GPU fan issues

Hey everyone,

I'm running into a bit of an issue with a PC I finished building just last week. This build was primarily intended for video editing, CAD software, and some light rendering work—not really meant for gaming.

Here are the specs:
CASE Fractal Design Meshify C TG Dark
Motherboard: ASRock X570 TAICHI, AM4
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700x (4.4GHz, 36MB, 65W, AM4, 8C/16T) box with Wraith
Prism cooler,
GPU: ASUS GTX1660 SUPER TUF3-GTX1660S-A6G-GAMING, 6GB GDDR6
SSD: Samsung SSD 500GB 980 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 x4
SSD: Samsung SSD 500GB 970 EVO PLUS M.2
HDD: Seagate 4TB 3.5" 7200rpm, 512n, 256MB, Exos E 7E8
FANS: Noctua... 2x 140mm - Intake; 2x 120mm - Exhaust
RAM: DDR4 32GB (2x16) Corsair 3200MHz RGB PRO Black
PSU: FSP Hydro G Pro 650W modular, 80 PLUS Gold

The build is all set up and everything functions perfectly fine, except for one specific thing that is driving me absolutely crazy 😵. Every time I boot up the computer or perform a restart, the GPU fans ramp up to max RPM for about the first five seconds. After those five seconds pass, they settle down and run normally.

I never dealt with this on my older machines. On those builds, the fans wouldn't spin at full blast for those initial seconds; instead, they would wait until the motherboard picked up the GPU temperature and then they'd just run at their normal speed.

I specifically wanted this setup, which is why I shelled out quite a bit of cash for those Noctua fans, yet now I feel like I'm starting a jet engine every single time I turn the PC on.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can "quiet down" the graphics card fans during the initial startup phase?

This is a pretty common "issue." If those 5 seconds during startup are a dealbreaker for you, you could

1) Just stop turning the PC off—use sleep mode or just leave it running
2) Try a clean driver reinstall
3) Check if there's a BIOS update for the motherboard or maybe the GPU
4) Rig up a custom cooler on the card—either liquid or an air cooler where the fan isn't powered directly by the GPU

Honestly, it's all a massive pain in the ass just to save a few seconds

That's actually a feature on newer cards, not a bug—they spin at max speed in reverse for the first few seconds just to blow the dust out of the fans and cooler.

wiredotter14 said:That is actually a pretty common "issue" people run into. If those five seconds during startup are really making a difference for you, you could always...

You really have to weigh your options here—whether you should avoid turning your PC on and off altogether by just using standby mode, or if it’s actually better to just leave the machine running all the time.
2) You might want to try a clean reinstall of the drivers.
3) I should check if there's a new BIOS available for the motherboard and/or the graphics card.
4) You could also opt for a custom cooling solution—whether that's a water block or an air cooler—where the fan controller isn't directly linked to the GPU itself.

Honestly, it all feels like a bunch of nonsense that goes by way too fast.

The "issue" with the fans isn't exactly a deal breaker, but it is definitely irritating—especially when you know perfectly well that the system could run just fine without them.
I'm not so sure about the drivers being the issue here. As soon as the build was finished and I hit that first power button, this "feature" popped up immediately. Since then, I've gone ahead and installed the latest drivers straight from the NVIDIA website—and just to be clear, I went with the Studio drivers, not the gaming ones.
So, looking at the BIOS versions, there's a v4.0 out there, while I'm currently running v3.40. To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of flashing the BIOS—it always feels like a bit of a gamble, and I worry that if something goes sideways during the process, you could end up with much more serious issues on your hands. Still, I haven't ruled it out entirely. I'm actually in touch with ASRock support right now, so I'll see what they say and decide if making the jump actually makes sense.
4. Hmm. It is a bit complicated, but it’s definitely an interesting option.

fadedorca66 said:That is actually a built-in feature on newer cards, not a bug. For the first few seconds, the fans spin at max speed in reverse just to blow out any dust collected on the blades or the cooler itself.

I've been digging through some international forums looking into that specific feature. If you ask anyone there, the consensus seems to be that blowing out dust isn't actually what triggers that kind of fan curve adjustment. Honestly, who knows for sure? 🤔

I gave the technician over at the Republican Party headquarters a call. He mentioned they've been getting complaints about this exact same issue, but they ended up clearing about 90% of those graphics cards as perfectly fine. I didn't get around to asking what happened with the other 10%, though. Still, he was pretty adamant that this whole situation is just the "new normal." 🤦.
I sent an inquiry over to ASUS support, so we'll just have to wait and see what they come back with.

There is always that lingering sense of hope that a solution actually exists out there somewhere.

5) just press the starter button with your toe while pinching your ears 😁

It is a feature, not a bug....

