What's a good idle GPU temperature?

They make noise, too.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
Luke M
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: here

What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by Luke M » Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:28 am

My nvidia 1050ti card ( this one: http://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N105TWF2OC-4GD ) idles in the 50s. (It's fanless under 60). That's with a 21 degree ambient temperature. Is this normal? My case doesn't have much airflow, just a single slow 120mm fan.

lodestar
Posts: 1683
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 3:29 am
Location: UK

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by lodestar » Thu Apr 06, 2017 3:33 am

Seems a bit high to me. It might be worth downloading GPU-Z and seeing what information is displayed on the Sensors tab. For example I would expect, under idle conditions, to see a GPU Core Clock reading of something like 140, GPU Memory Clock figure around 200 and voltage less than 0.7V.

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Apr 06, 2017 7:50 am

Here's the temp and clock profile of Gigabyte's G1 Gaming version for comparison. 50C isn't that far off from the 46C in this review.

Luke M
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: here

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by Luke M » Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:23 pm

I guess it's normal then. It does mean that any 3D at all will push it over 60 and start the fans. A fully passive card would be better since they have beefier heatsinks, but not many choices.

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:30 pm

Luke M wrote:A fully passive card would be better since they have beefier heatsinks, but not many choices.
Above 50W TDP, it's hard to passively cool a GPU. They generally still require some directed airflow to not throttle under sustained load. Look at the Palit KalmX reviews.

It might be easier/better to improve your case's airflow....and it's pretty typical for all of the current semi-passive gfx cards to start the fans with any 3D load.

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by Abula » Fri Apr 07, 2017 8:17 pm

Seems with in what most card that stop fans idle, both my gtx980ti and gtx1080 idle between 45 and 50, and really doesnt matter much the model, the cards downclock a lot.

Luke M
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: here

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by Luke M » Sat Apr 08, 2017 3:46 am

I was wrong about the Gigabyte being fanless under 60 degrees. It's actually fanless under 58 or 57, something like that. I was "successful" in getting the fan to spin up without gaming or anything too stressful. The fan isn't loud at low speed (it's very loud at the 3000rpm maximum!), but I can hear it spin up. And since it turns off again when it hits 55 or something like that, a repeated on-off cycle is likely under light load (such as playing a movie).

I suppose I could force a minimum fan speed using some utility.

My conclusion is still that fanless is better than semi-fanless for a 75W graphics card.

lodestar
Posts: 1683
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 3:29 am
Location: UK

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by lodestar » Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:28 am

Luke M wrote:I suppose I could force a minimum fan speed using some utility.
You could try Gigabyte's VGA-XTREME Engine software that can be downloaded from here. There is a fan control interface, and an ECO mode that can be set to reduce power consumption to the absolute minimum.

Vicotnik
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1831
Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 6:53 am
Location: Sweden

Re: What's a good idle GPU temperature?

Post by Vicotnik » Sat Apr 08, 2017 8:20 am

Luke M wrote:My conclusion is still that fanless is better than semi-fanless for a 75W graphics card.
How good semi fanless is depends on the controller. If the temp hysteresis is on the low side and you happen to be just on the edge, try adjusting the case airflow like CA_Steve suggested above. Maybe a duct or something can lower the temp a degree or two and you might be in the clear.
I can play Half Life at max settings and my gaming system remains quiet! ;) Far Cry 4 will cause all sort of fan noise and squealing but it's nice to play the oldies and have the system just shrug.

Post Reply