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How to control your GPU fan speed – 2 methods (with pictures)

Time to take the control in your hands!
Last Updated on April 26, 2024
Close-up of a modern graphics card with three fans and purple accents against a light purple background, displaying a logo that reads "pc guide," emphasizing the ability to adjust GPU fan speed.
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If you want to learn how to control GPU fan speed, then we’ve got you covered right here.

While many people prefer to let their system handle their GPU’s fan speeds, taking control yourself can be beneficial. This is because adjusting the speed can aid in temperature regulation, noise reduction, and even performance optimization. Additionally, by managing temperatures through fan speed control, you can avoid GPU overheating issues.

As the process can be confusing for both new and old users, we’ll go over two methods that can help you quickly adjust your GPU fan speeds.

Quick Answer

To control your GPU’s fan speed, launch MSI Afterburner > click on the Lock icon > go to properties > enable automatic fan control > set Fan Speed Curve to custom > use individual points to adjust the speed.

How to control GPU fan speed using MSI Afterburner

To control your GPU’s fan speed, you’ll need to rely on third-party software. And for this purpose, the first one we recommend is MSI Afterburner. This is a great software with a well-designed interface, so you won’t have a problem navigating through it.

Step

1

Download the software

First, download MSI Afterburner from the official website of MSI and install it in your system.

Step

2

Unlock the save option

Once installed, launch the software and wait for it to open. Then, click on the Lock icon to unlock the save option. Without it, you won’t be able to save your custom fan speed settings.

Computer monitor displaying GPU overclocking settings with a focus on the GPU fan speed highlighted at 1725 mhz.
Lock Icon

Step

3

Access the properties

Go to the software’s properties, which can be done by clicking on the gear icon on the left side.

Screenshot of MSI Afterburner GPU monitoring software with settings displayed, highlighting the GPU fan speed control section.
Properties icon

Step

4

Enable and adjust the fan settings

In the properties, go to the ‘Fan’ tab and check the box next to ‘Enable user defined software automatic fan control.’ Then, set the ‘Predefined fan speed curve’ to custom. Once done, you can click and drag the points in the chart to adjust the fan speed. If you want the fans to spin at the slowest speed, bring all the points down.

Screenshot of MSI Afterburner software demonstrating how to control GPU fan speed with a custom fan speed curve graph plotted against temperature.
MSI Afterburner properties

Step

5

Save the settings

Now, go back to the main menu and click on the save icon to save your custom settings.

Screenshot of MSI Afterburner utility showing settings for GPU temperature, clock speeds, voltage, and GPU fan speed adjustments. Highlighted feature is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30.
Save button

You can then select another profile by clicking on 2,3,4, or 5, and save custom settings for these too. This way, you can quickly adjust the fan speed without messing around with the settings too much.

Screenshot of MSI Afterburner software interface displaying GPU settings, with a focus on temperature, clock, and how to control GPU fan speed, highlighted by a red outline on the right side.
Custom profiles

How to control GPU fan speed using EVGA Precision

Another software that we’d recommend is EVGA Precision, and this one is also fairly easy to use.

Step

1

Download and install

First, go to the official website of EVGA and download the Precision software from there. Then, start the installation process and wait for it to complete.

Step

2

Launch the software and adjust the settings

Open EVGA Precision and select a profile from the right side, ideally ‘1.’

Once done, click on the ‘Auto’ icon in the Fan Speed section, and use the sliders to adjust the speed of each fan.

Screenshot of EVGA Precision X1 software interface showing GPU settings, including clock speed, temperature, and GPU fan speed control, highlighted with a red arrow pointing to fan controls.
Auto button and sliders

You can also click on the arrow button on the right side of the Fan Speed section to open the Temp Tuner chart, which you can control by dragging individual points.

Screenshot of EVGA Precision X1 software interface displaying GPU statistics, including clock speed, temperature, and power target, with a performance tuning graph and controls for GPU fan speed.
Temp Tuner in EVGA Precision

Step

3

Save the settings

After adjusting the settings, click on Apply, and then click on Save. You can then choose another profile and adjust the settings for it.

Conclusion

As you can see for yourself, controlling your GPU fan speed isn’t a difficult task if you have the right software. Such features can help you control the temperature and even the noise coming from the GPU. For instance, if you want it to operate quietly, you can bring the fan speed down, but make sure not to do this during GPU-intensive tasks.

Abdul is a contributing tech writer for PC Guide, specialising in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.