That being said, I get the same thing with my AMD Radeon RX 580, though it wasn't always like this. No clue what changed, but at least now I know the GPU fans are actually spinning.

Look, I know it sounds silly... but if your PC is in a bedroom where someone else is sleeping and you suddenly have to reboot for some reason, you're basically screwed. Or if they're already asleep and you need to get up early to start working, it’s the same headache. Like you mentioned, Sleep mode is really the only way to go. I haven't actually tested whether waking the system from sleep triggers the fans again, though.

Anyway, it would be awesome if we could just bypass that entirely. I'm looking for a workaround.

https://files.fm/u/3hf6z8nu6 - here's a video link where you can hear what a Boeing takeoff sounds like.🙂

Joseph Kelly2 said:1. This fan "issue" isn't exactly a deal breaker, but it is annoying, especially when you know the card can function just fine without it.
2. Can't say for sure if it's the drivers. The moment the build was finished and powered on for the first time, this "feature" showed up. Since then, I've installed the latest drivers straight from NVIDIA's site. And I mean Studio drivers, not the gaming ones.
3. There is a v4.0 for the motherboard BIOS, mine is currently on v3.40. I am not exactly a huge fan of flashing the BIOS—I always worry that's when things actually go south. But I guess it is an option. I am talking to ASRock support right now, so we will see if they think it makes sense.
4. Hmm. A bit complicated, but an interesting thought.

I've been reading about this "feature" on some international forums. One common conclusion is that dust buildup isn't what triggers this kind of fan behavior. Who knows, really? 🤔

I even called a technician over at Best Buy. The guy mentioned they've had complaints about this exact thing before, yet 90% of the cards were cleared as perfectly functional. Didn't bother asking what happened to the other 10%. He also insisted that this is just the "new normal"🤦.
I sent an inquiry to ASUS support too, so we will see what they have to say.

There is always hope that there is some kind of fix out there somewhere.

And why not just bypass the fan power cables? Just wire them to an external switch on the case—a switch you manually flip after those critical 5 seconds pass—or maybe use a timer or a bimetal strip to trigger it automatically after 5-10 seconds.

I have to admit, this all feels a little complicated to me 🤔.

Up to this point, I've received responses from the support teams at ASRock and ASUS:
- ASRock suggests that this might actually be normal (though their explanation is a bit contradictory):

"Thank you for choosing ASRock and contacting us.

When you power on the system, the BIOS needs time to take over the control from your system peripherals

So it is normal that the GPU fan control will delay for a couple of secs.

For this case, we'd like to know if your GPU fan is controllable under OS? If so, it means the connection between GPU and PCIe is good then you'd have to worry about it 🙂

Thank you,

Sincerely,

ASRock TSD"

- ASUS goes with the classic approach:
"Thank you for contacting ASUS, my name is Sokratis and I will try my best to assist you with your current situation.

Regarding the described problem, we kindly invite you to download and Install the latest NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Drivers via this link.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Co...Desk_Download/

*VGA Drivers

VGA Drivers version 461.09
2021/01/18

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get back in touch with us."

It is interesting that neither of them explicitly claims this is a built-in feature of the motherboard or the GPU.
I've replied to their emails, so now I am just waiting to hear back.

They told you it takes a few seconds for the BIOS to actually take control of the hardware. Now the GPUs aren't even idling at minimum RPM anymore—they just kick straight to max. You could probably try tweaking the GPU BIOS to force a minimum fan speed if you're feeling ambitious.

Joseph Kelly2 said:I gotta admit, this whole thing feels a little overly complicated 🤔.

So far, I've been getting replies from support at ASRock and ASUS:
- ASRock is basically suggesting this might just be normal behavior (despite some weird contradictions in their message):

"Thank you for choosing ASRock and contacting us.

When you power on the system, the BIOS needs time to take over the control from your system peripherals

So it is normal that the GPU fan control will delay for a couple of secs.

For this case, we'd like to know if your GPU fan is controllable under OS? If so, it means the connection between GPU and PCIe is good then you'd have to worry about it 🙂

Thank you,

Sincerely,

ASRock TSD"

- ASUS just goes with the classic routine:
"Thank you for contacting ASUS, my name is Sokratis and I will try my best to assist you with your current situation.

Regarding the described problem, we kindly invite you to download and Install the latest NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Drivers via this link.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Co...Desk_Download/

*VGA Drivers

VGA Drivers version 461.09
2021/01/18

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get back in touch with us."

Funny how neither of them actually claims this is a specific feature of the motherboard or the GPU right off the bat.
I've replied to their emails, so now I'm just sitting here waiting.

those were just chatbots responding
(basically just automated scripts)

you really have to phrase your question perfectly just to trick the bot into passing you off to a real human operator

I sent them a super detailed reply along with a video to show them exactly what's going on. Hopefully, I can get a more concrete answer from them soon.

