So I’ve been having problems with my video card. I have a Mac running Catalina with an AMD RX 590. While gaming, every once in a while the displays would shut off and the video card fans would instantly go to full speed.
I did a lot of troubleshooting. First thought was a game bug so I messed around with a lot of settings. Second thought was overheating but without sensor support I couldn’t actually tell. Third thought was case fans and/or ambient temperature. Fourth thought… well, you get the picture.
I think the ultimate problem was overheating and it was because of the thermal paste. Apparently:
Changing thermal paste is like changing the oil in the engine of your car: it should be done after every 15.000km (~10.000 miles), or every year; whichever comes first.
https://www.gpugrid.net/forum_thread.php?id=4629&nowrap=true#47976
I know! I was surprised too. I did this, as directed, and it seems to be working. 🤞🏻
Update 14-Dec-2020: Zero problems with my video card since reapplying the thermal paste. A pretty simple solution all things considered.