ScottyCambs

Q: GPU 0 Diode - Temperature Advice

Hey,

 

So I use my iMac to play some of my favourite games, these games include;

 

  • RuneScape
  • Guild Wars 2
  • Final Fantasy Online
  • World of Warcraft
  • Civilisation 5
  • Cities Skylines

 

Every now and then I'll get a warning saying that my GPU 0 Diode is in the 97c range, it doesn't remain there but it pops up a couple of times an hour.

 

Obviously I am aware that iMacs aren't built for gaming, but I the apple representatives said that it should be able to handle them fine. Whenever I play games I tend to close all applications so it's just the game running, however I'm curious if I could be doing more, or if it's a fault.

 

My iMac Specs:

 

  • iMac 27inch, Late 2013
  • Processor: 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5
  • Memory: 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4096MB

 

My Questions:

 

  • Is it common for GPU 0 Diode to get this hot when playing games?
  • When should I be concerned, what's a dangerous temperature?
  • Outside of 'stop playing games on it' - does anyone have any advice on what I could do to help?
  • My average fan speed rarely exceeds 1500 RPM, shouldn't it be higher than that if the GPU is struggling?

 

Someone IRL recommended I turn up the fan speed, but I'm hesitant to do that unless you guys approve.

 

Thanks in advance

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Mar 20, 2016 12:20 PM

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Q: GPU 0 Diode - Temperature Advice

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  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Mar 20, 2016 1:01 PM in response to ScottyCambs
    Level 8 (35,187 points)
    iPad
    Mar 20, 2016 1:01 PM in response to ScottyCambs

    Here are some ideas:

     

    <> I've seen GPU temps of that magnitude on my iMac. I don't like it either.

     

    <> generally, 100C/212F (± some depending on age and model) is in the ballpark of when the computer will shut down to save its brain

     

    <>One bit of advice is to clean the air intakes several times a year. My 2010 iMac has somewhat different intakes from yours but they get covered in dust bunnies and that slows air flow. Easy to check and clean.

     

    <>Also make sure nothing is within six inches of any air intake or exhaust slots. One of my kids stuck a stack of CD sleeves under one end of  my iMac that came within about 3/4 inch of the vents and that was enough to run up the temps.

     

    <>If you have installed any third-party anti-virus or cleaning/optimizing/tuneup apps (all unneeded), your computer is already struggling. Evict them with extreme prejudice.

     

    <>See this Apple article on ways to check for other apps that run up temps:

     

    Apps can affect Mac performance, battery runtime, temperature, and fan activity - Apple Support

    That  article's Step 1 is VERY important to getting an accurate picture.

     

    <>The Confessional: I admit to running SMC Fan Control when I test games. Temp monitor programs tend to be a bit confused of late because Apple is constantly changing access methods to some of the sensors. Also Apple seems to wait until temps get higher than I like before the default fan control kicks up the speed.

     

    I go low-tech. I have a remote-read thermometer probe stuck in my iMac's exhaust port. I have used SMC FC to create a setting for my three fans set thusly: Optical drive fan: 2200 rpm; HDD fan: 1850rpm; CPU fan: 1500rpm. These setting keep the exhaust air under 100F/38C, my tolerance point. The latest Tomb Raider for Mac maintains that exhaust air temp level with the SMC FC settings I show. Those settings also keep the GPU diode at or under 60C.

     

    HOWEVER!! SMC Fan Control is a bit of a system hack and I strongly urge you to consider it as a last resort after looking at the other options I listed. It has not caused me any issues but your mileage may vary. If you decide to run SMC Fan Control, get it ONLY from the developers site. Too many download hosting sites today deliver dirty diapers with the new baby, if you get my drift!

     

    My iMac specs: 27-inch 2010 quad-core i7 2.93 Ghz; 12GB RAM; ATI Radeon 5750 with 1TB VRAM.

     

    Allan

    Grey-haried Gamer