If they end up claiming it's just a "feature," then fine, I guess I'll just have to live with it. It isn't the end of the world.

wiredotter14 said:They mentioned it takes a few seconds before the BIOS actually takes control of the hardware. These days, GPUs don't even spin at minimum RPM anymore; they just kick straight to max. You might be able to tweak the GPU's BIOS to get them to start at a lower speed, though.

Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Until the motherboard actually pulls the temperature data from the graphics card, all the fans just default to running at full blast.

I have no idea why they set it up that way, honestly. They didn't do this on my old AMD X370 setup, but now they're hitting max speed immediately.

I'm seeing the exact same thing on my end, running an ASUS Prime X370 motherboard paired with an AMD Radeon RX 580. It feels like there might be a pattern here, though it doesn't seem to happen every single time; I suppose I'd have to keep a close eye on it for a while to see if I can actually spot a consistent pattern.

I get that you can configure the system so those fans spin up for about 5 seconds or just stay off entirely, but it feels a bit weird to me that it's happening inconsistently like this. 🤔

So, here's the bottom line and how ASUS support actually responded:

"Dear valued customer,

Regarding the below case, according to the specifications, it is normal procedure for the card to test the fans at the beginning of the card operation.

Kind Regards,
Dimitris K. ASUS customer service
"

And that’s that... just another "feature" I guess we all have to get used to living with.🙂

Haha, turns out it’s not blowing out dust, just the fan test 🙂

Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple. It isn’t some glitch or bug—it’s just how things work with modern hardware these days.

But honestly, it makes sense if you think about it. When you first hit the power button, all the "brains" inside the components haven't fully kicked in yet, so the fans get slammed with full voltage/power right out of the gate, causing them to spin up hard. After a few seconds, once the parts responsible for monitoring temps actually boot up and take over the reigns, the fans either shut off or dial back their speed. I’ve got an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 in one rig and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060S in the other, and they both do this exact same thing. Even my old NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 used to act the same way.

There’s a pretty good chance this serves a second purpose, like a sort of "dead man's switch." Back when I was messing around with the overclocking on my 1070—well, actually doing the opposite, undervolting it, because that thing was running hot even at 16 degrees, so the fans were screaming like they were trying to take flight—I accidentally set the voltage so low a couple of times that the card just straight-up crashed. In those moments, the fans would kick into max speed immediately. It’s almost certainly a failsafe feature because, let's face it, anything can happen; maybe the GPU gets stuck in some weird infinite loop and starts redlining, and if the controller loses its mind, the fans crank to 100% just to make sure the card doesn't melt. Better to have a loud fan than a smoking piece of silicon because the cooling died while the wattage went through the roof.

Actually, CPU fans do the same thing too (running Ryzen chips on ASRock boards). When I boot the PC, the fans on the heatsink hit max speed until the BIOS/UEFI stabilizes and takes control, then it adjusts the RPM based on whatever settings I tucked away in the BIOS/UEFI. And yeah, if I start tinkering with overclocks and the system crashes, the fans go full throttle.

Samuel Morgan48 said:...And also, if I push my overclocking too far and the system crashes, the fans just ramp up to full speed.

Oh, man, I know exactly what you mean; that’s precisely what happens to me whenever my PC gives up the ghost because I was messing around with my GPU overclock settings.

Samuel Morgan48 said:Unfortunately, it’s just that simple. It isn't a bug; it's just how modern components are designed.

But honestly, it makes sense to me. During startup, all the "brains" on the various components haven't fully powered up yet, so the fans receive full voltage/current and spin up to max. After a few seconds, once the temperature-monitoring components boot up and take control, the fans either turn off or throttle down. I have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 in one rig and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 in another, and both do this. I used to have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 that behaved the exact same way.

It's very likely there's a secondary function here—sort of a "dead man's switch." Back when I was messing around with overclocking my 1070 (actually, it was the opposite, undervolting; the thing was running hot even at 16%, so the fans were screaming like they were trying to take flight), I accidentally set the voltage so low a couple of times that the card crashed. In those moments, the fans immediately kicked into max speed. It seems like a built-in safety feature because you never know what might happen; maybe the GPU enters some kind of endless loop and crashes while under heavy load, so if the control logic fails, the fans ramp up to max to prevent the card from frying. It's much better to have them blowing air than to have smoke coming out of the case because the fans failed while the wattage was through the roof.

Actually, CPU fans do the same thing for me (using Ryzen chips and ASRock motherboards). When I boot the PC, the heatsink fans run at max until the BIOS/UEFI stabilizes and takes over, then they adjust the speed based on whatever settings I've laid out in the BIOS/UEFI. And similarly, if I'm tinkering with an overclock and the system crashes, the fans jump to max.

Totally normal. 😁