Is stress testing a graphic card right after buying a new one a bad idea or a waste of time?

[Rapier]

Hi,

 

Recently one of my friend, "A", asked if he should do a stress test on his new graphic card even if he's not planning on overclocking

 

I answered that stress testing is a good idea as that would let him know if the card has any abnormality running under heavy load so he can RMA right away, not to mention it would let him know his card's limit in case he want to extend the graphic card's lifespan in the future when the card gets old by overclocking instead of buying a new one. All these without any disadvantage other than the time it takes

 

Another usually tech-savvy friend, "B", argued that stress testing is made specifically to stress the GPU to it's limit, normal gaming usage won't be the same so it's a bad way to test it and it's just a waste of time and money in doing so similar to throwing money into the ocean

That's why I'd like PC enthusiasts to enlighten me if I miss something and whether or not my understanding is, like B said, incorrect so that I wouldn't give wrong advice to A if that is the case

 

Thanks!

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

Tell "B" they are dumb and wrong lol.

 

I always put new parts through their paces. For the reasons you mentioned, to find potential issues and get things replaced, but also to gain an understanding of how the parts will perform both computationally and thermally.

[PDifolco]

There's not much difference in my experience between a GPU stress test and a demanding game, or rather many games *are* GPU stress tests (New World comes to mind  )

So yeah it's a good idea to stress a new GPU so you can check perfs, clocks, temps, look at OC or undervolt etc

[Dedayog]

I simply use my stuff.  Like above, gaming stress tests your system to the degree you need it to.  Overdoing things can introduce failure points that would never be hit otherwise, as evidenced by every freaking comment about Furmark.  Even EVGA tech support says Furmark is damaging.

 

No one here takes their new Camry to the track, or tries to tow a camper, takes it offroad, or loads 6 people and 500lbs in the trunk... stress testing is just nerd talk for nerds

 

Or any other part in their house, tools or otherwise.  Stress testing ONLY your PC cuz nerds.

 

Edit:  I say it with a lot of love cuz I've been a nerd for 48 years now

 

[Moonzy]

13 minutes ago, Rapier said:

argued that stress testing is made specifically to stress the GPU to it's limit, normal gaming usage won't be the same so it's a bad way to test it and it's just a waste of time and money in doing so similar to throwing money into the ocean

what money? the stress testing software? or?

 

it's a good idea to test the worst case scenario to:
1) make sure GPU is up to snuff, even if games dont use that much, you know it's good
2) detect any faults that might not be stressed enough in current games but might creep out in heavier loads (like bsadly applied thermal pad for example)

[ZetZet]

A PC should simply never crash, even under a stress test, if it does something is wrong. That's why stress testing is a good idea, especially right when you build a new computer, run it for a bit, if it just sits there crunching the benchmark then it will be good in all possible scenarios. (excluding maybe transients with new gpu's since those spikes don't really happen under a constant stress load)

[Tristerin]

Without reading anything but subject header....

 

Yes, I always stress test my rigs.  Specifically after any adjustments, additions, for fun, or adding new pieces (or replacing pieces)

[Ralf]

Nah. Just play Warzone, Fornight or Rainbow Six Siege like everyone, if it works it works.

[Rapier]

Hi,

 

Recently one of my friend, "A", asked if he should do a stress test on his new graphic card even if he's not planning on overclocking

 

I answered that stress testing is a good idea as that would let him know if the card has any abnormality running under heavy load so he can RMA right away, not to mention it would let him know his card's limit in case he want to extend the graphic card's lifespan in the future when the card gets old by overclocking instead of buying a new one. All these without any disadvantage other than the time it takes

 

Another usually tech-savvy friend, "B", argued that stress testing is made specifically to stress the GPU to it's limit, normal gaming usage won't be the same so it's a bad way to test it and it's just a waste of time and money in doing so similar to throwing money into the ocean

That's why I'd like PC enthusiasts to enlighten me if I miss something and whether or not my understanding is, like B said, incorrect so that I wouldn't give wrong advice to A if that is the case

 

Thanks!

 

P.S.: I posted this in General Discussion before but here I am posting in Graphics Card as there might be something more specific to graphics cards

[SansVarnic]

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Please refrain from reposting topics. If you need your topic moved please report and request for a mod to move it.

[Levent]

  

11 minutes ago, Rapier said:

normal gaming usage won't be the same so it's a bad way to test it and it's just a waste of time

Clueless. Stress test is as the name suggests tests cards power delivery, cooling (thus its stability). A card might be stable in some shitty game but might fail to complete 10 minutes of furmak and that could mean issues with VRMs, cooling or even PSU itself.

