ATI Radeon graphics card getting overheat

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Level 1

20 points

ATI Radeon graphics card getting overheat

I just got a new power Mac G5 2x2.26 ghz Quad core Intel Xeon with an ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card installed. What I noticed is that the monitor DVI conector gets an unusual overheating. I mean in my previos G5 did'nt have this isue. However, machine is working fine and have no problems. I just concerned about this Graphics card getting overheat. Can someone tell me if this a normal situation? should I need to take any action before is too late?
I will apreciate any coments in this matter.
Thanks in advance.
Juan

Mac G%, Mac OS X (10.6)

Posted on Dec 29, 2009 1:59 PM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Dec 29, 2009 4:25 PM in response to juan miranda

Hi Jaun, you do not have a G5, they look similar case wise, but you have what we call a Mac Pro, G5s have IBM chips, not Intel.

Get Temperature Monitor - 4.51 to see if it's heat related & exactly what...

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19994

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Answer 2

Dec 29, 2009 5:28 PM in response to juan miranda

The 4870 runs hot....really hot. There are no Mac OS based utilities I know of to measure the temperature of this GPU (Temperature Monitor is therefore useless, at least on my 1st gen Mac Pro), but people who have used the card in Bootcamp report temperatures of up to 85C+ when under load, with idle temps in the 60-70C range. My own 4870 also runs at similar temperatures; under load, the card's rear vent becomes extremely hot to the touch.

This appears to be the norm, however. The RV770 core used on these cards run very hot, and are capable of withstanding these kinds of temperatures. I've never had issues with overheating (graphics corruption/artifacts/shutdown) with this card. Just keep your system and work area clean and ensure that you don't get dust building up to the point of inhibiting airflow through your computer.

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