Hi guys,
 
I bought my GTX 750 SC almost about exactly half a year ago. When I stress tested it initially to check out things like temps, fan and performance, everything looked fine. When I worked it to 100%, the absolute maximum it could reach was 67C, and then would stagnate there. To even reach this temp, I had to keep the benchmark running for nearly 15 mins doing multiple loops. Mind you, I tested using multiple benchmarks (including the EVGA one) and they all hit a max of 67fps under maximum load and memory usage.
 
I was then told that around 67C is ok. Under regular load "heavy" gaming load, it wouldn't go above 60-62C. Also, I have a fully stock Dell PC with stock cooling and I live in a hot and humid country called Malaysia.
 
However, fast forward six months, I am getting worried. My temps now hit 77C, especially when I play demanding games. Even with semi demanding games, I can hit 70C. I was playing Watch Dogs, and it took my GPU to 77C within 10 min. I'm playing at medium settings, and since the framerate is always just below 60, I can assume my GPU is being worked almost to the max (usually with Vsync the GPU workload can be cut down if your average FPS is above 60).
 
So I would like to ask, how come in 6 months my temps have risen a full 10C under load? 67C was reached under MAX load, while the 77C with Watch Dogs must be close to that but I doubt it is using 100% of my memory.
 
I must make it clear that while I do game fairly often, over 80% of the time I play smaller indie games that do not push my GPU. And if I do even play AAA games, they are older ones and I have Vsync enabled in all cases. And anyways, usually I play 2D platformers, so I doubt that wear and tear, or strain, is the cause of this.
 
Can anybody help me? What is the temperature that should tell me: STOP? Assuming that the temps get too hot, what will happen? Will the PC burn, or only the GPU? Will other components be affected? Any possible solutions?
 
Thank you!

EVGATech_JaesonW
77c is still very reasonable for a GTX 750. It's maximum temperature is 95c, and you generally are safe at anything below 90c. I myself on my 760s have pushed up to 86c uring benchmarks, and before I moved when I didn't have air conditioning I could peak out at 92-93c. The system will shut off when the card gets too hot to protect itself, so there's very little chance of any permanent damage from temperatures unless you run it in the 90's for long periods of time.
 
It's entirely possible that the change in temperatures are due to the difference in the ambient temperatures, and possibly dust buildup on the card itself. If you haven't in a while, try taking the card out and blowing out any dust with compressed air. this alone can sometimes drop your temps 10-15c.

This. Honestly.... last summer when my AC unit broke... i was gaming with an external room fan blowing into my case just because I was hitting 94C. I hadnt realized this until roughly 6-8 hrs of gaming. They hit max pretty quick and yet to this day, they are still rock solid even after HOURS of being at the upper limit of their thermal design. Don't worry about 77C :)

77 is child's play for these GPU's... If you are worried about it, set a fan profile to allow a more aggressive fan curve which will lower the temps. Besides, temps in the Summer are always going to be higher than in the Winter (which is why you were getting a max of 67 degrees 6 months ago during winter months). I had two different fan curves before I put my pc under water, one for Winter and one for Summer. The Winter one is less aggressive to help dampen the sound.

Depending upon the region in which you live, a monthly cleanup of your rig should be done. Get rid of all the dust buildup in your rig. If you live in very dry areas with very little dust or sand then once every two-three months should suffice. 
 
Dust impedes airflow and can affect the temps of everything inside your PC.