Q: Strange problem with my GPU and PSU I'm running my CPU Q6600 overclocked at 3GHZ (1.25Vcore) on an Asus P5B Deluxe with a be quiet Dark Power Pro 550W PSU.
Recently I bought XFX 6970. And just now I noticed a strange problem.
The GPU runs perfectly. I can play any game I want at full details, 2xAA, 16xAF and everything else maxed out in 1920x1080. The highest temp. I ever had were 85°C with the fan running at 37%. The average temp. is 68-75%.
The fan is controlled via Catalyst CC, automatically. I also have Ati Try Tools installed. Strangely though no matter how demanding the game is, and how high the temp. goes, the fan never, ever goes faster than 37%.
With ATI Tray Tools installed or not installed. It plays no part in it.
Now comes the strange part: I tried to manually increase the fan from 37% to 50% just to see how far my temp. would drop if it were at 50% during an graphically demanding game.
Usually, though randomly and not always, 1 out of 2 things happens then:
a) The system crashes. I get a blue filed screen with small black bars. I have to do a cold reset.
b) FPS in games significantly drop. Meaning whereas formerly in a game it was 50fps, now it's 35-40fps. Nothing changed in the game. It's the exact same spot I had 50fps for a couple minutes, now all of a sudden it's 35-40fps (sure it's still playable, but that's beside the point here.).
On a side note: It's not temperature related because the crash/fps drop happens regardless whether I'm in idle @ 45°C or in load @ 65, 75, 85°C (or anything higher than the idle 45°C).
What the hell is the matter?

A: The fan never goes higher than that until it reaches extreme temperatures. You can use a program like MSI Afterburner which has excellent compatibility, maybe you can see if this causes a problem for you. MSI Afterburner also has an inbuilt fan profile system so you can create a graph on when you want the fans to speed up.
