An overheated GPU is like a hot-tempered person who can’t handle any situation and even makes everything worse. And when the GPU is too hot it will kick you out of the gameplay too by crashing the game!
Concerning this, you must ramp up the GPU fan to make it cool. Don’t hide under the bush if you don’t know how to control GPU’s fan speed. Just get out of there and read this article.
I believe, after finishing this article, you can speed up graphics cards like a pro. So, let’s begin!
How to Adjust GPU Fan Speed
You can use the Nvidia Control Panel to adjust the fan speed. First, launch the app and then go to the Performance section from the left pane. Select Device Settings, and you’ll find Manual control under the Cooling section in the right pane. From there, slide the fan speed adjuster to control the fan’s speed.
Similarly, you can also control the AMD GPU card’s fan through the AMD Radeon program.
But how to change the fan speed according to the load on the GPU manually?
You can control all the Nvidia GPU fans using the Nvidia GeForce Experience app. And for controlling the AMD GPU, you can use the AMD Radeon Software to tweak the fan speed according to your need.
However, if you ask me what’s the best universal app to control both AMD & Nvidia graphics card fans?
I’ll suggest the MSI Afterburner app. It’s top-class and allows you to manually OC any overclockable GPU. However, modifying the fan speed using a flexible fan curve is also possible.
A custom fan curve is a fan control method to set automatic fan control. In this method, you must set the fan speed or RPMs against the GPU temp through a graph. You can set the fan power for various temperatures.
Now, let’s see how to adjust graphics card fans using AMD and Nvidia’s official apps. I’ll also demonstrate how to use the MSI Afterburner app.
Here are the steps to enhance GPU fan control using several apps:
Nvidia Control Panel
If you’re using the Nvidia graphics card, then you can control its fan speed using the Nvidia Control Panel app. However, not only by tweaking fan speed you can also modify other settings too from this app. So, let’s see how to control Nvidia GPUs fan speed using Nvidia Control Panel program.
Read and apply the below instructions to adjust Nvidia GPU’s fan speed from Nvidia Control Panel:
- Right-click on the desktop and choose Nvidia Control Panel from the context menus.
- Click and extend the Performance section from the left pane.
- Select Device Settings.
- Click on the Current Settings tab from the right pane.
- Select the GPU you want to change the fan speed.
- Choose the Manual control option under the Cooling section.
- Drag the fan speed controller to the right to increase the fan RPM.
You can adjust the fan speed as you want like 50% or 100% all time. The GPU fan will keep spinning at that RPM all the time. After that, hit the Apply button.
Note: Spinning the fans with full RPM will make noise. So, adjust the fan speed by keeping the noise factor in mind.
Nvidia GeForce Experience & RTX Experience
This app is available for both GTX and RTX series graphics cards. It’s the best app to control your Nvidia GPUs. First, you have to download the app from Nvidia’s official website.
But ensure to download the Nvidia GeForce Experience version for the GTX series GPU and RTX Experience for RTX series cards. After downloading and installing the app, follow the underneath steps to adjust the fan speed manually.
Here are the steps to adjust GPU fan speed with NVIDIA GeForce Experience & RTX Experience:
- Launch the GeForce or RTX Experience app.
- Click on the Settings icon beside the profile icon.
- Select General from the left pane and check the box for the Enable experimental features.
- Press Alt + Z button to show GeForce Experience tools.
- Click on the Performance button from the right side.
- Go to the left pane and scroll to the end.
- Set the Fan speed target to Manual.
- Drag the fan speed controller point to the right to increase or left to down the speed.
You can manually adjust the fan speed while gaming or doing high GPU intense work. Before gaming, open the GeForce app and press Alt + Z to get the overlay tools of the app. From there, increase the fan speed.
AMD Radeon Software
If you’re using AMD’s graphics card, use the Radeon app to tweak the GPU by overclocking it and modifying the fan speed according to the temperature using the adjustable fan curve.
Currently, I’m using AMD’s RX 580 graphics card in my gaming rig. Also, installed the AMD Radeon app for controlling this GPU. This app is like a super shop where you’ll find all sorts of tweak tools to boost the clock speed and control fan speed by setting a custom fan curve.
That’s why you should install this app to speed up your fan according to the GPU’s temp. To do so first, download the app from AMD’s official website and install it. After that, follow the below steps.
Read the below instructions to control AMD GPU’s fan manually:
- Click on the Performance tab from the top menu bar.
- Select the Tuning option.
