Can someone explain the difference between the two modes, besides being able to load a different BIOS on one vs the other? Referring to the 3080 FTW3 Ultra.
 
Does the OC just provide more aggressive fan speeds? What about Power Limit?
 
I plan on overclocking but I also like that the fan turns off <45 degrees or whatever it is. 

The only difference I saw was the fan profiles.  The power limit is 107% with both and I was not able to get better scores in 3D Mark tests with it.  Honestly, when benchmarking, I just crank the fans to 100% regardless.

If i set fans to run at 40% all the time will the GPU still follow its actual fan curcve as temps rise?  I dont like the fans on my gpu to be idle and fan noise doesn't bother me.

Ciddharthas
Am I missing something?  What's the point of that when we can just set fan curve with afterburner, x1, or whatnot?

Hardware versus software. Hardware is an always on versus requiring software to be on, and allows the user to have two bios options.

Any software puts a small load on the system, so using hardware to boost the fans removes that old.

That’s why I said any, because using afterburner, precision, or any software puts load on the computer. Doesn’t matter which software, they all do it.

It would be great if fan curve could be set to gpu so x1 doesn't have to be running. I hate running bloatware

EVGA_JacobF
The only difference is a more aggressive fan curve.

Thanks for the answer, but I still have an additional question. Which mode do you believe is better for longevity as opposed to performance. I'm not sure if sustaining lower temps with oc mode or minimizing fan use with silent is better for long term health of card. I might be overthinking it, but I do want to do what's best for the long term maintenance of my very wonderful, very expensive card.

arestavo

psychonautical

EVGA_JacobF
The only difference is a more aggressive fan curve.

Thanks for the answer, but I still have an additional question. Which mode do you believe is better for longevity as opposed to performance. I'm not sure if sustaining lower temps with oc mode or minimizing fan use with silent is better for long term health of card. I might be overthinking it, but I do want to do what's best for the long term maintenance of my very wonderful, very expensive card.

If you're that worried, I'd suggest getting an extended warranty:

There's even a 10 year option.

Oh I plan on it. I just purchased EAR because it has a thirty day deadline, I'll certainly be grabbing the extended warranty next month. Even still, I'd like to know what the best practice is. It's not so much worried as I want to look after my investment as responsibly as I can.

psychonautical

arestavo

psychonautical

EVGA_JacobF
The only difference is a more aggressive fan curve.

Thanks for the answer, but I still have an additional question. Which mode do you believe is better for longevity as opposed to performance. I'm not sure if sustaining lower temps with oc mode or minimizing fan use with silent is better for long term health of card. I might be overthinking it, but I do want to do what's best for the long term maintenance of my very wonderful, very expensive card.

If you're that worried, I'd suggest getting an extended warranty:

There's even a 10 year option.

Oh I plan on it. I just purchased EAR because it has a thirty day deadline, I'll certainly be grabbing the extended warranty next month. Even still, I'd like to know what the best practice is. It's not so much worried as I want to look after my investment as responsibly as I can.

If you're going to be that worried, think about a vehicle. What produces more wear and tear - city driving (stopping and starting all the time) or highway driving (where the engine is at a fairly static RPM)?
 
The answer is city driving produces more wear and tear.
 
So why use this example? The fans that you are so very worried about for some reason even when you plan on getting an extended warranty, are still motors.

Sorry forgot to include the above post but won't keeping GPU fans on all the time increase the drying out of thermal paste. What timeframe are we looking at for repasting?