Overheating problems

[mocnicom]

Any suggestions on how to cool a Geforce 2 mx400, that has overheating troubles? I've managed to reduce the heat somewhat already by putting in a case fan, and improving clearance around my case, so now instead of locking up after 5 minutes of use, it last like 7 hours. I'm thinking about building one of those fx stile vents on the empty slot below the card, but it looks pretty hard and I might just deal with 7 hour uptime to save the effort. And btw i'm poor so I can't just buy a new case or card.

[Chalnoth]

There are a couple of easier things you can do. One is just to remove the heatsink, apply some better thermal grease, and put it back on (Which is easy unless the heatsink is stuck on with thermal adhesive...). There are also a number of aftermarket video card heatsinks floating around that you can try.

Another thing to keep an eye on is that it may not be the graphics card (which is actually somewhat unlikely...the MX's should run relatively cool). It may be your CPU. Remember that 3D games tax the CPU much more heavily than most other things. Applying better thermal grease can help here as well. Oh, and you should also dust out the heatsink. If it's clogged, it's not going to cool anything down much.

[mocnicom]

It doesn't appear to even have a heat sink! Just a fan. MAybe I should put one on it then.

[jAkUp]

no heatsink??!!!! hmmm... ive never seen a card without one, also try throwing some ramsinks on each memory chip.

[Chalnoth]

Originally posted by mocnicom
It doesn't appear to even have a heat sink! Just a fan. MAybe I should put one on it then.

If there's a fan, then there's a heat sink. If the heatsink looks glued to the core, then it's using thermal paste, and it won't be easy to remove, and harder to reattach.

Personally, I would recommend examining the CPU first...it's easier and cheaper.

[jAkUp]

yea, check the cpu temp in the bios, see if it is overheating at all

[mocnicom]

I'm pretty sure it's the card and not the CPU, because when I use my onboard video it doesn't mess up at all. And also the lock ups can be described as "a wierd colorfull set of lines moving about" . And I also know it's overheating because when I have the case of and have a house fan blowing at it, I get no probs.

[Chalnoth]

Well, display corruption is pretty much a dead ringer. It's the video card, though I've never heard of an MX overheating.

Anyway, I'd just get a new heatsink. From your description, it sounds as if the current one is attached with thermal adhesive. I'm sure you can find a reasonably-cheap GPU cooler somewhere online, though some people have expressed problems removing the original heatsink. This seems to work for most people:

Place card in an anti-static bag, then in a sealable freezer bag, then place the card in the freezer for a couple of hours. The cold should make the thermal adhesive brittle. Use a butter knife to snap the heatsink off, then be sure to let the card warm to room temperature before attempting use (after attaching the new heatsink, of course).

Be sure to purchase some decent thermal grease with the new heatsink.