Post by TA non-invasive way to check your Graphics processor (GPU)
http://almico.com/sfdownload.php
A too hot CPU or GPU usually means your fan has seized up, or is
full of dirt.
If you blow out your fans, be sure to capture the blades to
keep them from spinning. Fans are reservable electric generators
and will send a current back to what it is plugged into and can
also burn out your fan controller circuitry
The video cards that I've used with their own fans have their own fan
speed control. Safer to let those cards regulate their fan speed than
to let the user decide to run it slower. That is, the card already
regulates its own fan speed so don't you try to unregulate it. Speedfan
is still handy to regulate the CPU and case fans; however, again, the
BIOS or software that came with the mobo might already regulate fan
speed to reduce noise but will up speed to make sure the device gets
sufficiently cooled. I use Speedfan but only to monitor GPU
temperature, not to alter the fan speed the video card already self-
regulates (and I don't need software to have the video card self-
regulate its fan speed). It is handy for its charting: you can see how
temperatures have fluctuated depending on your use of your computer. it
also has a log but I've found the chart (for temperatures, fan speed, or
voltages) gives me enough history to monitor temperatures as I change
how I use my computer. Make sure to enable its option "Set fans to 100%
on exit" to up fan speeds to full RPM when it is exited. You don't want
the fans left spinning slower all the time when you play a game or do
GPU or CPU intensive computing. Make sure you aren't using Speedfan
against the temperature controls that may be available in the BIOS.
It is more important to blow out the heatsink than the fan. Fans don't
accumulate much debris (unless you have the computer in an area with
smoke, like cigarette smoke or in or near the kitchen). Lint and dust
accumulate in the heatsink's fins and reduce its utility. For fans, use
an ear swab to scrub the dirt loose on its blades. When blowing out the
dust, yeah, use the ear swab or a tooth pick (through a grill) to hold
the blades from spinning or put your finger on its hub if the fan is
exposed (when inside the case). Besides protecting the logic, a fan
spinning because you're blowing compressed air across its means less of
the air is getting blown into the heatsink.
Remember to get those cables out of the way of the air flow inside the
case, too, especially if any are the old flat IDE cables. Fans don't
work so well trying to blow through a forest of cables. If you have a
side panel fan, make sure it blows in the same direction as the CPU's
fan. Having them blow at each other or away from each other means less
air flow. GPU heatsinks can be a bit tricky to blow out their dust
because often there is a plastic shell around the GPU, heatsink, fan,
and maybe the memory. If you must use the mobo card slot next to the
video card, make sure it is a half-length card that doesn't overlap
where is the fan on the video card. Much harder to get air flow in a
tight space and around obstacles.
Personally I would not recommend using Speedfan to user-regulate the
GPU's fan speed. Maybe on low-end video cards don't have speed self-
regulation but the ones that I buy do. They'll spin down when not
loaded and producing less heat and spin up when they get hot, like when
playing a video game. I don't need software for that and shouldn't use
software for that. The BIOS of the low-end mobos don't have much in the
way of CPU and case fan speed control. The salvaged one I'm using at
home only has a threshold alert, no fan speed control, so Speedfan comes
in handy to quiet that computer but used only for the CPU and case fans
and just monitoring the GPU temperature, and to provide alerts for all
(if you define events to issue popups).
Be aware to not accidentally change the CPU's fan speed to zero or some
very low RPM. The BIOS will see the CPU fan speed is too low and shut
down the computer. It won't wait until the CPU's temperature spikes too
hot. Configuring Speedfan can be tricky because it can sense the
hardware but may not provide easy-to-identify labelling. You might
think you are setting fan speeds for the case fan but are instead
setting them for the CPU. Once I figure out which sensor is for which
fan, I relabel them in Speedfan. You won't find help, a menu, or
right-click context menus to let you figure out how to rename the fans.
Hit F2 on a selected fan under the Fans tab in the configuration screen.
Seeing "Fan1 on IT8720F at $A0 on ISA" won't tell the user which fan it
represents.
If my mobo's BIOS had a decent fan speed control configuration, I'd be
using that instead of Speedfan. I don't use Speedfan on a video card
that already employs self-regulation. If the hardware can do it, don't
use software. Speedfan is one of those useful tools *if* you know what
you're doing with it. It is /NOT/ an install-and-go tool for boobs.
Considering you come here getting help on how you can help your
customers, you better hope you installing Speedfan on their computer
means they never putz around with its configuration assuming you get it
correct in the first place.