The GTX 1070 and GTX 1080, two high end GPU's from Nvidia, are based on the powerful Pascal architecture. The overheating problem is reportedly coming from the cards purchased from a third-party manufacturer, specifically EVGA.

There are reports of hundreds of Reddit users like cards dying, catching fire, seeing sparks, and screens going black while gaming due to an overheating issue.

But why is it happening? Let's dig into the issue.

Initial reports tell that if the cards are overheating due to insufficient cooling, only EVGA GTX 1070 and 1080's versions are affected except for the "Classified" cards.

According to WCCF Tech explains  "EVGA's voltage regulation circuitry is not to blame for the mishap. The solution is rated to withstand temperatures of up to 125c and deliver up to 200 amps of current at that temperature. Enough to keep the GTX 1080's 180 amp requirements happily met with some small room to spare for overclocking.

Tom's Hardware's tests of the EVGA cards revealed that the cards do get quite hot with thermal images showing a VRM reaching 106C and also measured 114C with a thermal probe. As mentioned in the quote from WCCF Tech above, the cards can withstand 125C, so Tom's Hardware's tests obviously didn't result in flames or sparks.

However, it is important to note that Tom's Hardware's was done in a case with an ambient temperature of only 22C.

EVGA has acknowledged the tests by Tom's Hardware but so far have not commented on user's reporting their cards are catching on fire. However, the company is offering free Thermal Pad Mods that consumers can request here to lower their cards' temperatures: "We will offer these optional thermal pads free of charge to EVGA owners who want to have a lower temperature."

Stay tuned for more updates on the latest Nvidia graphic cards, including the GTX 1080 and the 1070 EVGA cards.