Graphics card being allowed to overheat by Nvidia Control panel.

[Wingnutt]

In my Nvidia control panel, I have my GPU fan speed set to automatic..

well today I started seeing anamolies in the game and checked, my GPU temp was over 70C but my fan was still at only 30%!!

I switch it to manual and set the speed to 100% and within a min or 2 I was back down to well under 60C..

I tried installing EVGA Precision. but any setting you make in it is overridden by the Nvidia control panel..  I.E. if I leave NVCP on AUTO, but try to adjust the fan in precision.. the changes do nothing, conversley if I set it to say 100% in NVCP, and set Precision to auto control the fan.. it just stays pegged at 100% no matter what..


so now I have to open NVCP, set my fan speed, run the game, and then set it back down to 30% when Im done..

not the end of the world, but I should not have to do this.,

any ideas?

oh yea, graphics card is a EVGA GrForce 8800 GTO, speeds are stock.

[Fulmar]

Honestly, it's not uncommon for the 8800 cards to run hot.  When I first got my 8800 GTS 640mb, I would sit at about 60-65C at idle and 70+ on loads.  Since then I've revised the cooling in my case (adding fans, using better fans, using better cable management, adding a PCI slot fan underneath the 8800).  Idle, my 8800 is about 50-52C and loads maybe 57-58C.  I also run the NVCP on the auto setting with no problems.

How loud is your fan?  My 8800 is also an EVGA, but the fan is pretty quiet, at least to my standards.  But my case is fairly loud and if its at 100%, I have other case fans that drown out the noise.  Of course my case has 3 120mm fans, 2 80mm fans, 2x40mm fans, 1 pci slot fan, arctic freezer 7, and a 14cm PSU fan.

[TilDeath]

DL RivaTuner I have it here on my site http://overclocksource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:rivatuner&catid=21:benchmarkingsoftware&Itemid=11.  Where it says "Driver Settings" click Customize the select the Video Card Icon.  On the Fan tab change from Auto Control to Direct Control.  There are 3 sliders there Standard, Low Power 3D. Performance 3D.  Bump your low and performance settings.  Click the checkbox "Apply fan settings at Windows Startup  Startup settings:none"  Save the profile reboot.  This should do it for you automatically.  But also the card should not be overheating at ~70  they should only overheat at over 80 or 90c.  Might want to call tech support.

[TilDeath]

Honestly, it's not uncommon for the 8800 cards to run hot.  When I first got my 8800 GTS 640mb, I would sit at about 60-65C at idle and 70+ on loads.  Since then I've revised the cooling in my case (adding fans, using better fans, using better cable management, adding a PCI slot fan underneath the 8800).  Idle, my 8800 is about 50-52C and loads maybe 57-58C.  I also run the NVCP on the auto setting with no problems.

How loud is your fan?  My 8800 is also an EVGA, but the fan is pretty quiet, at least to my standards.  But my case is fairly loud and if its at 100%, I have other case fans that drown out the noise.  Of course my case has 3 120mm fans, 2 80mm fans, 2x40mm fans, 1 pci slot fan, arctic freezer 7, and a 14cm PSU fan.

Sounds like H20 is needed 

[Fulmar]

Me's poor.  Otherwise I'd do it!

[Wingnutt]

Honestly, it's not uncommon for the 8800 cards to run hot.  When I first got my 8800 GTS 640mb, I would sit at about 60-65C at idle and 70+ on loads.  Since then I've revised the cooling in my case (adding fans, using better fans, using better cable management, adding a PCI slot fan underneath the 8800).  Idle, my 8800 is about 50-52C and loads maybe 57-58C.  I also run the NVCP on the auto setting with no problems.

How loud is your fan?  My 8800 is also an EVGA, but the fan is pretty quiet, at least to my standards.  But my case is fairly loud and if its at 100%, I have other case fans that drown out the noise.  Of course my case has 3 120mm fans, 2 80mm fans, 2x40mm fans, 1 pci slot fan, arctic freezer 7, and a 14cm PSU fan.

it was only overheading because the software was not increasing the fan speed, once I bumped the fan speed up it immediately began running cool, with no problems.

