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Nvidia releases quick fix for incorrect GPU temperature readings

The RTX 5090 sitting on top of the RTX 4080.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Nvidia’s recently released GeForce Game Ready Driver 576.02 for the RTX 5060 Ti has been causing issues for users, with a bug affecting GPU temperature monitoring across a range of graphics cards. After installing the update, many users reported on Reddit and various forums that their GPU temperature readings became frozen or static, remaining stuck at a single value regardless of actual thermal conditions.

The issue can potentially prevent proper fan speed adjustments which can then lead to overheating, as the system relies on real-time temperature data to regulate cooling.

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The issue appears to be related to Nvidia’s “NvAPI_GPU_GetThermalSettings” API. Reports suggest it commonly occurs after resuming from sleep mode, but in some cases, users encountered it immediately after boot. GPUs from the RTX 30, 40, and 50 series have all been affected. Monitoring tools such as MSI Afterburner and FanControl fail to respond properly due to the locked temperature data, which can leave GPUs without adequate cooling during high-load scenarios like gaming or rendering.

In response to the problem, Nvidia has released a hotfix driver version 576.15, which addresses the temperature sensor bug. According to Nvidia’s official support page, this hotfix specifically resolves the issue where “GPU monitoring utilities may stop reporting the GPU temperature after PC wakes from sleep.” Users experiencing the problem are encouraged to download the hotfix to restore normal thermal monitoring and prevent any overheating risks.

Beyond the thermal sensor issue, the hotfix also addresses several other bugs introduced in the 576.02 update, especially for RTX 50 series GPUs. These include:

-Shadow flickering/corruption in certain games [5231537]

-Crashes in Lumion 2024 during render mode [5232345]

-Shader compilation crashes in some games [5230492]

-Black screens when resuming from Modern Standby on RTX 50 series laptops [5204385]

-Micro-stuttering in SteamVR when using multiple displays [5152246]

-Reduced idle GPU clock speeds after the 576.02 update [5232414]

Nvidia has not announced when these fixes will be rolled into a full WHQL-certified driver, but for now, users affected by any of these issues should download and install GeForce Hotfix Driver 576.15 directly from Nvidia’s official support site. 

Kunal Khullar
Kunal Khullar is a computing writer at Digital Trends who contributes to various topics, including CPUs, GPUs, monitors, and…
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