GPU Temp/Fan speed question

[sarym13]

Hello

So I just recently picked up a 7950, my first actual good card that's not under 100$.

Anywho I was wondering is it common that the fan kicks up when gaming / goes back to silent when done? Just confused how this works as for my old card, as far as i can hear anyways, always was set at the same fan speed when in game / out of games (least, I never checked a GPUs speed until now)

I went into the AMD OverDrive and my idle temps are 35 - 37 fan speed at 20% (Looks like 20% is the minimum) in WoW on high /shadows off the temp jumps to mid / high 50s. during this It goes to 35-40% fan Speed, which isn't loud, but its definitely noticeable when compared to 20%. Playing BFBC2 with high settings it jumped to the mid 60s and fan speed was in the 40ish% range. Which of course is louder.

So is this all normal for higher end GPUs? Is the fan like manually supposed to be switching between different fan speed levels? I assume it automatically jumps to a specific % of fan speed at a specific temperature level

Also how are my GPU temp levels? I was kinda hoping it would be where my CPU is on mid 20s idle, 40-50 on full load, but I am sure that is just because I am using something other than the stock provided CPU heatsink.

[swiftowner]

So those fan speeds and temps you are talking about are nothing to complain about, if you start using your video card, if the fan doesn't go faster, you will see high temps and the card may overheat. That being said, the software being used to control your fan speed is probably increasing fan speed in steps, 20%-40%-60% based on temp. Most software will allow you to set fan speed to whatever you like based on temperature and create a "linear curve," if you'd call it that since I can't think of anything else to call it, and set it to update dynamically instead of in steps at each point. If you are that concerned about the noise at 40% fan speed, you may need to spend money on a water cooling setup, but honestly, 40% is nothing.

EDIT: back when I had an 8800 GTX, that thing was a beast, and it sounded like a beast when it's fans were at 100%. Cards back then ran MUCH hotter than now, so you should be happy with 40%

[sarym13]

Im not complaining about the fan noises, was just saying that the fan gets louder over time and I was not sure if that is my card being broken or its how it goes, my previous card which is quite old. Did not change in sound levels, It may have changed fan speed but I was never able to tell. So when this one started to do it, and being noticeable, just wanted to confirm that it is meant to do that

[Fluorescent0]

Those temps are pretty normal for GPUs. My 760 goes to 75 degrees on full load, and even that isn't worrying. I'd start worrying if you got in the upper 80s/low 90s.