- Choose the Manual option from the Tuning Control.
- Click the toggle switches to turn on Fan tuning and Advance Control features.
After enabling Advance Control, you’ll see a graph where X-Axis represents GPU temperature from 0 to 100° C, and Y-Axis represents fan RPM percentage from 0 to 100%.
I suggest setting the fan speed at 50% for 40-50 °C and 100% for 60-80 °C and above. However, you can also set the fan speed according to your choice.
MSI Afterburner App
MSI Afterburner is one of the most popular overclockers and GPU fan speed controller apps. It allows the user to control many features of the GPU, and it’s compatible with the most graphics card.
Go to MSI’s official website. Then download the app and, install it. Launch the app, and the Afterburner app will detect the GPU automatically. Next, apply the below steps to tweak the GPU’s fan speed manually.
Below are the steps to tweak GPU’s fan speed manually using MSI Afterburner:
- Click on the gear icon (Settings option) from the Afterburner app UI.
- Select the Fan tab.
- Click to tick the box of Enable user-defined software automatic fan control option.
- Set the Predefined fan speed curve to Custom.
Now, set the fan curve. You can see the GPU temperature on the X-axis and fan speed on the Y-axis. Click on the graph to add a point and drag that to 40% fan speed for 30 °C.
Set other points like 50% fan’s RPM for 50 °C and 100% for 70 °C and above GPU temperature. Finally, Hit Apply > OK to save the custom GPU fan curve settings.
How Graphics Card Fan Should Work
The GPU will heat up quickly and enormously when you play games or perform any GPU-centric heavy workloads. The heat sink on the GPU helps to dissipate heat from the chip with the help of the fan. That’s why the manufacturer attaches fans over the massive heat sink.
But the fans won’t spin when the GPU is idle. That means the GPU temp is low. You can always turn on the fan when the GPU hits a specific temperature. As the temperature rises, the fan RPM increases too.
You’ll hear noise when all the fans start to spin on the maximum RPM. Sometimes the GPU’s fan won’t spin as it should due to some problem. That’s the difficulty the user will face when the GPU is not working properly, but it’s possible to fix it by applying a few methods.
However, the GPU might not work perfectly after using it for a long time. If you use the GPU for many years, you could face some issues. That’s why you should check for a failing GPU with some quick methods.
Why Is GPU Fan Control Important?
GPU fan control is crucial because you can create your own custom fan control profile besides the default one. By setting a custom fan curve, you can set fan RPM based on the GPU’s temperature. Make sure to adjust the fan speed, so that it can cool down the GPU quickly.
Moreover, running the GPU without overheating will extend the card’s life span. When you run high VRAM-demanding workloads, the GPU starts to heat rapidly.
That’s why it’s crucial to dissipate the heat from the card as fast as possible. Speaking of temperature, you should always check the CPU & GPU temperature to get the best performance out of them.
An overheated GPU might not work perfectly, or it could get crashed. As a result, some parts of the system might not work, and who knows, an overheated GPU could gift you system failure!
Hence, it’s important to spin the fan with the required RPM to cool down the GPU. Without AMD and Nvidia’s official app, you can control the GPU’s fan with several third-party apps. Among those, you can go for MSI Afterburner, SpeedFan, Fan Control, etc.
Apart from the GPU fan controlling, you should also control the CPU’s fan with perfect RPM to keep it cool.
FAQs
Should I run the GPU fans when the GPU is idle?
You must set the fan curve precisely so that it won’t spin until it reaches a specific temperature point. Usually, the GPU should not heat much when it’s in an idle state. So, you shouldn’t turn on the GPU fans when it’s doing minimal tasks.
Can I manually control the GPU fans?
Yes, you can manually control the GPU fans. For Nvidia GPUs, use the Nvidia GeForce Experience or RTX Experience app. And for AMD graphics cards, use the AMD Radeon software. However, MSI Afterburner is an excellent app for controlling graphics card fans manually.
What is the good GPU temp while gaming?
When the GPU is under heavy loads, like gaming, the temperature should be between 80-85 °C. Some users experience temperatures above that level, and it’s normal for some GPUs.
Wrapping Up
It’s good to manually control the GPU’s fan because overheating can reduce the graphics card’s performance. Default GPU fan curve settings sometimes fail to cool down the GPU effectively.
That’s why I came up with this article to show how you can control a GPU fan professionally. I believe you successfully set the fan curve with those apps. Please leave a comment if you need further help.
Remember, a chilly GPU can set fire to the gameplay!
