Last month, users of EVGA's GTX 1060, 1070, and 1080 graphics cards reported that the GPUs were overheating so much that some of them caught fire. The company has now issued a VBIOS update that it hopes will solve the problem.
Both Reddit and EVGA's forums have been inundated with complaints from users of the affected cards, who report that their PCs are suddenly switching off as the GPU temperatures reach excessively high levels. In some cases, cards would emit smoke and shoot out flames. Tom's Hardware Germany found that one GTX 1080 reached 114 degrees Celsius (237 degrees Fahrenheit) when running the FurMark stress test.
Here's a list of all affected cards.
It was discovered that the problem lies with the cards' voltage regulation modules (VRM) overheating due to the insufficient cooling coming from EVGA's custom ACX 3.0 cooler. The company's video BIOS update will increase the default fan speeds to reduce the VRM temperatures.
"This update resolves the potential thermal issues that have been reported, and ensures the card maintains safe operating temperatures," said EVGA. Every one of its cards shipped after November 1 runs the updated VBIOS by default.
EVGA is also installing VRM thermal pads in all its new GPUs and is offering 10-series owners free thermal pad kits from its website. If you don't want to install the thermal mod yourself, just send the card to EVGA and the company will do it for you.
For those who would prefer a brand new card, EVGA says it will honor its full warranty on the affected GPUs. Its Standard Cross-Ship RMA means users will receive a new card before returning the defective one. You are required to pay the full cost of the replacement, but this is refunded shortly after EVGA receives your old GPU.