Asus GTX580 DirectCU 2 Question

There is no reason to have the fans on 100%.

The problem is your case isn't designed for a high-end card. You simply don't have much for airflow, so the fan is ramping up because it's trying to cool itself with hot air.

Drop the side off your case or install the two front fans, I assure you it'll make the fan quieter and drop the card's temps by 10C at least.

with ample cooling 50-60% fan speed is the sweet spot in terms of noise and cooling. As Apocalypse said, your case maybe contributing to the cause. You might want to consider upgrading your case or got a couple of mid-range cards (ie, sli gtx 460 or cfx 6850). You should be able to control the fan speed manually. Though, with a good air cooling case, you can leave it in auto and it will take care of its self.

btw, to edit your thread title, click "edit" on the op (opening post), click "go-advance", and should be able to edit the title.

I updated the title (nice tip!).

As far as the case goes, not sure that's the issue. Im overclocking a LOT and the cpu temps are staying nice and cool. If the whole case was overheating Im not sure that would be the situation. Also the airflow is actually excellent, massive fan on top, fans on sides. Wouldnt hurt to add one more though. I will investigate this more.

If, however, the GPU is just set to crank away on the fans too hard if it gets warm, then what? I can use GPU-z to check the temps, but what is the max temp I want to play at for this board, and how can I adjust the fan speed?

Thanks!

If you aren't already, download MSI Afterburner and use it to set a custom fan profile. It will automatically (based on your setup) change the fan percentage based on the temperature of the card. That way, it will only have a high fan when it needs to, and it should never need 100% fan as a single card configuration with that triple slot cooler.

try driversweeper and reinstall the nvidia drivers, also install MSI Afterburner if you have not done so.

CPU airflow =/= GPU airflow, especially with a H70 being an intake cooler. Your top fan helps your CPU greatly, but it doesn't really affect airflow underneath the card. You need to get those front fans installed to get fresh, cool air underneath your card.