GeForce RTX 5000: the Hotspot sensor is there, but NVIDIA doesn’t want you to see it
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 GPUs continue to spark discussions about temperature monitoring. After the debut of the Blackwell family, numerous users noted the absence of the Hotspot temperature reading in popular diagnostic software, including HWiNFO, GPU-Z, MSI Afterburner, and HWMonitor. Many speculated that the sensor was removed from the hardware, but new checks reveal a different reality.
The new evidence comes from the Brazilian repair lab led by Paulo Gomes, which analyzed a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti suffering from overheating issues and underwhelming performance. By using MODS (Modular Diagnostics Software), an internal tool employed by NVIDIA for validating graphics cards and during service procedures, the team was able to access data that is typically invisible to users.
The test highlighted behavior very different from what traditional software showed. While the average GPU temperature fluctuated between 67 and 68 °C, the Hotspot temperature quickly reached 107 °C under load, which is the maximum limit set by NVIDIA for the GeForce RTX 50. Once this threshold was reached, the card automatically reduced its operating frequencies to protect the chip, leading to a consequent loss of performance.
According to the findings, MODS is not publicly available and requires a Linux environment booted directly in console mode, as Windows interferes with access to the necessary hardware APIs for diagnostics. This tool is accompanied by MATS, which is instead dedicated to video memory testing. Some repair centers manage to access these tools, allowing them to verify the presence of the Hotspot sensor even on Blackwell GPUs intended for gaming.
The inspection of the card then identified the cause of the anomalous behavior. The problem was not related to the graphics chip itself but rather the thermal contact between the heatsink and GPU. The TIM (Thermal Interface Material) was unevenly distributed: the thermal paste had accumulated along the perimeter of the die, while the central part appeared almost devoid of material. After replacing the thermal paste, the Hotspot temperature dropped to around 100 °C, eliminating thermal throttling and restoring expected performance.
According to the Brazilian lab, similar cases have appeared on several GeForce RTX 50 cards received for service. In many of these cases, users reported particularly noisy fans and underwhelming performance, even though the average GPU temperatures appeared normal. The lack of a Hotspot temperature reading makes it much harder to identify heatsink contact issues or an improper application of thermal material.
The discovery confirms that NVIDIA has not removed the sensor from the hardware of the GeForce RTX 50 but has simply restricted access to users who cannot view the data through monitoring software. In contrast, the company’s professional and data center GPUs come with much more comprehensive diagnostic suites capable of monitoring numerous operational parameters, including hotspots and cooling system conditions.
This case has clearly sparked a discussion about NVIDIA's choice and, above all, the utility for users to be able to view the hotspot temperature of their graphics card. In the absence of this data, it becomes much more complex to pinpoint the problem, especially if the chip's temperatures fall within the normal range. This "forces" many users to blame the drivers or other factors that inevitably cause the card to operate around the limit temperatures and inevitably lead to premature wear.