Hands on help: My graphics card runs too hot

Q I’m concerned that my ATI X800 graphics card might be getting too hot in my PC’s case. Is there any easy way to measure its temperature during use?
Steve Burton

A The Overdrive section of the latest ATI graphics drivers can indicate temperature, but it’s not always easy to check the crucial higher temperatures during intensive 3D gaming.

To do this, download a copy of the excellent Ati Tool, click on Settings, then choose Temperature Monitoring from the pulldown menu.

You can then tick the box to monitor temperatures and write them to a log file.

Leave Ati Tool running while you play your game, then exit and examine the temperature graph in Ati Tool to see what was happening while it was under load.

Graphics cards can run very hot and need adequate cooling and airflow within a case.