What's a healthy GPU temperature on a R560 Madril?

I recently noticed the fan of my R560 Madril is much louder than it used to be and also the notebook seems to be running much slower compared to when it was new, especially when running GPU intensive applications.

So I checked temps with CPUID HW Monitor. The CPU temp is quite normal, but my GPU goes up to around 100°C (210°F) under load. It's even at around 80°C (180°F) just after I boot my computer (It's a 9600M GT, I have the latest drivers installed and also tested the older version from Samsung's website).

I opened my case and cleaned away all the dust in the fan (there wasn't that much of it though) but it didn't change anything. Still at 80°C (180°F) with not a single graphics intensive application running.

This can't be normal, can it? It would be great if anyone with that notebook could check their temperatures when idle and also under heavy load for me to compare (while you're at it please provide CPU temps as well, thanks ). Also I would greatly appreciate any ideas about what might be the problem here.

Should I renew the thermal paste? Shoud I replace my fan? Samsung's support told me to send the notebook in, of course (which would cost me 40 Euros just to "check" the NB alone, whatever that means). But as my warranty has expired anyway and as I already opened and closed the case without any problems, I feel quite confident I could do almost anything a Samsung technician could do.

 

I would expect the CPU and GPU idle temperatures to be below 60C. How quickly do the temperatures rise when you start the computer?

I would support your proposal to replace the thermal paste: I suspect that the heat isn't getting carried away properly. One subjective test would be to feel the temperature of the air being flow out by the fan. If it is only warm then this would support the likelihood of the heat not getting from the chops to the heatsink.

John

 

Hey John, thanks for your help.

After booting, it only takes seconds until the GPU temp rises to around 80°C. The air blown out isn't very warm - actually it feels more like a cool breeze... guess that's a bad sign.

I'm going to get new thermal paste this weekend, I'll write again if the problem persists.

 

That evidence supports the case for replacing the thermal paste.

John

 

Replacing the thermal paste did the trick. GPU temp is now about 30°C lower, both idle and under load, the notebook appears to be running faster again, too. Thank you very much for your advice!

 

Thanks for the update. It's always useful to know if the suggestions work.

John