A graphics processing unit (GPU) fan is a piece of hardware that moves air into and out of the computer. The fan’s speed is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM), meaning that a higher RPM rating denotes a quicker fan. Be aware that a fan’s noise level often rises in direct proportion to the number of revolutions it makes per minute (RPM). These fans start once the temperature reaches 50 to 60 degrees Celsius but should my GPU fans always be on? Let’s explore this in greater detail!


Key Takeaways

  • The GPU fans shouldn’t always be running.
  • Graphics card fans start spinning when the GPU’s temperature reaches a certain level. It’s okay if the fans are running at this level.

Should my GPU fans always be on?

The GPU fans aren’t meant to be always running. The graphics card’s temperature typically controls a graphics card fan, so if the temperature is high, the fan will run faster to cool the card down. If the temperature is low, the fan may run slower or not at all. Although your GPU fans can briefly turn on at the computer start-up before turning off, these shouldn’t constantly rotate. The GPU tests everything to ensure everything functions properly before going back to sleep.

As we previously said, many GPU fans remain off until you hit a specific temperature. Activities are apps that heavily utilize your graphics card, causing your GPU to overheat and require cooling. For instance, playing games will force your GPU to start up very quickly. Your GPU fans can be operating by the time you reach the menu screen before you start playing. By the end of the first ten minutes of your session, you’ll be sitting at a temperature you’ll keep all night.

Note: If your GPU fan seems to be running continuously, you need to check the wire connections for looseness. Depending on the circumstances, a broken graphics card may need to be replaced, a BIOS update, a fan adjustment, or both.

When a GPU fan should start running?

The fan curve is a graph with a properly curving line. The temperature is shown at the bottom of the graph, and the fan speed percentage is on the side. The fan speed increases as the temperature of your GPU rises. By doing this, you can be confident that your fans will adjust to stop overheating as your GPU heats up. Some fan curves, for instance, may have the fan speed set by default to 0 until you reach 50 degrees Celsius. This is because while your graphics card is not used for anything that needs cooling, you may have a calm PC and no noisy running fans.

You don’t need your GPU fans running at an audible 60% fan speed, for instance, when browsing Reddit or viewing some 1080p YouTube videos. This is good but also necessary, given how quiet GPU fans can operate. Even so, one’s tolerance for noise varies greatly. The good news is that you can easily alter your fan curve to ensure that your fans run constantly, or if they already do, you can reduce it to make them run less often.

Essential things to keep in mind

A GPU fan can keep running even if there is a problem with the hardware or an outdated BIOS.

Hardware

The GPU might need to be correctly placed in its slot. It needs to be unplugged from the power source and taken out of the PCI Express slot. Restart the computer after reconnecting the power cable to the GPU.

BIOS Software 

Initially, ensure the BIOS driver is updated to the most recent version. The most current version is typically available on MSI’s support website. Update the VGA driver and graphics engine control software as well, most likely.

How to change your GPU fan speed?

It’s possible to tweak the GPU fan speed in a few steps. Those are included as follows:

  • Step 1: Download the GPU brand’s application on your computer, install it, and navigate to the fan tab in the new popup window by clicking the setting cogwheel.
  • Step 2: Select “allow user-defined software automatic fan control” from the drop-down menu.

Note: You should now see a large graph along with a few other options that are not urgent at this time. Some of the points on your graph will be in the form of boxes.

  • Step 3: To specify a temperature to change, slide these from left to right. Alternatively, you can slide them upward or downward to adjust the fan’s speed.
  • Step 4: Click on the line at the desired temperature to add a new node or point to the graph to increase fan speed at a temperature that still needs to be created.

Note: The fan speed should always stay the same as the temperature rises, and the graph should always go from lower to higher. But always increase the fan speed as the temperature rises to avoid overheating and thermal throttling. Depending on the problem you are experiencing, you can either lower or raise your graph. You can increase the fan speed if your GPU fans are not currently running at a speed of under 50 and you want to.

Moreover, once the temperature reaches 70 degrees Celsius, you can increase the fan speed to try and reduce GPU temperatures if they are too high. Two more pieces of advice: When it’s below 50 degrees Celsius, don’t turn up your fans more than necessary. To attain 50 degrees, I like to keep mine below 50%. Second, ensure your fan runs at high speed when the temperature is 80 degrees or above. When this occurs, your GPU is abnormal and needs to be cooled down by running at high GPU fan speeds.

How to measure the current temperature of the system?

Before adjusting the GPU fans, you should check your system temperatures to ensure your adjustments won’t harm your machine. You shouldn’t turn down your CPU fans if they constantly run due to your GPU producing excessive heat. If you are involved in an intensive activity and want to change this, you should turn them on. So the following are the process to measure the temperature:

  • Step 1: Install MSI Afterburner using the installation wizard on the official MSI website.
  • Step 2: When you’re done, launch the app and give all the dials and switches a brief look, but hold off on touching anything.
  • Step 3: The GPU temperature measurement should have a black outline check next to it, so click the settings cogwheel, go to the monitoring tab, and then activate “show in the on-screen display” in the boxes below.
  • Step 4: The GPU temperature should be visible in the top left corner of your screen when you launch a game. If not, double-check that MSI Afterburner is still operating and that the adjustments were saved.

Conclusion

The GPU fans are not always on for many graphics cards, but it depends on the graphics card because some are built in this way. Activities are apps that heavily utilize your graphics card, causing your GPU to overheat and require cooling. For instance, playing games will force your GPU to start up very quickly. The fan speed increases as the temperature of your GPU rises.

Before adjusting the GPU fans, you should check your system temperatures to ensure your adjustments won’t harm your machine. It needs to be unplugged from the power source and taken out of the PCI Express slot. Restart the computer after reconnecting the power cable to the GPU. Initially, ensure the BIOS driver is updated to the most recent version. This post will benefit you and clarify your concerns about GPU fans.

Zohaib Hassan Bhatti
Zohaib Hassan is a staunch tech enthusiast and has been writing about his interactions with computers for years. He has been serving the PCIdeaz as a content manager along with experimenting and testing numerous tech masterpieces. Indeed, he often forgets about eating his spicy snacks when has his head on the computer screen.