# Warning-Temperature's too high! Check fan or heatsink.



## dzsoul (Apr 27, 2009)

Just recently, I get this error every time I try to play or just try opening a video game like Prototype or Heroes of Newerth.

It was just recently. I have been playing Prototype for months until just now.

If i play Warcraft or just Counter Strike, the error/prompt doesn't occur...

My video card is NVIDIA 8500 GT. And of course this can handle games like those.

I tried using SpeedFan to see the temperature, and the GPU is around 86-95C when i am just surfing net. and when i try opening Prototype/HON the error occurs and the temperature is said to be around 108C.

The temperature reading of GPU is the same with what NVIDIA MonitorView shows.

Just after i turn on the computer, the GPU temp is around 88C already.

Days ago my video card fan stopped working and the computer doesn't turn on so my uncle fixed it and now the fan is working again. But right now I am experiencing this...


My computer:
Windows XP service pack 3
1.99 GB of RAM
Intel Core2Duo

Guys what should I do?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

With no fan the card probably fried the stock thermal paste or pad so there's none left. How exactly did your uncle fix it? Did he install a new heatsink and fans and thermal compound?


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## dzsoul (Apr 27, 2009)

the video card fan is attached to the video card, of course, and it stopped working, because the fan is loose. and so my uncle fixed it, i don't know how, but the fan is working again and not loose anymore.

what is a stock thermal paste? what does it look like, and what is its use?

what's a thermal compound?

I have a heatsink, i think...is a heatsink the one attached to my motherboard with many sticks on it, right?



just a little update, my GPU temp now is 95C just after turning on, and 100C when i'm just surfing the net...is my situation right now gonna make my video card explode right now? i just can't live without using the computer.

i don't want to buy a new video card. can this still be fixed? i hope so!


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

The card itself has a fan and heatsink. The fan is obviously the part that spins , and the heatsink is the metal part it cools under it. The gpu is under the metal heatsink , between the gpu and heatsink is thercompound , or basically just grease. This allows the heat from the gpu to be transfered to the heatsink and the fan to cool it.

If the fan stopped working the gpu was being cooled and probably got enough to the point it fried the grease thus now even with a working fan it's overheating. You should redo the thermal paste with some artic silver


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## dzsoul (Apr 27, 2009)

okay, so the thermal compound = thermal paste.

now i understand the situation...but i can't figure out which is which...i can only identify the fan...

i don't think i have a heatsink attached on my video card? i think it really is just a fan. but i am sure i have a heatsink on my motherboard.

maybe i'll be going out tomorrow and let some techie check on this one...

anyway, for now, is it still safe just surfing the net with 100C on it? i can't help not using a computer right now....


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

The card shouldn't ever exceed 70c under heavy usage either turn off the machine or remove the card till it's fixed.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Whatever the fan is attached to is the heatsink. When you remove the fan you will see a small chip. The chip needs to have all of the old thermal paste removed using 90% isoproply alcohol, apply a thin layer of new paste and remount the heatsink/fan.


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## dzsoul (Apr 27, 2009)

*could it be the video card is the fault or damaged, that makes its temperature so hot? because now the fan is already fixed?

or is it still just the cooling system/fan/heatsink the fault?*


Last week, my monitor had problems turning on. There are times it doesn't turn on but after a restart it works. But then after a few days I started to have the prompt about the warning "temperature's too high....." then the next day it won't really turn on. Then i found out the fault was my video card because when i plugged my monitor directly to the motherboard instead to the video card, it turned on (with only VgaSave).

But not only last week. *6 months ago*, I also had the same problems but I was sooo busy that I only left it at a techie shop then my mother brought it home and it was already fixed, and I tried to call the shop to identify the cause of the problem but they said the one fixing it is also busy...so i just forgot about it.


*I completely had no idea about my video card's temperature 6 months ago nor last week. *

I mentioned last time that my uncle fixed the fan, because I noticed that when the video card FAN fails to start, the monitor doesn't turn on. And sometimes when it turns on the video card FAN looks like pumping (I mean like back and forth), resulting to cricket-like sounds. It looked really loose and so my uncle took it and I dunno how he fixed it but the fan looks firm already.

Now that the fan looks fixed, what I am noticing now...is the WARNING! And this is the only time that I tried to know my GPU/video card's temp which is around 90-100C. And that I can't play games like Prototype anymore because the WARNING keeps on appearing and complaining...

*and back to my original question again, could it be the video card is the fault now, and that this could be the result after encountering those problems? And also to add that the fan is already back and working, still the temperature is hot.

or is it still the FAN's fault even though it is spinning already there is still a problem here, maybe the heatsink or some stuffs like that...?*


PS. i'm just posting this to add information, maybe you guys could find out something while I still try to fix the fan...

I just want to know that my video card is still safe, not affected and has no problems, and only the paste thingy is the culprit.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

I'm not sure your getting what were saying. The thermal grease is on the video card , since your card is running hot it probably burned off the grease and until you apply new grease it the biggest most obvious thing that could be wrong with the card.


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

The thermal compound helps to spread and transfer the heat to the heatsink, which has it's heat dispersed by the fan. Without thermal compound, the heat transfers considerably less, as you're experiencing. Buy some thermal compound, artic silver is great, remove your heatsink and fan, remove the old thermal paste using 90% alcohol, allow it to dry completely, apply new thermal paste (small amounts go a long way), reattach the heatsink and fan, boot up and check temps.

This is the cheapest solution ($5), and should be checked first. If you are still experiencing high temps, more solutions could apply, but those will be considerably more costly. We would be foolish to suggest doing anything else until you've tried this. We also cannot know if there is further damage to your card until you've tried this method.

You could have damaged the card, and you still can if you keep operating it under these high temps. It could also still be ok, but something does need attention. Try the thermal paste out, and if problems persist, we can offer more help.


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## dzsoul (Apr 27, 2009)

okay a really really BIG thanks guys...i'm sorry if i was persistent/stubborn before...i'm just really not into these things and i'm scared to touch things like these from my cpu unit...


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## dzsoul (Apr 27, 2009)

i've been searching for this thermal paste around stores but unfortunately almost all of them here don't have it...and a store clerk said to me that thermal paste is rarely sold.

i tried to insert my video card again and instead of being always 100C last time, it's down to 83C...when just surfing the net and not gaming.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

You can buy thermal paste for gpu's online on newegg or any other site for a few dollars.


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