GPU Temp?

[tigris671]

I'm currently running a 2009 Mac Pro with a ATI Radeon HD 4870 GPU.

I recently found my computer freezing and requiring a hard boot when performing certain tasks (such as rendering 3D graphics from Cinema 4D specifically).

I tried reinstalling the Operating system (to rule out an OS Bug), Booting from a separate drive (to rule out any HD issues) and a few other things and it still occurred afterwards.

I just installed istat which is reading my GPU at an idle temperature state of 75 degrees C (167F).

I'm thinking its a temp issue, so I opened up the Mac Pro, dusted out the entire thing as well as removed the card and dusted it as well.

Another step I took was trying to flash the GPU to increase the fan speed using this guide {GUIDE}Is your ATI GPU Overheating?, Adjust ATI GPU Fan Speed for OSX, - InsanelyMac Forum.

I can hear the fan speed increase, but the temp is still reading the same. Although I think the crashes have stopped temporarily.

any ideas? Is this not a normal idle temp?
Thank you for your help!

Specs:
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro4,1
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB
L3 Cache (per processor): 8 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 5.86 GT/s
ATI Radeon HD 4870:

 

[dale]

Very roughly (this is from personal experience and not from scientific research), if you notice your GPU working at ~50°C and above, you should start thinking about temperature, i.e., whether this is the right machine for the job; and if this machine is in good working order.

That said, this temperature is not going to send your machine into turmoil. GPU is designed to withstand much higher temperature (but of course, it is not good for the long run). I also don't think this is the cause for the freeze. What temperature do you read when you work with 3D graphics?

 

[tigris671]

This is definitely the correct machine for the job. I've been working in the industry for some time now and many post houses use this exact setup. It could possibly be an issue with the computer being faulty somewhere or not handling the card properly?

The temperature of the card actually doesn't change much, hitting around 76 when rendering with the program. It hit around 85 when playing portal 2 or other games and freezing does not occur, I just that that seemed like a good excuse... dang

One other thing to note, is that when the Mac Pro is booted into Safe Mode, the freezing never occurs.

I feel like I'm a surgeon trying to find the disease.

Should I consider getting a new card? Or testing out a friends card in my CPU to test the temps?

 

[dale]

Sorry, that was a generalised comment in reference to temperature. Did not mean to suggest that your machine is sub par.

Did you note the temperature in safe mode?

I would not get a new card just yet. Right before the freezing occur, did you notice anything special? A random error message for example, or screen flashing or seeing magenta lines? etc.

Is your driver up-to-date?

If you could get your hands on a friend's card, it would help in pinpointing the problem.