Overheating issues with nVidia Geforce 9600 GS graphics card!
 

I use a graphics card made by nVidia (a GeForce 9600 GS, 768MB) that came installed with the PC build (WinVista Home Premium, 64-bit). Because of an uncomfortably warm air temperature in this room that I had no control over, a few times the card got so hot that it made the monitor go dark...

So I took the card out/apart, cleaned out (with considerable inconvenience/effort) its heat sink fins and it now measures as running cooler...But still not at a normal/comfortable/advertised operating temperature. I also have 2 USB fans oriented to achieve pull/push air passage across the back of the case, where clearance is very tight.

I've asked the admin if there is a quality internal card cooling fan that I could possibly install in the open slot directly under the card?

The admin responded to me, saying: "Not anything that works well. Most of them just make more noise, because that's the physics of placing moving air too close to an immovable surface. It's the same reason computers with air holes make more noise than computers with outright grills, referring to the back of a system."

Moral of the story is that I'll need to be diligent about removing the PC case's cover periodically and clearing any accumulation of dust and dirt drawn in/trapped by its internal cooling fan/grille system.

*sigh*

At least the prescribed work-around is free...

a 9600GS is not a powerful card and shouldn't be generating that much heat.
what kind of case to you have?
you should have a mid-tower so you get enough space and airflow.

i have a Rosewill Challenger case with 3 case fans
with an AMD quad-core and an ATI Radeon HD4860 - everything runs cool, even when it is 75 degrees in here.

I don't believe I know what a 'mid-tower' is? The case is whatever HP used to build the PC with- side intake grate, top exhaust grate, same kind of processor as what you use.

Only 75 degrees Fahrenheit? Good for you...You must have control of your own thermostat!

dump that case and get a decent gaming case - OEM cases suck. in fact OEM computers suck - i always build my own.
you can build a way better PC for about the same you pay for an inferior Dell, HP etc

Newegg has ton of different cases - they are not that expensive and most have several fans.
mine was like $50 and has 3 fans - front , rear and top. mine also has a bottom mounted PSU - which i like better than top mounts.

if you really have an over heating issue get a liquid cooling setup

A "mid-tower" is a case with two 5.25" drive bays (CD/DVD these days), and the case sits maybe 15" tall. A full tower has 3-4 bays (or more). These are readily found online at places like Newegg.com or TigerDirect.com, or in local computer stores like Microcenter, Tigerdirect/CompUSA, or Fry's Electronics. You might find one model in consumer electronics stores, like Best Buy, but generally not. A cheap case runs about $20-25, while a good case runs about $40-75. A high-end full tower is at least $100.

Most of them have cheap fans. I tend to replace fans with silent models made by Zalman (the best!), Rosewill, Cooler Master, or Thermaltake. I have sensitive hearing, and I hate sitting in a room that sounds like a jet propulsion lab wind tunnel. I also remove as many fans as possible -- leaving only what's need to cool the computer, without making it sound like a Univac room.

The nVidia GeForce 9600 GS card is known to overheat. You could always replace it with an ATI model graphics card.

In fact, I'd be willing to sell you one of my extras. I've got about 3-4 spare PCI Express ATI cards.

NOTE: These are graphics cards only, not video capture cards, just to end any confusion. --- Though I do still have one ATI AIW PCI graphics card left for sale, if anybody is looking for a capture card. My ad is in the marketplace subforum here.

alot of Mid-towers have 3 5.25 bays
the Rosewill Challenger i have has 3 bays and is 18 inches tall.
it came with 3 Rosewill fans that are not loud - it was $50 at Newegg and IIRC free shipping

Full-Towers are huge and impractical

avoid Mini-towers or any slim form factor cases (these usually only have 1 or 2 5.25 drive bays)
they are just too tight inside- they cool almost as bad as laptops

Four towers here operate with the sides completely removed. It didn't make much sense to try and suck air through a small opening with a fan. They run at least 10 degree cooler because of it. Less fans, less noise, cooler system -- win, win, win! There is a slim factor case here, too, and it runs really hot. It also has an nVidia graphics card that is on the blink (probably even the same model). I'm considering dumping the case, dumping the card, and putting it in a better mid-tower -- and will also leave the side open.

Leaving the case open works better in an office with no kids, no pets, no strangers, etc.