Should fan speeds adjust automatically?

[theslug]

Hi,
Sorry if this has been posted before, but I didn't see anything that was real similar to my question. I've got a BFG 6800 GT and was wondering if the fans are supposed to change speeds automatically to adjust to the GPU's changing temperatures. I installed RivaTuner which has a default of 53% for 2D and both 3D modes. However, it seems that the fan speed never changes no matter how hot the card gets, and instead I'm supposed to use RivaTuner to create my own profiles with fan speeds corresponding to temps.

Are the fans supposed to adjust to temps accordingly, and if so, do I need to change anything in RivaTuner to allow this to happen? I ask because my temps under load are around 70 C and I'm trying to bring it down.

Thanks

[Unwinder]

Originally Posted by theslug

Hi,
Sorry if this has been posted before, but I didn't see anything that was real similar to my question. I've got a BFG 6800 GT and was wondering if the fans are supposed to change speeds automatically to adjust to the GPU's changing temperatures. I installed RivaTuner which has a default of 53% for 2D and both 3D modes. However, it seems that the fan speed never changes no matter how hot the card gets, and instead I'm supposed to use RivaTuner to create my own profiles with fan speeds corresponding to temps.

Are the fans supposed to adjust to temps accordingly, and if so, do I need to change anything in RivaTuner to allow this to happen? I ask because my temps under load are around 70 C and I'm trying to bring it down.

Thanks

Reference design 6800 cards are not supposed to change fan speed according to GPU temperature. These cards have independent 2D/3D fan speeds, and both of them are set to 53% duty cycle by default in reference 6800 BIOS images. So your situation is pretty normal.

[theslug]

Ok, thanks. I was almost certain in the past that I could hear the fans changing speeds, but I could be wrong. I guess I'll use RivaTuner then.

[jimmor]

Originally Posted by theslug

Hi,
Sorry if this has been posted before, but I didn't see anything that was real similar to my question. I've got a BFG 6800 GT and was wondering if the fans are supposed to change speeds automatically to adjust to the GPU's changing temperatures. I installed RivaTuner which has a default of 53% for 2D and both 3D modes. However, it seems that the fan speed never changes no matter how hot the card gets, and instead I'm supposed to use RivaTuner to create my own profiles with fan speeds corresponding to temps.

Are the fans supposed to adjust to temps accordingly, and if so, do I need to change anything in RivaTuner to allow this to happen? I ask because my temps under load are around 70 C and I'm trying to bring it down.

Thanks

By default, the bios of a 6800GT is selected to initialise with only one active operating mode; which is normally taken as 3D. This single mode is set at 350/1000 and has the fan set at 53%. So whether you are at the 2D desktop or in a 3D game, nothing changes.

On the other hand, the driver creates seperate modes, all with same parameters as the bios's single initialised mode. And it is those driver modes (2D/LP3D/3D) which can be accessed and controlled by external software like Rivatuner.

However, many people elect to use NiBiTor to mod their card's bios to initialise seperate 2D and 3D modes. This then allows all bios initialised 2D and/or 3D parameters, including fans, to be user preset. And thus a user can easily control how his card will always initialise, regardless of driver changes, or which computer the card is actually fitted to.