Video card running really hot

[Soviet_Genius]

My video card runs really hot. It idles at just about 60 degrees, and when I run graphically intensive game, like Call of Duty 4, it gets up to 85-87 degrees. How can I improve cooling in my computer? The card is an XFX GeForce 8600 XXX 256 mb. It has a plastic cover over the heatsink and a small fan. It sucks air in and blows it out the sides of the plastic cover. I have cleaned the fan but I haven't cleaned the heatsink because I don't know how to get that cover off.

[Calum]

I'd say you maybe need to increase your fan speed.
Check out Rivatuner and use this guide - it details how to set up fan profiles so that the fan speed will increase when the temperature gets to a certain point.
Those temperatures are getting to be dangerous, I don't like to see graphics cards beyond 80 but I am led to believe they can take up to 90C.
Let us know.

[Soviet_Genius]

The second screenshot in the guide doesn't look like what mine does (attached file is what mine looks like). If I click on the first customize button, it does look like the screenshot in the guide.

[recovering space - attachment deleted by admin]

[Soviet_Genius]

After a few google searches and some other tutorials, I got closer to setting it up so that it automatically changes fan speeds according to temperature. The problem is the fan still runs at the same speed no matter what I do, I can't hear any difference.

[brett74]

how many case fans do you have? I have 2 thinking about adding another to mine since mine gets pretty hot also

[fpsmitch]

i have the exact same card with temps usually below 60C.
there is another option also, it is to get a pci fan.
itplugs into one of yourpci slots and cools whatever is next to it.
good cheap fix, just dont get a badly reviewed one, it sucks when it turns out its a turd

[Soviet_Genius]

Do you know how to get that plastic thing off? I think I just need to clean out the heatsink. I don't know if a PCI fan is an option because my power supply is barely pulling what I have now.

[brett74]

how big is your psu? on the cover is there screws that you can take out?

[Soviet_Genius]

What does that have to do with anything?

[brett74]

sorry about that. I'm talking about the cover on the video card sorry

[fpsmitch]

how long has the card been in there?

[Soviet_Genius]

The whole heatsink/fan/plastic thing has 2 screws on the bottom of the card with springs. The card's been in there around 7 or 8 months.

[Soviet_Genius]

I got one step closer in rivatuner................
I did the thing where you manually set your driver version in the power user tab. Now, when I try to change fan speed in the driver or low level sections, I set the slider to whatever I want, but it just goes back slowly to the default (29%) and the fan never changes speeds.

[NOT ADMIN :P]

256 card will not handle cod4 on medium to high graphics very well.

it may be on the way out if you are getting a 60 deg idle temp though.

good thing is the 9800 from asus has dropped to around 300 american dorra!

[Soviet_Genius]

Runs CoD4 perfectly on med-high settings.........