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Restore Palit GTX 1660 Super Fan Control & Drivers

Fix Palit GTX 1660 Super fan control after NVIDIA updates. Use DDU, try drivers 517.48/512.x, Palit ThunderMaster, backup VBIOS and test Unreal Engine.

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Palit GTX 1660 Super: after updating NVIDIA drivers from the official site the GPU fans still spin but no longer change speed with load (MSI Afterburner and other third‑party tools cannot detect or control them), and temperatures reach ~95°C under load. Rolling back to older drivers (I used DDU for clean uninstalls) restores fan control but then all games and applications built on Unreal Engine crash. I haven’t overclocked the card or changed BIOS settings. What can cause a driver update to disable fan control while older drivers cause Unreal Engine apps to crash, and what troubleshooting steps, specific driver versions, firmware/VBIOS updates, or settings should I try to restore proper fan control without breaking Unreal Engine compatibility?

Your Palit GTX 1660 Super is most likely hitting a driver ↔ VBIOS boundary: some NVIDIA driver updates change how NVAPI exposes fan control (or the driver/OEM combo forces an OEM fan table), so third‑party tools like MSI Afterburner can’t write a curve and the card runs a fixed profile (hence ~95°C). Community reports also show certain driver branches cause Unreal Engine crashes, so you need a methodical test: clean with DDU, try a community‑stable driver, test Palit’s ThunderMaster (OEM control), verify/back up and — only if required — flash the correct Palit VBIOS.

Contents

Palit GTX 1660 Super fan control: why drivers can break it

There are two common technical reasons third‑party fan control stops working after a driver update:

  • Driver API / NVAPI changes: drivers expose fewer or different hooks for apps like MSI Afterburner. If the driver no longer honors the same NVAPI calls, Afterburner can’t write a fan curve even though the fan still spins. The usual symptom: fans run at a fixed RPM regardless of load. Community troubleshooting guides for Afterburner explain this behavior and common fixes (reinstall, enable fan control in settings) — see the Afterburner troubleshooting notes for background https://www.makeuseof.com/fix-msi-afterburner-fan-speed-control-not-working/.

  • VBIOS / OEM fan table and driver interaction: the card’s VBIOS contains the fan curve and minimum fan duty. Some driver + VBIOS combinations result in the driver forcing that table (or exposing only OEM controls), so third‑party tools are ignored. Reviewers and users of Palit GTX 1660 Super cards have reported driver/firmware combos that leave the fan on a fixed profile and push temps into the mid‑90s until the correct VBIOS or OEM tool is used https://www.techpowerup.com/review/palit-geforce-gtx-1660-super-gaming-pro-oc/34.html. The Tom’s Hardware/Guru3D threads show people fixing this by matching the correct vendor VBIOS or using OEM utilities and, in some cases, reflashing VBIOS https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/no-fan-control-after-1660s-bios-flash.3686548/.

A practical implication: some drivers will re‑expose fan control but introduce other bugs (such as Unreal Engine instability), so you’re caught between a driver that lets you control fans and a newer driver that’s UE‑stable but hides control.

NVIDIA drivers, Unreal Engine crashes, and which versions to try

Why do older drivers restore fan control but break Unreal Engine apps? Because different driver builds change multiple subsystems at once (renderer/DX12 handling, NVAPI behavior, power management). Community reports for GTX 1660 Super users show specific driver versions behaving differently:

Which drivers to try (practical approach)

  • Start with a community‑reported stable baseline (many GTX 1660 Super users cite 517.48 as a reliable point to test).
  • If 517.48 doesn’t give the result you want, try nearby branches (e.g., 512.59 or other mid‑500-series versions) rather than jumping straight to very old or the very newest WHQL. Community posts show mixed success with 512.x and 537.x for different users; results depend on exact board/VBIOS https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/recommend-some-good-and-old-drivers-for-gtx1660s.446505/.

Important: don’t let Windows auto‑install drivers after DDU. Use the driver installers you’ve downloaded and block automatic reinstall while testing.

Practical troubleshooting steps (DDU, Afterburner, ThunderMaster)

Follow this ordered checklist. Stop after each major step to test (fan behavior + Unreal Engine app) before moving on.

