Tech Guide

Can high FPS damage GPU? (7 Things you Need to Keep in Mind)

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A Graphics card is the most crucial component for FPS & a powerful graphics card means higher FPS. But, many peoples also fears that high FPS can cause damage to GPU.

This article is intended for you if you want to protect your GPU during high framerates. I have done some excellent research about FPS & its effects on GPUs, and this article will tell you everything regarding this.

So, Can high FPS damage the GPU?

GPU is responsible for high framerates, but high FPS doesn’t harm the GPUs until you’re doing overclocking same time. But if you do overclock during high FPS, it can slowly erode your GPU. 

Not just overclocking besides this, several other factors come into play that can damage your GPU during high frame rates.

So, if you want to protect your GPU from damage during high FPS, there are several things you need to keep in your mind & all the essential things discussed below.

Facts you Need to Check during High FPS to protect your GPU

Although FPS & GPU are both different, sometimes having more FPS can burn out your GPU & therefore, many people put a cap on it at a certain FPS level.

But this can harm your GPU, and by following some factors, you can protect your GPU. Here are all the critical factors that can help you to prevent your GPU from being damaged during high FPS-

Temp

Nowadays, gamers don’t think about playing games without GPU because GPU is the most crucial component for gamers as it increases the frame rates of your screen.

According to the expert’s opinion, the 65 degrees to 85 degrees Celcius GPU temperatures are suitable for a GPU during gaming.

But, sometimes, just because of some heavy working load, the GPU’s temp goes higher than 85 degrees & which brings harm to your GPU & it shortens the lifespan of your GPU.

Overclocking

Overclocking is a significant factor for gamers & in computing overclocking is the practice of increasing the clock rate of a computer to exceed that certified by the manufacturer.

Overclocking increases a component’s clock rate, running it at a higher speed than it was designed to run.

Although overclocking is very safe for CPU/ GPU, if the GPU is set to run at speed, it can’t run; it is harmful to your GPU and can damage your GPU.

When your framerate is high, it indicates that the graphics card is doing some heavy stuff; at this point, if you overclock your GPU, then extra heat will generate & your GPU is not capable of tolerating that amount of heat.

This extra heat can be very harmful to your graphics card & it can shorten your GPU’s lifespan.

So, to protect your GPU from this issue, you need to keep in mind that when your FPS is higher than average framerates, don’t overclock your GPU.

Bad Airflow

Whenever you’re running games at high frame rates or your FPS is high for other purposes, you need to check out the airflow of your GPU.

Because insufficient airflow can be harmful to your GPU, and by facing your GPU into the wall, you restrict the airflow that helps it remove heat from the system.

So, you need to keep in mind that you need sufficient airflow when your frame rate is high; otherwise, your GPU will erode day by day.

Overloading

Overloading is another major factor behind the damage to your GPU. In general, if you are getting higher FPS, that indicates your GPU is already under heavy processing load.

Now, if you put more processing load on your GPU by doing other stuff, then naturally, your GPU will produce more heat.

Your GPUs life span is getting shorter because of this extreme heat.

Not Cleaning GPU

Over time GPU usage dust, and dirt will accumulate on your GPU, and if you are not cleaning your GPU from time to time, then there is a very high probability that improper cooling will cause your GPU to overheat.

Later this heat can ruin your GPU completely, & to protect your GPU from this issue, you need to clean your GPU at least once within 2 or 3 months.

Worn Out Thermal Paste

According to Wikipedia, thermal paste is a thermally conductive chemical compound commonly used as an interface between heatsinks & heat sources such as high-power semiconductor devices.

When you want high FPS, you want a high-quality thermal paste too. The high-quality thermal paste improves heat transfer from the GPU, which keeps its heat sinks working effectively.

But, over time, it gets hard and impedes the flow of heat out of the system; as a result, heat builds up, which decays your GPU.

Rendering Load

Powerful graphics take the rendering load of your CPU &; as a result, you will get better frame rates.

But, whenever your GPU cannot handle the rendering load, it heats up & if this process continues, it will slowly damage your GPU.

Also Read: Why FPS is not Stable?

Does Unlocked FPS damage GPU?

Many people think that unlocking FPS on any game can damage the GPU, but it is not valid. The unlocked FPS doesn’t bring any harm to your GPU.

However, after unlocking the FPS, you can face tearing in the monitor & which can make your gameplay worse. But that doesn’t mean your GPU has been damaged.

This issue can occur for many reasons & to fix this issue, you must check the thermal paste, whether it is ok or worn out.

Do FPS drops Indicate a Damage GPU?

In general, the sudden FPS drops don’t indicate that your GPU has been damaged, but if your GPU’s temperature reaches above 80C, then there is a slight possibility that the card will be damaged.

There is no such conclusion that lower framerates mean a damaged GPU; there can also be other issues.

Other issues within thermal paste, PC hardware & video memory may also reduce the framerates.

So, before making any decision, do a couple of things like- reapplying the thermal compound, reinstalling the drivers, fixing the overheating problems, checking that Vsync is off, or just getting a new case with fans.

If the recommended things don’t help you too much, in that case, you need to replace your GPU.

Also Read: Does Windows 11 Boost FPS?

Does GPU Scaling affect FPS?

GPU Scaling settings allow rendering games and content requiring a specific aspect ratio to fit on a display of a different aspect ratio.

There is no need to use GPU scaling for anything, but you can enable this setting to play retro games.

Now, let’s straight come to the point does GPU scaling effect FPS?

Yes! the GPU scaling affects the frame rates during gameplay because when you enable the GPU scaling option, you need to work overtime to stretch the lower aspect ratio game to run at a high aspect ratio.

Final Thought

This article explains whether high FPS damage GPU or not, and based on all the facts, it can be said that the high FPS does not harm the GPUs if you take care of a couple of things mentioned above.

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