GPU issues

So my GPU is heating up pretty bad. Not sure what to do or how it started. It just started last night while I was playing Modern Warfare 2. Was at about 120 degrees. Is that normal? I was getting that temp from RivaTuner(no, I am not overclocking the card).

I am now out of warranty, what do I do, or what tests can I run to troubleshoot?

Ideas anyone? Thanks!

 

well it depends on if your talking about Fahrenheit then yes that is normal and quite cool. if your talking about Celsius then no that is abnormally hot and reaching the point of breakdown. i would download HWmonitor and leave that program running while you play the game for a little bit so it can log your maximum temp.

things you can do is check and make sure the fan is turning at normal speed. if it seems a little slow then open the laptop up and clear any blockage (make sure to check the shaft of the fan as lint and stuff can build up there and slow the fan down)

next thing is to make sure the heatsink itself is free of any garbage blocking airflow. with your computer off you can do this with a can of compressed air but i would recommend opening it to clean it out since its been such a long time? if you do use a can of compressed air make sure you keep the fan from being forcefully spun. you can stick a toothpick in there to keep it from spinning (just make sure you take it out when your done)

the last thing i can think of is to take the laptop apart and replace the thermal material in the heatsink with something new and better. i recommend using IC Diamond as that thermal material can be used to replace thermal pads and reaches maximum thermal conductivity in a relatively short amount of time. oh its also not electrically conductive or capacitive so it wont damage components if some of it happens to shift somewhere else although i highly doubt it as this paste is fairly thick.

 

Thanks Ryo. I will give it some checkin out.

 

120 Celcius your laptop would have melted and taken half your house with it.