3 ways to prevent GPU Thermal Throttling

However, preventing thermal throttling is not as difficult as it seems. With a few minor software tweaks and a cleaning session afterward, your GPU can have enough headroom to stop throttling and run at full capacity.

What is GPU thermal throttling?

Modern GPUs have superior core and memory clock speeds. The higher your core and memory clock speeds, the better performance you'll get from your card. However, that comes with a lot of power consumption.

With cards from Nvidia's RTX 40-Series rated anywhere between 200W and 450W TGP (Total Graphics Power measures how much power the GPU requires), while you can get amazing performance, your GPU will also generate a lot of heat. Therefore, when the GPU reaches a specific temperature, its performance will be limited until it drops to an acceptable level. In short, thermal throttling is your GPU's way of preventing it from melting under load.

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Eventually, the GPU clock speed will drop as your card equilibrates to a specific temperature, which varies from GPU to GPU but is typically around 195°F (90.5℃).

GPU thermal throttling affects gaming, but the point is that when throttling your card's heat, you can experience serious performance drops, and risk damaging your GPU. It's also important to note that thermal throttling is not necessarily bad. That's pretty much the only thing that protects your GPU from turning into a fireball.

However, this comes at the expense of performance. As you might have guessed, this is bad for your in-game frame rates and your GPU. However, preventing GPU Thermal Throttling is also not too difficult a task.

3 ways to prevent GPU Thermal Throttling

1. GPU Offload

The simplest way to solve the GPU Thermal Throttling problem is to offload the GPU. If your GPU isn't overworked, it will use less power, resulting in lower temperatures.

There are a few ways you can do this. Lowering the graphics settings in the game is obviously the first choice, but if your game uses more CPU than the GPU, its effect can vary from game to game.

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Limiting the FPS in the game is also a good idea. Ideally, you want your FPS to match your monitor's refresh rate so that you don't push your GPU to its full capacity, rendering frames that you won't see. Rendering more frames than your monitor can display can be advantageous when it comes to latency, but you shouldn't push your GPU to the point of risking melting.

Using V-Sync can do this with a single click and saves you from messing around with in-game settings and finding the best settings for your hardware by trying multiple times. But it can also cause input lag and potential performance loss, so it should only be considered a last resort.

If you're using a laptop, using a low or balanced power plan can also help reduce the load on the GPU, as this plan limits how much power your GPU can use. This is also good for battery life if you are on the go, as your dedicated GPU consumes less power on the overall system level. Even mobile GPUs can be rated at 120W TGP, which can be quite a lot for a portable system.

2. System maintenance

Dust is the number one enemy of computers. Regardless of whether you're using a laptop or have a top-of-the-line gaming rig, if the fan vents are clogged with dust, the system's cooling system won't be able to draw in as much cool air as it needs to cool the GPU ( or other components) resulting in thermal throttling.

Even if your PC is water-cooled, you can still run a fan for airflow. Maintaining good airflow throughout the computer is important for cooling, so clean the fan vents and remove any possible dirt.

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This is also relatively easy. A can of compressed air or a blower and some specialized sprays will quickly remove most of the dust from the fan vents.

Applying thermal paste can also be of great help in keeping temperatures low, especially if you're using a high-performance laptop with power-hungry components. The article recommends that you do not re-apply thermal paste for your GPU if you are not comfortable opening it or are used to doing this. Good quality thermal paste will be able to be used for quite a long time.

However, if you're experiencing extreme temperatures (around 190°F/88℃ or more) even when the GPU is idle, it can be a good sign that it's not cooled down enough. Again, thorough system maintenance should be able to fix that.

3. Undervolt GPU

Finally, if offloading your GPU and cooling solution doesn't prevent the GPU from overheating, undervolts could also be a possible solution. This is in contrast to overclocking, where you try to reduce the GPU's power consumption while maintaining consistent core and memory clock speeds.

Fortunately, undervolt is also much safer than overclocking, meaning you're less likely to push your hardware to the edge of failure. However, this will still require some research, manual adjustments, and multiple reboots.

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Also, if done properly, undervolting your GPU can give you even better performance than the GPU would produce at factory settings. This is because underrated GPUs are much easier to stay stable than original GPUs at maximum usage.

Tools like MSI Afterburner are your best companion here. TipsMake already has instructions on how to undervolt reduce CPU temperature, but the same approach can be applied to GPU.

With GPUs becoming more and more capable with each generation, gamers must balance power consumption and GPU load and ensure their cooling solutions are suitable for good performance. from their card. It's a necessary operation, but the little effort is well worth it compared to the performance and longevity benefits.

Micah Soto

Update 14 April 2023