32Gb DDR4
i7 6700K
MSI 2080 gaming x trio
Predator X34P 3440 x 1440 Ultra Wide
G-SYNC enabled
I’m running High settings with Clouds at Ultra
My fps are between 30-60 depending on location. I’m not a big city flyer luckily as sometimes it drops to mid 20’s. Flying GA aircraft only.
This game has always sent my GPU to high fan speeds and med-high temps (78-80).
The GPU was also being pushed to 90-100% at times and obviously created high temps and loud fan noise. I’m not happy with this and scaling down resolution was not an option.
Solution I’ve found to work really well for me with very little fps loss is using MSI Afterburner. Using the Power limit or Temp limit % which achieve the same outcome bring my temps down by 15 degrees.
I find i only lose a max of 2-4 fps even on 60% power setting. This makes my card run so much quieter and cooler with minimal fps loss. Very happy and a much more enjoyable experience.
Leaving my card at default results in max temps and fan speed within minutes of flying. The Afterburner settings above stay cool and stable constantly.
I’d be interested if this works for others that are having the same issue…
I got the trio TI and was nervous of the temps when I first got it so went liquid cooled which dropped my temps by 30 plus…hovering around 50 ish with MSFS mate but afterburner with curve settings on the fans is defo the way to go
Absolutely, I did look at this option just the other day. I decided against it as I’ll probably upgrade to the next GPU this year.
Spent the money on a new case instead
80c is perfectly fine on a GPU, although cooler is always better as that will mean the clock speed will be more stable as time progresses.
nvidia’s GPUs specifically don’t thermal throttle in any significant way until the mid 90’s and the GPU BIOS will shut the entire PC down around 100c to protect itself.
Quick and dirty research (do not try this at home):
I wasn’t worried about the temps, I know it was perfectly normal range for my GPU. But the noise of the 3 GPU fans was annoying me. I have a thing for quiet systems
Opening the side panel didn’t make any difference. In fact I bought a new case as my old one was very flow restrictive but the new Fractal Design Define 7 didn’t make much of an improvement. And that thing has great airflow.
Edit: I don’t think my ultra wide monitor helps things, it pushes my card to it’s limits in this game.
If i drop to 1080 then it handles it no problem with great fps. Just looks ■■■ on the ultra wide!
Haven’t tried Afterburner… I run low end hardware and whatever I do, the fan is always blowing. When I don’t want to break off my flight and stop the noise, I do this… reduce the MSFS window to a quarter size cuts the GPU load in half… immediately…
My EVGA GTX 1080 was running hot too, fix was removing GPU Cooler off of board, blowing dust out and cleaning off (thoroughly) old thermal paste and repasting and making sure mounting screws are on snug, dropped GPU temps by 8 degrees.
If you look closely at the fan blades and especially at the leading edges, you might see dust and whatever else adhering to them and this shows you where some careful cleaning could pay dividends. A fan blade is similar to a wing after all and this is an easy and cheap job to do.
Also, can you get any other additional fans in there? If not, can you upgrade from the common 120mm fans to 140mm fans? Many cases support both sizes and there is a lot greater throughput with the larger fans.
Finally, what about airflow routes? Hot air rises, so if you can help push the air upwards and back to the exhaust port, it will help cool things down a bit. Set those top fans to exhaust, even through a radiator and it will help with only the smallest of temp increases for the CPU.
Any and all of these ideas work, but the cheapest is top of the list.
If you meant liquid cooling your CPU, how does that help cool your graphics card? Was it just the increased airflow of perhaps additional or larger fans of your liquid cooling solution?
So… is one of those AIO’s for your graphics card? Sorry, it seems like you didn’t quite answer my question.
I just built my first liquid cooled (AIO) system for my CPU, but, I haven’t brought MSFS online with it yet (I’m still setting up the system, and I have to take the RTX2070 from my existing system since I can’t buy a 3080 or 3090 these days, so, I’m taking my time because my current system isn’t “bad”).
I was wondering if you thought it was worth it to liquid cool your GPU?
I use Nvidia Inspector. You can prioritize GPU temp. I lower it to 60 when there is an update, usually keep it around 82 during 4k full screen flights. If the fan noise bothers you, try reducing the GPU temp in the 70’s, depending on your CPU your frames could still be satisfactory during cruise.
One of the ways an AIO on the CPU can reduce GPU temps is that the heat from the CPU is exhausted externally rather than an air cooled CPU which dumps that heat inside the case. The air inside the case stays cooler with the AIO.
Also if anyone is seeing lots of dust consider a case with filters and don’t put the pc on a carpet. Oh, and hoover a bit more.
