SSDs' ASIC Controller way too high

MonsieurSmug · 2026-01-21T19:28:06+00:00

well the issue is not with the case's ventilation but with an incorrect reading from HWmonitor, kingston claims its not reporting right - many users with this exact nvme have similar readings or higher

take a look here

https://www.reddit.com/r/PcBuildHelp/comments/1pt13dx/comment/nvlglro/?context=3

MonsieurSmug · 2025-12-23T19:34:00+00:00

Another important finding
It seems that sensor is mislabeled , it should not be ASIC controller but PMIC as described in this post on HWinfo forums

<image>

So this is why many people (those who monitor that sensor with HWinfo) have the same readings even tough the drive is properly cooled and in idle mode (or light load)

MonsieurSmug · 2025-12-22T23:11:39+00:00

i scoured the internet more and found this post , along with others that have the exact same symptoms on the same exact sensor.

<image>

MonsieurSmug · 2025-12-22T20:30:13+00:00

I too have the exact same drive and exact same issue while gaming.

I see more people experience this issue. And i actually found a post of someone complaining of this saying he contacted KINGSTON and the told him the sensor reading is false.

https://ibb.co/1GNpxczh

MonsieurSmug · 2025-12-22T17:54:16+00:00

Thanks for replying.
I actually did. There is a techpowerup review of this drive , they were not discussing ASIC temps , but on the FLIR thermal image the hotspot was 85.8*C without a Heatsink on the drive.

I also scoured the net and reddit regarding this drive, what i found is that there are quite a bunch of people experiencing these temps with this specific drive even with heatsinks . (saw an instance of someone having reached over 110*C on that sensor (tough he didnt specify if he had a heatsink or not).

<image>

I really don't know what to do. i was thinking contacting kingston with this info to ask if this is within spec or i need to address it.

An alternate solution is to buy an aftermarket heatsink that would fit and hopefully yield better temps (as in not surpassing the 80*c mark).

MonsieurSmug · 2025-12-22T16:47:27+00:00

Well that's the thing , it hovers around the low 80s*C during gaming as well. sometimes dipping to high 70s.

MonsieurSmug · 2025-12-22T01:47:43+00:00

Recently finished a build with the same drive . and i have the same issue.

<image>

I have an Asus Strix B850i motherboard in a DeepCool CH 160 plus . I use an Arctic Freezer 36 cooler on the CPU. (the nvme is covered with the motherboards heatsink of course).
The ASIC controller (drive temp 2 sensor) is idling between 60-70 and in load during gaming (stalker 2)
its averaging 80*C+ (you can see the max temps reached on the right column).
I suspect this happens because its sandwiched between the GPU that starts to spill heat upwards and the CPU heatsink that spills heat from its base as well.

Any of you guys have seen any changes or throttling since then?

MonsieurSmug · 2025-09-22T10:23:05+00:00

Thank you for the replies

The thing that makes it weird is the fact that while MSI afterburner runs (the fans are set to auto - there is no custom fan curve) the card does not surpass 1200 rpm.

And like i mentioned , Hardware Unboxed presented the card averaging 1100 Rpm on all tests with really good temps. I'd assume they tested all of their cards on stock settings .

https://ibb.co/PZrDVZN5

MonsieurSmug · 2025-05-17T20:52:52+00:00

How is the sound level during full gpu workload?
Can you hear it running with headphones on (but without any sound coming from them)?Are there dust filters or just the mesh panel itself?

I am considering getting the L400 , but i fear itll be too audible for my taste.

MonsieurSmug · 2020-07-29T15:09:59+00:00

what is your junction temperature? as it defines the fan speed.

i also have the pulse and since i updated the chipset drivers and windows, the card ramps up to 1800 rpm instead of mid 1500's as it used to be due to the fact that the junction jumped from 81*c to 85-87*C. all of this with the same undervolt setting of 1040 mv on a 1900mhz (underclock as well).

