Help · Graphics card

The GPU slowed down because it ran hot

You can fix this

Under sustained load the graphics card's clock fell while its temperature was high, which is the card protecting itself from heat.

Why this happens

Graphics cards lower their clock when they reach their temperature limit. Some of that under a long load is normal. A large drop means the card is not shedding heat fast enough, most often because of dust, a blocked airflow path or fans that are not spinning up.

What to do

  1. Clean dust from the graphics card's heatsink and fans and from the case's filters.
  2. Check that the case fans are spinning and that nothing blocks the card's intake.
  3. If you set a custom fan curve or a power or clock change in GPU software, return it to default and test again.
  4. On a laptop, run the test plugged in and on a hard, flat surface.