help!! to add some context: noticed in a monitoring tool that my GPUs hotspot (junction) temperature is way above the edge temperature during long play sessions. it used to be closer. performance hasnt dropped as far as I can tell, but the fans are louder.
what's a normal gap, and what could cause it to widen over time?? the card is a couple of years old and has never been opened or cleaned. seriously need help here 😭
oh ive been there lol A few observations :) if cleaning doesn't help and you're comfortable with it, repasting is not hard, but read up on your specific card first. note teh thermal pad thicknesses before removing anything, since replacing pads with teh wrong thickness causes worse contact. also check whether opening teh cooler affects your warranty. some vendors are fine with it, some aren't.
If teh behaviour persists, more detail about the environment would help.
The hotspot is the hottest sensor reading on the die, so its always higher than the average/edge temperature. A gap that grows over time often points to the thermal paste pumping out or drying, which leaves parts of the die with worse contact. Dust in the heatsink is the other common culprit and much easier to fix, so start there. worked for me anyway 🤷
Before opening anytihng, clean it. Compressed air thruogh the heatsink fins with the fans held still (dont let them spin freely from teh air). Then check the case airflow: is teh card getting fresh air or just recirculating its own exhaust? A side panel fan or tidier cable layout can make a noticeable difference. fingers crossed 🤞
@lucky_sprite414 I'd be slower to recommend repasting. If performance hasn't dropped and the card isn't throttling, a widened gap is mostly a noise issue. A slightly more aggressive fan curve or a lower power limit might be a safer fix than taking apart a card, especially with pads that are easy to get wrong.
@byte_forge cleaning helped a bit, but i ended up repasting after measuring the pads. Gap is now back to what it was when new. Took my time and it went fine. seriously made my day 😭🙏
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