Seized video card fan?

[Asad_A203]

Hi guys,

Well it seems like these stupid 5850 Xtremes have really crappy fans , I just noticed my video card was over heating and didn't hear the usual whine it makes. I popped open GPU-Z and noticed the fan was at half the speed of my other 5850 Xtreme. I then tweaked around in Catalyst and GPU-Z hoping it was just a mistake but it really seemed this 5850 could not go over 2500 RPM at 100% whereas my other 5850 hits 4500.

After pulling the card out, I noticed it was extremely stiff to get the stupid fan to move compared to my 5830s, the other 5850, and my case fans.

So I am thinking it is a seized bearing that needs to be lubed but I don't want to risk warranty. The crappy thing is I already paid $20 to RMA another 5850 earlier, and I will be paying likely another $20-40 (with Canada Post striking) and waiting 6-8 weeks to get another card (if any). I just bought these cards last month but it is slightly over the 30 day return period.

Any suggestions on what to do or options that don't void the warranty but might fix the problem?

[_dangtx_]

move it up and down,slightly,while slowly rotating. see if any 'crap' comes out.

blow some air around the affected area to get rid of any that comes out.

(sometimes) they use a liquid insulation thing that hardens, if it hardens in the wrong place,or mixes/goes where it shouldnt(and hardens or not) you
got the one problem depicted here. total seizure can occur.


i wouldnt risk warranty,if it was me. just use a third party cooler,unless you got to break some seals in taking the stock cooler off.

or give it some airflow from close by. i still have a couple older cards with dead fans whom i cut the shroud and zip tied a fan or two
on them. still in warranty but meh :p

[MARSTG]

looks like it would be cheaper and faster to mod it. Zalman VF3000A is what would fit.
::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::

[Asad_A203]

Originally Posted by _dangtx_

move it up and down,slightly,while slowly rotating. see if any 'crap' comes out.

blow some air around the affected area to get rid of any that comes out.

(sometimes) they use a liquid insulation thing that hardens, if it hardens in the wrong place,or mixes/goes where it shouldnt(and hardens or not) you
got the one problem depicted here. total seizure can occur.


i wouldnt risk warranty,if it was me. just use a third party cooler,unless you got to break some seals in taking the stock cooler off.

or give it some airflow from close by. i still have a couple older cards with dead fans whom i cut the shroud and zip tied a fan or two
on them. still in warranty but meh :p

Will give that a shot. The zip tied fan idea sounds good but I don't have the space to do it in my case (only one slot).

Originally Posted by MARSTG

looks like it would be cheaper and faster to mod it. Zalman VF3000A is what would fit.
::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::

Would that work for a non-reference 5850? This 5850 is considerably shorter than a reference 5850. Otherwise, that might be a better route considering how hot these cards run anyways.

Edit: just read the specs, looks like it won't work. I also don't have the space for it (two PCI slots, I can only give up 1 at most and zero at best lol).