Graphics card temperatures

GPU Temperatures

So here we'll have a look at GPU temperatures. First up, IDLE (desktop) temperatures.

IDLE temperatures are always a tiny bit tricky to read out as Windows Aero could have an affect on them. Overall, anything below 50 Degrees C is considered okay, anything below 40 Degrees C is very nice. We threw in some cards at random that we have recently tested into the above chart.

But what happens when we are gaming? We fire off an intense game-like application at the graphics card and measure the highest temperature at the GPU.

So with the card fully stressed we kept monitoring temperatures and noted down the GPU temperature that was the highest.

• The temperature under heavy game stress for the card under load stabilized at roughly 73 Degrees C.

The generic rule under load is that everything under 65 Degrees C would be fantastic. In-between 65 and 85 degrees is a normal temperature. Anything passing 85 Degrees C we simply feel is over the top.

Obviously your PC has an effect on load temperature, please make sure your PC is well ventilated at all times, this will help you improve the overall GPU temperatures.