This.

Vsync or frame rate cap will not only reduce heat but also the electricity bill (especially during summer). The fans will not spin as fast so it will also be quieter, which is also important for gaming.

So I guess this is it forever, since I remember my 7300GT silent used to go 75-95 when gaming back in the old days :)

Yup. When left to automatic, a graphics card will run at very low fan speeds (like 20-35%) even when the card gets hot. I don't know why they set it up like this.

You want to set it to something like: at any temperature between 0-35C run at 25-30%, at 40C and 69C run fan at 60-65%.70C-85C run at 80%, and at 86C-100C run it at 100%.

That way your fan does its job. Figuring out how to do it in the program is harder to understand than the concept itself. The fans are meant to keep it cool and the only way to do that is to set up a profile that saves your personalized fan settings.

Well, 80°C sounds abt alright to me. Most modern graphic cards shd run anywhere fr 60- 85°C & may even hit the 90s if taxed to the max depending many factors such as the amt of ventilation of chassis, fan speed & dissipation efficency of thermal paste. If u use liquid cooling then u might be able lower the temp another 5-10°C further.

I wld say try not to let the temp go over 95°C for long periods if possible to avoid dmg & thus shorten the life-span of the graphic card. Just my 2 cents worth.