PandemicPCNoob

Hello, I'm relatively new to the world of PC gaming (2 years), and hoping to get some advice with respect to temperature issues I've been having with my MSI Ventus RTX 3080. (Yes, I am also a luckbox, got this through Newegg in October 2020 before the GPU availability got really bad). Basically, I am having an issue where my GPU temperatures, when gaming, are slowly getting worse after about a month from replacing the thermal paste, at least according to what hwinfo64 and GPU-z are reporting. As with other people who have this and other similarly-constructed RTX 3080s, I replaced the stock thermal pads for the VRAM modules to improve VRAM temperatures, and since then I have zero issues with the VRAM temperature (usually around 75-78 degrees Celsius after prolonged periods of gaming). When I replaced the thermal pads, I repasted the GPU using Noctua NT-H1, and at first my GPU and hotspot temperatures were amazing (GPU maximum was 68 degrees, hotspot around 80). However, after about 2 months, I noticed my fans were a lot louder than before, and sure enough, the GPU started hitting around 78 while gaming, the hotspot temperature was consistently around 96-97, and the fans are often running at or near 100% speed. I wasn’t sure if it was maybe an issue with the thermal paste, as I had seen some people report in various forums that thicker thermal paste often works better for GPUs. So I replaced the thermal paste, this time using Artic MX-4. This time, once again, my temperatures were much better during gaming, 68 degrees max GPU temperature, 78 degrees hotspot temperature, and fans weren’t going any higher than 80%. But, once again, after about a month, I noticed the temperatures and fan noise creeping up again. Currently, while gaming the GPU temperature sits steadily around 74 degrees, and the hotspot is around 94, and occasionally the temperatures spike to 78 and 98 respectively. When idle, GPU temperature is usually at 35 and hotspot at 45, and during light use (such as zoom meetings) the temperatures are around 45 and 55, so there is a pretty consistent 10 degree difference, except when gaming. Based on the information provided through hwinfo64 and gpu-z, the card isn't thermally throttling. So, my questions are: 1. Is it normal to see behavior like this after replacing thermal paste in a GPU, or is the thermal paste degrading prematurely for some reason? 2. Are these temperatures even something I should worry about for an RTX 3080? 3. If they are, do people have recommendations for a different thermal paste for this application? Thanks in advance, and again, I just want to be clear: in both cases, the GPU temperatures were initially totally fine for at least a month after repasting, so I don’t think this is an issue of poor contact with the heatsink, the thermal pad replacement, a missing thermal pad, using replacement pads that are too thin or thick etc. I only replaced the pads for the VRAM modules, and even with higher GPU and hotspot temps, the VRAM temperatures reported in hwinfo64 are totally fine. Setup (in case any of this is relevant: RTX 3080 Core I9-10850k Memory: 32 GB Ram 3200 MHz, CL 16 Gaming resolution: 3440 x 1440p

Thanks!

Thanks for clarifying this, makes sense to me, and yes with the current configuration (radiator fans blowing out) I've noticed the air exhausting out the front isn't very warm, even during stress testing. Either way, I can't position my radiator to exhaust out the top, it is unfortunately a limitation of these cases that there isn't enough clearance to mount a 280mm radiator at the top.

Hello, I am hoping to get some help with making sure I have the most optimal fan arrangement for my gaming PC. I especially want to make sure my PC is adequately ventilated as I plan to upgrade the GPU to either a 3080 or 3070, so am concerned about how my setup might handle the extra heat load. I got this computer about 6 months ago, and is my first ever gaming PC, so I am completely new to all this. This was a ‘build to order’ system that I purchased from Memory Express, as I didn’t feel ready to build my own PC from scratch (and, in terms of the specs, this is all I could afford at the time). I have been monitoring my temps using HWinfo64, and so far I have not had any issues with excess GPU, CPU, or motherboard temperatures while playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, while stress testing with Cinebench, Intel Burntest, OCCT, etc. I want to upgrade the GPU though, as I am currently gaming at 1080p, and want to upgrade my monitor to an ultra-wide 1440p (as well as be able to take advantage of ray tracing for some of the games I play). However, now that I am slowly starting to learn more about my PC, I am a bit curious about the current fan arrangement (see pic for reference, including airflow arrows I added for clarity). The h110 radiator is mounted vertically at the front, with the two 140mm radiator fans pushing air OUT through the front grill, the single 120mm top fan is pulling air IN, and the rear 120mm fan is pushing air out. But wouldn't it make much more sense for the radiator fans to bring air in at the front, with the top and rear fans pushing air out? I am also wondering if it would be best to install an additional fan to the top of the case for additional airflow. If anyone could offer advice that would be greatly appreciated. And again, this is all new to me, am happy to forward on any additional details if needed. System details: i5 9600kf (overclocked to 4.8 Ghz), cooled with Corsair h110 MSI z-390-a pro Gigabyte GTX 1660 SUPER OC, overclocked to 1830 Mhz boost clock (using MSI Afterburner) Corsair Vengeance DDR4, 3200MHz, 16GB (XMP profile enabled) WD blue nvme m.2 ssd 1tb Corsair Carbide Spec-Omega case Thermaltake 600w (will upgrade at same time as GPU)