[Wingnutt]

DL RivaTuner I have it here on my site http://overclocksource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:rivatuner&catid=21:benchmarkingsoftware&Itemid=11.  Where it says "Driver Settings" click Customize the select the Video Card Icon.  On the Fan tab change from Auto Control to Direct Control.  There are 3 sliders there Standard, Low Power 3D. Performance 3D.  Bump your low and performance settings.  Click the checkbox "Apply fan settings at Windows Startup  Startup settings:none"  Save the profile reboot.  This should do it for you automatically.  But also the card should not be overheating at ~70  they should only overheat at over 80 or 90c.  Might want to call tech support.

it actually hit 79C when I started seeing the artifacts.

I hate rivatuner 

[Wingnutt]

How loud is your fan?  My 8800 is also an EVGA, but the fan is pretty quiet, at least to my standards.  But my case is fairly loud and if its at 100%, I have other case fans that drown out the noise.  Of course my case has 3 120mm fans, 2 80mm fans, 2x40mm fans, 1 pci slot fan, arctic freezer 7, and a 14cm PSU fan.

it cannot be heard at all until at 100%, but I have an antec P180 which is an extremely quiet case, with the side off its quite noisy.

[Fulmar]

The biggest cooling improvements I had on my 8800 were from swapping my side 120mm fan out for a highly RPM one and removing its dust filter for more airflow.  Of course my side fan is right next to the card.  Also the pci slot fan dropped the cards temp a few more C's too.  Since the P180 does not have a side fan, I'd maybe look into a pci slot fan.

[BaldEagl]

DO NOT use the Nvidia performance tools.  They are a total waste of time and cause more headaches than they are worth.

Use Riva Tuner and set the card fan to 65% manually then just leave it there.  It will never exceed 50C and 65% is a good balance of cooling and noise.

[TilDeath]

Me's poor.  Otherwise I'd do it!

I may have an a Swiftech H2O 220 compact without rad available just after the first of the year for about 40 or 50 bucs.  Get the rad (swiftech rad with res builtin) for 30 or so and your in like flin

[Fulmar]

I may have an a Swiftech H2O 220 compact without rad available just after the first of the year for about 40 or 50 bucs.  Get the rad (swiftech rad with res builtin) for 30 or so and your in like flin

Realistically I may look into water come my next upgrade.  I plan on this system going at least another year before a new mobo/cpu combo.

[FLOTSOM]

OK so now everyone can tell me why this is stupid, but i just have all of my fans (those that i can set anyways) at 100%.

i would rather have the faint back ground noise of the fans than risk burning up a component of my comp.

but that is just my opinion.

FLOTSOM

[llama]

OK so now everyone can tell me why this is stupid, but i just have all of my fans (those that i can set anyways) at 100%.

i would rather have the faint back ground noise of the fans than risk burning up a component of my comp.

but that is just my opinion.

FLOTSOM

OK, so now everyone can tell me why this is stupid, but I just walk around outside with my umbrella open 100% of the time, even when it's not raining.

I would rather have the inconvenience of the open umbrella than risk ever getting wet should it start raining.

but that's just my opinion.

If you can see the humor of this umbrella story, then you'll see why there's no need to run your fans at 100% all the time.

But if you need another reason, I'll give you two:

1. Dust ingestion. The more your fans spin at 100%, the most dust and hair it's sucking in, which means you really need to be opening things up and cleaning them out every year or so, at least.

2. With more dust coming in and with the fan spinning at full throttle, the chances are greater you'll be contaminating the fan's bearings with dust, turning the bearing grease into thick glop. This means you'll be replacing the fan more often than if you let the fans throttle down when things are cool.

-Llama

[AirFlyer]

Seems a lot of Nvidia cards fans only start at 30%. The moment I noticed this I found a good fan controlling program(Riva Tuner in this case) and made it push it to 100% at all time.