# NVIDIA Fan Curves (GTX 1050 Ti Reference)

The user's GTX 1050 Ti runs a passive/quiet fan curve baked into the GPU BIOS.

## Typical Stock Fan Curve

| Temp Range  | Fan Speed  | Behavior                                     |
|-------------|------------|----------------------------------------------|
| < 50°C      | 20-31%     | Idle floor — stays at minimum for silence     |
| 50-55°C     | 30-40%     | Start of ramp                                |
| 55-65°C     | 40-60%     | Moderate load                                |
| 65-75°C     | 60-80%     | Sustained load (gaming, rendering)           |
| 75-80°C     | 80-90%     | Heavy load                                   |
| 80°C+       | 90-100%    | Thermal protection                           |

## Key Observations

- **31% at 44°C is normal**: The card was in P0 (active perf state) with 7% util, but 44°C is well below the 50°C ramp threshold. The fan stays at its idle floor.
- **Perf state matters**: P8 (idle) → P0 (active) transition happens when the card has work. Temp can climb to ~50°C before the fan responds meaningfully.
- **Fan at 0% or `[N/A]`**: Means the card relies on passive cooling or the fan hasn't spun up yet. Some Pascal cards have a zero-RPM mode below 50°C.
- **No user-side fan curve tool**: Custom fan curves require `nvidia-settings` (X11) or third-party tools — not available in headless/server setups.

## Power Draw Reporting

The GTX 1050 Ti (and other budget Pascal GPUs) **cannot report power draw** via `nvidia-smi`:

- `nvidia-smi --query-gpu=power.draw` returns `[N/A]`
- The card has a 75W TDP, runs off PCIe slot power only (no 6/8-pin connector), and lacks the power monitoring hardware/BIOS support
- This is not a driver issue or misconfiguration — the sensor simply doesn't exist on this hardware
- Cards that do report power: GTX 1060+, RTX series, and higher-end models with dedicated power sensors
- **What to tell the user**: "The GTX 1050 Ti doesn't have a power sensor. It's normal — the card literally can't tell us. Nothing to fix."

## What to Tell the User

If asked "why is the fan at X% when temp is Y°C":
1. Check perf state (P0 = active, P8/P12 = idle)
2. Compare temp against the curve above
3. Under 50°C at 20-31% = perfectly normal, BIOS prioritizes quiet
4. If temp exceeds 55°C and fan stays below 40%, something may be wrong (check for dust, thermal paste, or fan failure via `nvidia-smi -q -d TEMPERATURE`)
