I have a Gigabyte 6800GT with the heatpipe heatsink and the fan on top. It's always been a noisy setup, but otherwise performs just fine. A week ago I noticed that the noise level increased and changed in pitch.
Today, it suddenly got much louder and sounded like it was about the grind to a halt. I suspected a failed bearing, but after removal and inspection, the plastic fan is actually falling apart. Four of the blades have large cracks that are actually cracked all the way through the plastic material. It also looks like there is a crack all the way across the hub of the fan. It looks like the only thing holding it all together at this point is the Gigabyte sticker on the middle of the fan.
I plan to contact Gigabyte to investigate my replacement options, but I'd be interested to know if there are any after-market replacement options. Especially if someone has found something that is considerable quieter. Any suggestions?
Today, it suddenly got much louder and sounded like it was about the grind to a halt. I suspected a failed bearing, but after removal and inspection, the plastic fan is actually falling apart. Four of the blades have large cracks that are actually cracked all the way through the plastic material. It also looks like there is a crack all the way across the hub of the fan. It looks like the only thing holding it all together at this point is the Gigabyte sticker on the middle of the fan.
I plan to contact Gigabyte to investigate my replacement options, but I'd be interested to know if there are any after-market replacement options. Especially if someone has found something that is considerable quieter. Any suggestions?