Good temperatures for my GPU?

[MaestroPuccini]

I have an nVidia 8800 Ultra. When I touch the metal part of the infrastructure, it's so hot I almost burn myself. Between what range of temperatures (idle and load) should my GPU be in for it to be safe and reliable (and not considered defective)? I'll measure the actual temps tonight, but I'd like to get some feedback first. Thanks in advance.

[ski]

Yep, your card's GPU will get hot.
The idle temperature will depend on the room temperature and the case's internal temperature, while the load temperature will also depend on those 2 temperatures plus the game that's being played and its settings.
With a room temp of 75 F, approx. GPU temps should be 55-65 C at idle, and 80-85 C with max game settings. But it should never reach the 90 C critical temp, or it can get damaged.

[glc]

I don't think 90 is necessarily the rule of thumb - seems to me I've seen GPU's that are good to 125. Try researching the particular card on its manufacturer's website for allowable temperature ranges.

[blue60007]

Definitely - when I actually looked at the temps, my ATI card would hit 90C and be perfectly happy.

Keep in mind that card requires 2 PCI-E plugs so it's pulling a TON of power through it and consequently it's putting out a lot of that power as heat.