Windows 7 GPU Over Use

[Geysergod]

Unless I am playing games from XP or older my GPU runs at 80-99% usage. When I am on my desktop the GPU idles at 0% and depending on which Graphics card I have in either 30-35 degrees Celsius or 40-50 degrees Celsius. When I am in-game though on any game but the old XP ones no matter which graphics card is in the GPU runes 80-99% and heats up to 70 degrees Celsius which for most desktop graphics cards is its overheat point. Which game I am playing depends on how fast it heats up, with the shortest time being about 5 minutes and the longest being about 30 minutes.

System Specs
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit edition
24 GB RAM
4 TB Memory
ATI Radeon HD 4850 or NVIDIA GEFORCE 8400 GS

Is there anyone out there that can shed some light on my problem.

 

[kemical]

Hi,

actually those figures aren't that bad. Many modern cards will run quite happily at 80c and depending on the game it's not unusual to see GPU usage spiking to 99%. As long as your games aren't crashing or seeing artifacts then I'd wouldn't worry so. Also both of those GPU's are known to run a little warm..
You improve things by making sure any dust is removed from vents and fans. A good airflow can help keep components cool too.

 

[Geysergod]

I have been having both crashes and artifacts, and it isn't spiking at that it is running constant at 90-99% from the moment the game starts to the moment I close the game. The ATI Radeon HD 4850 actually states that its over heat point is 70 degrees Celsius, this is also the temperature point when the card crashes most frequently.

 

[nmsuk]

I have been having both crashes and artifacts, and it isn't spiking at that it is running constant at 90-99% from the moment the game starts to the moment I close the game. The ATI Radeon HD 4850 actually states that its over heat point is 70 degrees Celsius, this is also the temperature point when the card crashes most frequently.

The 4850's overheat point is actually 100c and at that point the card, will go to a black screen. 70c is perfectly reasonable while in game.

 

[kemical]

I have been having both crashes and artifacts, and it isn't spiking at that it is running constant at 90-99% from the moment the game starts to the moment I close the game. The ATI Radeon HD 4850 actually states that its over heat point is 70 degrees Celsius, this is also the temperature point when the card crashes most frequently.

Well if your over heating then you can try a number of options:
Can you speed up the fans?
Remove dust bunnies and the like.
Improve airflow

 

[Geysergod]

The 4850's overheat point is actually 100c and at that point the card, will go to a black screen. 70c is perfectly reasonable while in game.

well that maybe, but for some reason at 70c the 4850 card crashes. I don't know if it is because there was a spike to 100% at that point or what, but no matter what settings I use at 70-72c on the 4850 the card crashes, usually either going to a dark grey screen with horizontal lines or black screen depending on the game. So far the 8400 has never topped 48c so I have no fear of it over heating but am more worried about it crashing to the grey screen if it has a spike to 100% or something like that.

Well if your over heating then you can try a number of options:
Can you speed up the fans?
Remove dust bunnies and the like.
Improve airflow

The 4850 has an auto regulator on the fan and at it's hottest was running at 86% of its max speed, and I was blowing the dust out daily (though there wasn't really any dust in there) and I had the side panel pulled off and a floor fan aimed at it.

 

[kemical]

well that maybe, but for some reason at 70c the 4850 card crashes. I don't know if it is because there was a spike to 100% at that point or what, but no matter what settings I use at 70-72c on the 4850 the card crashes, usually either going to a dark grey screen with horizontal lines or black screen depending on the game. So far the 8400 has never topped 48c so I have no fear of it over heating but am more worried about it crashing to the grey screen if it has a spike to 100% or something like that.



The 4850 has an auto regulator on the fan and at it's hottest was running at 86% of its max speed, and I was blowing the dust out daily (though there wasn't really any dust in there) and I had the side panel pulled off and a floor fan aimed at it.

Try replacing the Thermal compound as this can become old. You can pick up tubes from places like newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Thermal-Compound-Grease/SubCategory/ID-85?Tpk=thermal compound

 

[Teemocaptain]

My computer was so, I just opened a browser, the GPU ran at 90% usage! try to clean and optimize your PC, if doesn't work, maybe it's hardware problem. you can use these tools:
http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.php
http://www.tune-up.com/
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

 

[Pauli]

Both graphic cards you mention are a bit old. Means that playing newer games they put your video card to the utmost. Like kemical noted, most cards will run happily at 80 degrees Celsius, but other issues may appear. I had a factory overclocked MSI card, and it was safe to 120 degrees Celsius.

Actually, computer components are built to run at 100% - when you do something, your CPU will jump to max, in order to perform the task, as fast as possible. It's not like with cars, where you decide how much you press the gas pedal. It's more like with light bulbs, they are always 100%.

General ventilation? Fans? Lower the settings in the games?

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

As usual Titanic is on the money about your Video card being severely underpowered for a high-end gaming system you have devised.

Consider these recommended Video Cards from TSF recommended Custom Build list, midrange cost system list:

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 @ $259.99
Newegg.com - ASUS GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5 GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Video Card: Sapphire 100352-3L Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit @ $309.99
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100352-3L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
I'm not a Gamer, but I know several people who are, and they all tell me that you need a minimum 2GB DDR5 RAM technology card; especially if running over 16GB RAM on Main Board which you are. Don't know if you have the right slots on your existing Mobo since you didn't mention the make/model of your Mobo; but if either of these work, you could solve most of your problems by throwing some cash at the Video channel which seems to be the bottleneck, IMO.

Let us know how it turns out for you!

BIGBEARJEDI