I started bitcoin mining just now, and my GPU (Radeon HD 5450) temperature is steadily rising. It's currently at 66 degreees Celsius.
Is this OK?

-David D.

Technically it has built in fail safes to shutoff if it goes too high. You should be fine. Make sure your air vents are clean.

My HD5870 idles at 61C (mostly because I don't keep my case clean, heh) but I've seen it reach high up into the 80s to 90s before now when under serious load.

Most GPUs are good until the high 90s if memory serves

Wow, that was quick! There is a good reason to love GDNet!
Thanks guys. I figured a bit of dust was piled up in there, I took off the front cover, and it stabilized at 65C.

66 is fine. Under load they can get into the 80s and low 90s. I set my alarms for 95. At 95+ you may notice the life of your parts decreasing. Though you wouldn't "fry" your GPU until it was in the 100s. I believe you'll kill a GPU at around 105-110.

That being said, the cooler you keep your components, the longer they will last. Heat is the biggest killer of parts, which is why overclockers use better cooling systems for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

66 is fine. Under load they can get into the 80s and low 90s. I set my alarms for 95. At 95+ you may notice the life of your parts decreasing. Though you wouldn't "fry" your GPU until it was in the 100s. I believe you'll kill a GPU at around 105-110.

That being said, the cooler you keep your components, the longer they will last. Heat is the biggest killer of parts, which is why overclockers use better cooling systems for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

You definatly won't kill a GPU at 105, but it's not exactly a healthy level. I've ran my 8800GTX at 100-105 for several months in STALKER and SC2.

You definatly won't kill a GPU at 105, but it's not exactly a healthy level. I've ran my 8800GTX at 100-105 for several months in STALKER and SC2.

How often do you buy new GPUs? I wouldn't want mine to run at anything over 80 for significant periods of time. Of course, every GPU and every person is different with their comfort zone.

I guess it depends on how often you upgrade your GPU. I kept my last computer for 6 years with no upgrades, plan on doing the same with my recent build. I wouldn't expect a GPU to last 6 years at 105. In fact, I wouldn't expect them to last that long over 90. If you buy a new GPU every year or two, you'll have a lot more leeway on the temps.

When I was mining, my 6990 would run anywhere between 75 and 85 C, depending on ambient temps -- I monitored my temps and adjusted the fan speed as necessary, usually leaving them around 75-80%, but on a few warm days (90-95 F) I cranked them up to 100% just to maintain low 80s. That was with a slight overclock (a couple 10s of MHz) but no voltage increase, and with the overclocking switch (a features of the 6990s only, AFAIK) left at the default (non-overclocked) position. I managed to get just above 800Gh/s.

Out of curiosity, while it is an interesting hobby, any reason you started now? With the value of BTC as it is, I can barely turn a profit on my 6990, and the small margin wasn't worth heating up my apartment, so I stopped. I can only imagine that you're operating at a day-to-day loss just on electricity given your hardware.

When I was mining, my 6990 would run anywhere between 75 and 85 C, depending on ambient temps -- I monitored my temps and adjusted the fan speed as necessary, usually leaving them around 75-80%, but on a few warm days (90-95 F) I cranked them up to 100% just to maintain low 80s. That was with a slight overclock (a couple 10s of MHz) but no voltage increase, and with the overclocking switch (a features of the 6990s only, AFAIK) left at the default (non-overclocked) position. I managed to get just above 800Gh/s.

Out of curiosity, while it is an interesting hobby, any reason you started now? With the value of BTC as it is, I can barely turn a profit on my 6990, and the small margin wasn't worth heating up my apartment, so I stopped. I can only imagine that you're operating at a day-to-day loss just on electricity given your hardware.

Yeah make sure you calculate your electricity costs/kwh into the profitability equation. Unless you are using the heat for something interesting, like dehydrating fruit or warming your apartment.