you get a client that wants it to be software or a setting but we've learned over the years to get the work done first. For us it's about 2 bucks of material and low risk.
Bob