Dangerous Heat

[boleyd]

Because of the proliferation of LED fans and flashing LED cheap cabinets it is important to know the temperature of the CPU or graphics card. This is a subject in the Parts & Labor area but, it is too important to just be there.

Constant over-allowable temps will fry things. Fluctuating temps will usually cause failure from flexing. N3V should offer free temperature monitoring programs with the new deluxe graphics process. .

Before the "open door policy" I was always hitting the 100c max when editing. So, open the side door of your cabinet if your new monitor shows a temperature of 90c or more. Citron offered that advice.

You do not need a degree in Thermodynamics to make your next acquisition a hardware temperature monitor. Note 100c is the max temperature your CPU can handle. The timing clock can run no faster if that is reached.

The new graphics places a heavy load on the GPU and the CPU. As N3V improvs graphics the load will also rise. Try to imagine all of the calculations involved in a change of complex color or elevation in 3-dimensional space.

It costs you nothing to monitor your CPU and video card temperatures. Use google to scan for FREE monitoring programs.
I use Core Temp and Malwarebytes again both FREE$. Take a look at the Parts & Labour forum.

Get a monitor.
Otherwise, you are FRYING blind.

 

[itzemmyjane]

I'd think that would be more a <insert user's operating system company> thing to include in <insert operating system>, not a train simulator...

 

[boleyd]

One other heat load is the Sort. It seems higher on my system than the "normal software".

 

[JCitron]

I'd think that would be more a <insert user's operating system company> thing to include in <insert operating system>, not a train simulator...

All computer operations cause heat including turning on the system. It's the way that the hardware works from the way the electrons flow through the silicon.

An operating system is agnostic to this, meaning it can't monitor or mitigate heat and doesn't care. That's up to the hardware manufacturers to do that through sensors and utilities to manage the heat load and act accordingly. What we're seeing here is the heat generated by Trainz is far more than other programs causing poor performance due to the program pushing the hardware right up to the limits that the hardware can operate at all the time. When the hardware reaches its upper limits, things begin to happen. First, any monitoring software and built-in firmware will throttle the hardware speed down to mitigate the high heat. This is obvious with lugging and fans speeding up and slowing down causing awful stutters.

The second thing that occurs is if the heat can't be lowered and remains high for longer periods of time, this will degrade the hardware physically and mechanically through thermal stress. The constant heating and cooling will eventually cause bonds to break inside components and also solder joints to crack. I witnessed this as a hardware technician in the 1980s and early 90s when I repaired circuit boards that were put through thermal stress to deliberately cause failures prior to shipping systems to customers.

It doesn't help that many of today's computers have cases that are poorly designed. There are exceptions of course, especially with those systems that are custom built, but not everyone builds their own systems and end up using pre-built systems from companies such as Dell, Lenovo, or HP where the case designs are pretty poor for so-called gaming systems. Dell, for example, which I am most familiar with, stuffed very high-heat components into less-than-optimal cases. Their 8950 is by far the worst culprit here with a very small row of vent holes near the high-heat generating RTX 3080 video card and the AIO on the water-cooled i9-12900K blowing heat into the case rather than outside. There's a front fan blowing air across but there's nowhere for the heat to go, so everything cooks.

My solution has been to crack open the case and operate the system either with the side off completely or with the side leaning against the case. This allows the high heat to escape and keep the video card reasonably cool. Combined what MIS Afterburner for the video card, I can keep my GPU in the 60 to 70 C temp range instead of in the 80 to 83 C range where it was operating at its maximum and throttling back. The heat-pump AIO on the CPU too can vent some of the heat out, although still not optimally but at least it isn't stifled by the heat from the video card, but at least the CPU isn't operating at max-heat limit of 100C.

This was mentioned not only by myself but by others to Dell not only in their forum but also via feedback when asked. Since then, they have improved the case with their 8960 series but without owning one, I can't say much about it in that regard.

 

[boleyd]

Stressed boards offered for sale. Hmmm. Two sides to the boards and an argument, The good components must be strong and trustworthy or, the survivors have been weakened but not killed.

 

[boleyd]

off topic -- Stressed boards offered for sale. Hmmm. Two sides to the boards and an argument, The good components must be strong and trustworthy or, the survivors have been weakened but not killed.

 

[davies_mike57]

To keep the CPU and GPU cooler in ones own PC computer I do what John Citron does and take off the PC desktop cover.
I run the free to download MSI afterburner and the Riva Tuner Statistics Server to monitor my computer system.
My GT 730 (2 gigabyte ) GPU card does not have a cooling fan but a very large efficient thermal heat sink.
When playing a game that takes lots of power I use a portable desk fan that blows air at room temperature into the PC and the measured temperatures of the CPU and GPU drop an average of 20 degrees Celsius, helping to maintain high frame rates.
Best to have a gaming computer in a larger casing so when enhancing the hardware extra cooling fans can be fitted internally if desired.
Mick Davies

 

[martinvk]

For as long as I can remember, Trainz users were advised to get the best hardware they could afford or expect sub-optimal performance.
Meanwhile, Trainzers were clamoring for more details, more distance, more ... everything.
So those with top end gear were happy. Should development have been slowed or postponed until everyone else was caught up?
For those with computers that were not at the cutting edge of power, they could at least lower the Trainz option settings from their maximum values. Imagine if instead it was an all or nothing situation?

 

[biffspurlock]

Keep inside of your chassis clean! And applie new thermopaste ! Is also highly recommend! .

 

[1611mac]

I can see a novel being written.... Our hero is to infitrate an arch villian's research base within the arctic circle. The bad guys sabotage his arctic tractor by stealing his distributor cap and he's about to freeze to death overnight... He pulls out his PC and fires up his TRS22 plus beta on Ultra settings...