  1. Preparation — what to collect first
  • Note your current VBIOS string (use GPU‑Z or similar) and take screenshots of Device Manager, Afterburner settings and the driver version.
  • Download and stage: DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller), the NVIDIA driver versions you’ll test (e.g., 517.48, 512.59, one newer), Palit ThunderMaster (OEM utility), and a VBIOS copy if you plan to compare https://www.palit.com/palit/thundermaster.php?lang=en. Also have HWInfo/GPU‑Z available to read fan RPM and VBIOS.
  1. Clean driver cycle with DDU (test each driver with a clean slate)
  • Boot to Safe Mode, run DDU, choose NVIDIA GPU → “Clean and restart.”
  • After reboot, install the NVIDIA driver you want to test (do a custom install and uncheck GeForce Experience if you don’t want extra components). Reboot after install.
  1. Test Afterburner and OEM utility
  1. Watch for vendor‑software conflicts

  1. If the fan is still locked after testing multiple drivers and OEM tool doesn’t help → check VBIOS (next section)

  2. Physical checks (don’t skip)

  • Make sure heatsink/fan connectors are seated, fans spin freely, and there’s no dust blocking airflow. A failing fan circuit or bad thermal contact can make the symptoms worse even if software is fine.
  1. If you get fan control back on a particular driver, run a reproducible Unreal Engine workload immediately to confirm both fan control and UE stability (see testing section below).

VBIOS / firmware updates for Palit GTX 1660 Super

Why VBIOS matters

Safe VBIOS workflow (summary)

  • Backup current VBIOS first (GPU‑Z has a “Save BIOS” option).
  • Compare board ID / subvendor and BIOS strings with the Palit official file or TechPowerUp repository entry for your exact model https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/232478/232478.
  • Only flash a VBIOS that exactly matches your card’s PCB and subvendor ID. Flashing the wrong VBIOS can brick the card.
  • Use vendor instructions or nvflash and follow each step carefully. You may need to disable driver signature enforcement or use a particular nvflash version. If you’re not comfortable, stop and contact Palit support or a qualified service tech.

A final note on warranty and risk

  • VBIOS flashing can void warranty depending on region and vendor policy. If the card is under warranty and you suspect a hardware fault, contact Palit before flashing. The TechPowerUp VBIOS repository is a common source for vendor files, but always prefer official Palit downloads when available https://www.palit.com/palit/thundermaster.php?lang=en.

How to test, verify and avoid breaking Unreal Engine

Make a reproducible test loop so you can compare results between driver builds and firmware:

  1. Before changes: record baseline
  • Capture current driver version, VBIOS string, screenshots of Afterburner/Fan settings, and a short sensor log from HWInfo / GPU‑Z.
  1. After each change (driver install, VBIOS flash, OEM tool)
  • Verify fan control by forcing a manual fan speed and watching HWInfo/GPU‑Z RPM change immediately. If RPM does not change, software control is not working.
  • Run a GPU load (Unigine benchmark or your UE app/game) for 5–10 minutes while logging temps and fan RPM.
  • Immediately after a crash, check Windows Event Viewer (Application/System) for nvlddmkm or driver fault entries and note the exact driver version and any fault codes — that helps correlate crashes with driver versions.
  1. Driver testing matrix (example)
  • Clean DDU → install 517.48 → test fan control + run UE title. Log results.
  • Clean DDU → install 512.59 → test.
  • Clean DDU → install latest driver → test.
    Keep notes in a simple table: Driver version | Fan control (Yes/No) | UE crash (Yes/No) | Observations.
  1. If UE crashes on a driver that otherwise restores fan control
  1. When to escalate to Palit / RMA
  • If no driver, OEM tool or VBIOS fixes fan curve (and you confirmed the fan assembly and heatsink are physically OK), it may be a hardware fault in the fan controller or sensor. Contact Palit support or request an RMA.

Sources

Conclusion

On a Palit GTX 1660 Super the mismatch between NVIDIA driver behavior and the card’s VBIOS/OEM controls is the most likely cause: newer drivers can hide or change NVAPI hooks (breaking Afterburner control) while certain legacy drivers re‑expose control but introduce Unreal Engine instability. Work methodically: use DDU to test a few community‑reported driver versions (start with 517.48 and nearby releases), try Palit’s ThunderMaster for vendor fan control, compare and (only if necessary) reflash the exact Palit VBIOS from a trusted source, and collect logs so you can pick the driver/firmware combo that gives you both fan control and UE stability. If none of that fixes it, the problem may be firmware/hardware and you should contact Palit for support or RMA.

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Restore Palit GTX 1660 Super Fan Control & Drivers