Ideal minimum temperature for GPU

[kumbula]

What is the ideal minimum idle temperature for a GPU?

Is it better to keep it near 45-50°C, or should I go down to 30(or as much as possible)?
I'm thinking that it's better if there is less deviation between idle and under load temperatures, but I might be wrong.

Also, which is better for the fans? Turning them on only when temperatures rise, or should they spin at least at minimum rpm at all times?

 

[ElectrO_90]

as much as possible is ideal, but they general run about 50'C while doing very little, but the fans are normally off on a modern GPU

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

It's a trade off between temperature and noise.

Ideally, the cooler the better, up to the point you have to worry about condensation, but unless you're going with a colder than ambient solution, that's not something you need to worry about.

Generally, if I'm sticking with the stock cooling equipment, I run the cooling equipment at max for a while to get a general idea the very best cooling I can achieve on the device, and then I dial things back until I find the right mix between temperature and noise.

Manufacturers that turn fans off and let graphics cards stew in an excess of waste heat for the sake of a small amount of noise really don't have their customer's best interest in mind. They realize that enough of their immediate customers will have upgraded before they see any decrease in lifespan for the product. If the card fails after it's been sold into the used parts market, so much the better for the graphics card makers.

Anything under 60°C when not gaming for a graphics card should be more than sufficient to live out the warranty period, barring otherwise defective equipment.

A good quality fan should last as long as the product it's installed on. Even if it fails, there is always some aftermarket fan you can find to fill the role. Better to sacrifice a fan than the electrical components it's there to cool.