Skyrim overheats

[Creeperologist]

So, i just played skyrim today and BAM skyrim's framerate drops to 30 fps and looking to gpu - z it seems that my gpu's temperature is 115c :/. I cleared it, but it didnt help so i watched it for few minutes and it seems that fans are disfunctioning (it spins for few seconds, then stops.) So, what i should do?

Edit 1 : Yes, i am using the latest possible drivers (296.10).

[bobczes]

it seems that fans are disfunctioning (it spins for few seconds, then stops.) So, what i should do?

Blow the dust out, replace the fan with an after market fan, RMA the graphics card, buy a new graphics card? Overheating hardware is bad.

[Creeperologist]

I already sucked the dust out with a vacuum cleaner. Also, i may sound like a dumbass, what is RMA?

[Stexred]

buy a pressured air can blower or whatever (pc shop)
and use that too clean it
use some stick to hold the fans still

using a vacuum cleaner can be bad if the fans are moving from the air flow from the vacuum cleaner (creates static)

see
http://www.wiscocomputing.com/articles/maintenance.htm

[bobczes]

I already sucked the dust out with a vacuum cleaner. Also, i may sound like a dumbass, what is RMA?

A return merchandise authorization (RMA), return goods authorization (RGA), or return merchandise agreement (rarely return material authorization) is the process of having a product repaired or replaced in order to receive a refund or credit for another product from the same retailer or corporation within the product's warranty period. The RMA process and the issuance of an RMA is a key gatekeeping moment in the reverse logistics cycle. This term is often used in the electronics industry as a part of service agreements, according to which the customer returns the product back to the company and gets a new or repaired product back, generally with an additional warranty on the returned product.

[Creeperologist]

hm, i dont have any money right now, does someone knows a cheap and easy way to clear video cards without using these things :/.

Also, i suck at hardware, the only thing i yet know is how to get video card out of the computer...

[bobczes]

This is an application that monitors heat and fan speed and allows you to adjust the fan speed.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_speedfan/

There are other apps that accomplish the same thing.

The problem could also be your PSU.
PSU's have multiple 12v rails (most of them), if one rail is, say, browning out (underpowering) your card's fan could not be getting the power it needs as a whole, while the rest of your PC could be just fine.

You can test this by putting your current video card into another computer to see if it has the same issue. If the fan still doesn't spin up, then it could be a bad card or a bad fan. If the fan works just fine, then it's probably a bad PSU.

If the bearings are going bad on the fan you're probably SOL and complete failure could occur.

Monitoring your thermals is essential.

[Appl250]

Look into the fins of the card which the fan blows air over and see if it is clogged up.

Depending on the cooler design, you may need an air compressor or canned air which personally is often far to weak.

If the fan on the GPU cooler is still behaving strangely, then you will either have to replace the cooler with an after market one or replace the card.

Depending on age an after market cooler may not be worth while, and purchasing another GPU may be the best option.

[Creeperologist]

It seems that it probably has electricity problems, because it seems to spin for a while, then stops, also i checked everything nothing seems to have problems. Also i finally got some money (borrowed from a friend) and buyed a compressed air can and blowed the dust out of it but it didn't help D:.

[DanielCoffey]

If the fan is spinning for a while then stopping, it is faulty. If the computer or graphics card is under warranty, you should start the process of returning it for repair or replacement.

Since you have no cash, I won't suggest buying a new graphics card and also if you are not comfortable with taking PC components to bits, attempting a fan/heatsink swap yourself would be foolish.

Tell us what brand and model of graphics card you are using and someone can suggest a suitable replacement cooler for it. You can then talk with PC-owning friends to see if someone feels confident in swapping the coolers over for you. A new generic cooler for "older" graphics cards is pretty cheap .

[Creeperologist]

Yeah well my video card's name is GT440, it has 1 GB or video memory and is low end.

[stoob]

My fans whirr like a bugger when playing Skyrim, not always in a place you'd expect it such as new areas. Haven't checked the heat.

[Twelvefield]

Skyrim pushes hardware hard. Definitely keep an eye on fans and heat. Skyrim framerates will throttle if you overheat. You may get a few minutes of decent gaming and then the throttle hits.

Overheating can be very expensive on your system if left unchecked. One of the best things to do is avoid playing Skyrim until you stabilize your rig. STEAM and Skyrim will still be there when you return.

Definitely used canned air for cleaning and not a vaccuum cleaner. A can of air shouldn't cost more than $10, so it shouldn't break your bank.

[Jigsaw27]

I have a 440GT also and I have zero issues. Did you not register it online when you purchased it? It's covered under a 3 year warranty if you did.

[Creeperologist]

Yeah, another ridiculously solved problem... I just got to my BIOS today, nad just for experimenting made all values to the defaults (even tough i didn't changed them). And guess what, it helped! Now i get stable 45 - 60 C and the fans are spinning again! I dont know what kind of issue was that but ill just stay up with this.