Ideal Temperatures Inside mid-2010 27" iMac?

[bedouin]

I have read many reports of graphics cards in iMacs — particularly 2009 and 2010 models — going bad.

So far I have not had any problems with my machine, but depending on who you talk to, the temperature of my GPU might be a little on the high side (it is driving two displays, though). I really cannot afford any repairs right now, so I'd like to prolong the life of this machine as much as possible.

I've attached a screenshot of what the temperatures look like inside my iMac. If I wanted to lower the temperature of my GPU, what fans might I consider ramping up manually? I live in a hot climate without AC, but try to keep the machine well ventilated and away from sunlight (direct or indirect).

The downside to ramping up the fans (aside from noise) would be more dirt and dust getting sucked into them, and the possibility of one of those dying prematurely. That's still probably a cheaper repair and less of a hassle than procuring a $300 GPU, though.

 

[Foxglove9]

These are my stats on an iMac 2009 i5, doing normal tasks.

 

[bedouin]

Your machine looks like it's in an air conditioned room, which affects things considerably.

Ramping the fans up to 50%, I can get the GPU temperature down to the mid 40s. However, I don't necessarily feel comfortable letting the fans run that hard nonstop.

 

[Foxglove9]

Your machine looks like it's in an air conditioned room, which affects things considerably.

Ramping the fans up to 50%, I can get the GPU temperature down to the mid 40s. However, I don't necessarily feel comfortable letting the fans run that hard nonstop.

It's generally about 68-73 degrees in my apartment. Even working in Final Cut with small projects I never hear the fans kick in.

 

[bedouin]

Well, in the summer it's generally between 90–105 ℉ where I live — and like I said, no AC.

The question is really what kind of temperatures I should be aiming for, and the responses I'm looking for are not based on what Apple may consider ideal (which is inherently reflected in the device's automatic regulation of fan speed), or even that of other iMacs, but on people's knowledge of hardware such as GPUs and their ideal operating temperatures — with a focus on prolonging the GPU's life as much as possible. Perhaps someone with a background in building PCs or modding MacPros could chime in.