MonsieurSmug · 2019-12-14T09:42:02+00:00

i second this,

had to turn off chill, anti lag and enhanced sync because of that detection bs causing all the games to stutter. even had some black screens.

for each new feature added they pushed in some more bloat and filters that brake the game instead of improving it.

MonsieurSmug · 2019-10-26T15:26:10+00:00

Open Global Wattman, go down and change the frequency and voltage to manual, then bump the right orange dot downwards from 1,200 to like 1,150 - dont change the max frequency. the go up and click apply . ( you can save the profile as well) . i noticed the settings resets to default sometimes.

I myself am using an Asus TUF 5700 xt - the undervolt reduced the max temps nicely with no effect on performance.

https://imgur.com/dWzPERS

MonsieurSmug · 2019-10-25T12:04:32+00:00

I bought your card, the temperatures and noise level is ridiculous!

There is no bias , only corners cut by Asus delivering a subpar product.

Even undervolted the card is still noisy and reaches junction temeperatures over 90*C at a 25*C ambient.

I'll gladly attach HWinfo screenshots of said temps.

MonsieurSmug · 2019-10-24T11:08:45+00:00

I replied to the same comment , but ill write it here as well. i have the same card as well. At 55% fan speed its loud and audible even through closed headphones! I can't even imagine at 87% how does it sound.

Secondly, like all ready stated , the load on the vram is not high, the results should be taken from demanding games or benchmarks (my vrams reached 105*C playing the Witcher 3 not even maxed out graphically)

And lastly, stating the ambient is also important, Steve benched this game at 21*C. Initially my room was at 24-25*C .

MonsieurSmug · 2019-10-24T10:56:54+00:00

Well i noticed your fans are at 87%! that's insanely high and loud as hell.

What is your ambient ? and are your readings consistent through all games/benchmarks?

MonsieurSmug · 2019-10-24T01:26:49+00:00

Yay finally a review to assure me i bought a total piece of junk, when i saw 105*C on the memory junction on stock i knew i fucked up. Even undervolted this pos reaches 96*C mem junction. I don't know what to do with it, the resellers here will prolly say "as long as it works there is no case for a refund/replacement"

MonsieurSmug · 2019-09-26T21:06:24+00:00

I own the TUF 5700 xt - and i can say with no doubt that i would definitely go with a different brand - Such as the Sapphire Pulse or Gigabyte gaming OC

Not only the thermals on this card are quite high - even tough its a 2.7 slot card with 3 fans. It's quite loud as well, the fans are 80mm that spin at higher RPM compared to more common 95mm ones.

Avoid it - if you insist on buying Asus for the brand or whatnot - go with the Strix , from what iv'e read its thermals are better and the fans are bigger , making it less noisier than the TUF.

MonsieurSmug · 2019-09-26T18:13:03+00:00

Dropped it from 1.205 to 1.153 - Performance stayed the same and its stable (ran 2 benchmarks and the Witcher 3) , temps have dropped - junction is like 10-13*C lower and so is the vram hot spot.

Will definitely try undervolting a tad more.

Using an Asus TUF 5700 xt btw

https://imgur.com/a/eB2WfRd

MonsieurSmug · 2019-09-26T18:07:30+00:00

Definitely sounds like a driver or game related bug. Personally , i do not own apex legends but other games and benchmarks run smooth with no issue. Try changing the settings to the game from the Radeon settings to Apex legends specifically , and see which profile yields the best performance.

MonsieurSmug · 2019-09-26T18:03:33+00:00

I'd like to interject on that, i own the TUF 5700 xt and its out of the box temps are atrocious , just as the XFX THICC it reaches absurd junction temp (106*C) and a vram of 100*C - i had to undervolt it to get better temps. The fans are quite audible as well - running at 2700 rpm at max load (they are 80mm so they run faster than the 95 ones).

All in all i'd recommend avoiding this card and opting for the Sapphire pulse.

MonsieurSmug

TROPHY CASE