14 minutes ago, Rapier said:

doing so similar to throwing money into the ocean

And saying that is just a plain dumb statement in this context.

[Rapier]

3 hours ago, Dedayog said:

I simply use my stuff.  Like above, gaming stress tests your system to the degree you need it to.  Overdoing things can introduce failure points that would never be hit otherwise, as evidenced by every freaking comment about Furmark.  Even EVGA tech support says Furmark is damaging.

 

No one here takes their new Camry to the track, or tries to tow a camper, takes it offroad, or loads 6 people and 500lbs in the trunk... stress testing is just nerd talk for nerds

 

Or any other part in their house, tools or otherwise.  Stress testing ONLY your PC cuz nerds.

 

Edit:  I say it with a lot of love cuz I've been a nerd for 48 years now

 

Comparing stress test to taking the new Camry to the track might not be fair comparison as, to my knowledge, graphics cards are designed to be able to perform under heavy load while Camry, as far as I know, aren't designed to be running in the track

 

In my opinion, stress test would be more akin to inspecting a new house, buyer might be able to get by living with zero problem, but if there is to be some problem like insulation issues that would be a problem under abnormally extreme weather for example, then I believe discovering the issue early should be preferred

[Dedayog]

34 minutes ago, Rapier said:

Comparing stress test to taking the new Camry to the track might not be fair comparison as, to my knowledge, graphics cards are designed to be able to perform under heavy load while Camry, as far as I know, aren't designed to be running in the track

 

In my opinion, stress test would be more akin to inspecting a new house, buyer might be able to get by living with zero problem, but if there is to be some problem like insulation issues that would be a problem under abnormally extreme weather for example, then I believe discovering the issue early should be preferred

I disagree.  What you call a heavy load is just normal use.  Heavy implies outside the norm.  You say something is heavy to carry when it's difficult or a pain in the ass.  

 

There really is no reason to push a PC to it's "limits" artificially, past what you would normally use it for.  Do you test other items in your house?  No.  If you're calling stress testing just running the machine for 24 hours like a burn-in, then sure.  But taking things to their absolute limits, absolutely not.  

 

I think we're talking here more about burn-in than stress testing.  AIDA64 is more of a burn-in than a stress, it just tests stability rather than increasing load to near breaking levels.

 

But for those that actually run their machines til they crash over and over to document the findings, have at it.  That ain't me.

[mini-z1994]

Doing it too check over maximum temperatures & tune your own fan curve like i did between noise & comfortable temperature limits I'd say yes do it.

Also useful too see if there is any manufacturing defects right away, like did they suck at putting together this particular card or cooler ?
Lets find out...
Like My HD 6870 from XFX came with empty heatpipes on the cooler, felt like a waste of money paying 160$ real quick i can tell you that early march 2012...
That was not fun & it did not last long like that.
I could hear fans from that gpu out in the kitchen if i went too go drink something & it was audible through the entire 4 room apartment.
my room, opening up into living room which leads into the hallway & then the kitchen & i still heard it if i didn't close the door fully.
Screaming fans at 97c playing Dead island yeah i was done with that noise pretty quickly, like not even an hour after packing up the card.
Soured my view on XFX pretty badly.

Though instead of sending it back my own fix was literally removing the shroud & strapping down 2x 120mm fans from my sidepanel onto the card for less noise even if temperatures were garbage still.
Temperature dropped too 87c but i was happy with how quiet the card was now, this was before i found out the hd 7000 series had launched & now cards came with 2 gb vram or more for like 90 - 130$ more then what i paid for the HD 6870 but i stuck with it anyway.
Like i could leave the pc running anything & sleep in the same room quiet without wearing earplugs because i had a mini leafblower in my room at all times.
Model was the xfx dual dissipation HD 6870 if you know that card or model of cooler how noisy it gets with the fans running 80% - 100% which was where it needed to be too not overheat at 110c.

Later traded the card away too a acquaintance for a motherboard which i sold for 65$ as someone local here had a dead 1155 pc they needed too get running as an office pc in like 2017 & later got the hd 6870 back while helping them move with a Xigmatek battleaxe gpu cooler on it that he bought for like 17 $ with shipping on Ebay & temperatures were instantly like low 70's & barely audible, that card went into my dads pc which still works reasonably well despite the aging hardware.