Maybe it's that then. I guess have a bit of a explore and see if you can find where it starts crashing.
You shouldn't have to underclock to remain stable with those temps, unless other parts of the card are getting much hotter. Do other programs give you more gpu temperature readings? (such as VRM)
What I meant was don't use afterburner on AMD cards as it stops the fans working properly and all sorts of other problems with Wattman.
I've never overclocked my GPU before so I'm not familiar with GPU monitoring software but I'm happy to try any recommendations.
I had some free time so I tried playing Subnautica in windows 1080p and it played for a long time but did eventually lock up. Since the epic store is crap, I don't know how long I played but it should be around the 30-minute mark.
You need to start logging temps etc whilst you're gaming so you can post the parameters at the point of lock up buddy.
The fact it takes time to freeze makes me think temperature is still the issue, and you've tried increasing all fan speeds etc?
Agree. As I and others suggested, I'd be re-TIM'ing this card as a first course of action, with something decent like Kryonaut that doesn't dry out as fast.
I will try re-timing tomorrow. I have played games in windowed and watched temps and it always freezes at 81C.
Even more reason to put fresh, decent quality TIM on then. If you can stop it reaching 81c in the first place with quality TIM, then your problem is solved.
So, I opened up the card and cleaned it up. It was actually much cleaner than I expected. once again, I was surprised by how hot the backplate was despite the fact I didn't do anything more demanding then youtube today. This video, GIGABYTE RX 480 G1 GAMING - So HOT!! Literally... also says that his card is hitting 80C at stock and that the back plate gets really hot. JayzTwoCents said that his card needed a more aggressive fan profile and more power to hit its rated speed. One thing that is strange with my card is that it doesn't seem to throttle when it gets too hot. I was surprised by how little thermal paste was on the original card. It seems that my thermal tape is messed up. What should I buy - thermal pads, thermal tape? Or ... don't bother and slap it back together with new thermal paste on the die?
Pads are what you want, non adhesive ones. Aquatuning has a really good selection. Watch out as the thickness is important and can vary across the card. After watching his video (love me some Jay), and seeing the tIM, it almost looks like the cooler isn't making full contact with the GPU or there's a design flaw with the cooler. Maybe contact Gigabyte customer service and ask, as it may be a known problem that they have a fix for.
You can buy new pads but make sure they are the correct thickness or the card will bow when you put it back together.
I'd recommend a search through manuals of aftermarket coolers that are compatible to see if they mention the thickness of the original pads.
Is it worth replacing the thermal pads? I remember graphics cards didn't even use them until recently. Would I be fine putting this back together with new thermal paste? It seems that replacing all the pads is not a cheap endeavour.
