Replace gpu fan

[yelo333]

Hey, all!

I've been working on a replacement for my dying gpu fan. the graphics card is a radeon 9000 VIVO, and it's all I need performance-wise(I generally don't play any games, and when I do, they are not newer than NFS4:HS).

I've got a few fans lying around:

One I ripped from a PII heatsink. semi-loud, and, I believe, 45mm, or something like that - bigger than 40, less then 60.

One is an 80mm fan. This is the one I would like to use if I can get it rigged up right in front of the graphics card. I can make room for it by moving around my other PCI cards.

Ideas for mounting the replacement fans:

One idea is to drill a 3 inch hole on the side-panel of the case, mount the 80mm fan there, and duct it right to the graphics cards heatsink. Ideas on that? what should the duct be made out of? paper?

My other idea would be to bend two pci slot covers so they are straight, and mount the 80mm fan right under that, blowing directly on the gpu. How would I attach the fan to the slot covers? string/tape/glue? also, does this seem feasible?

If I went the route of the PII fan, what could I use to attach it to the heatsink? rubber bands? twist-ties?


Note I've tried oiling the ailing fan, and, while it worked for awhile, the noise has come back. I'm afraid it's going to sieze, so, it's not really an option to do that.

ANy other ideas? I'm looking to put as little money into this as possible...

 

[yelo333]

I haven't seen anything on the forums about bumping early(ex, some places have 24hr bump intervals enforced), so, if this is such a place, my apologies...

BUMP

I am about ready to try out some of my ideas, hence this "early" bump...

My #1, most needed-to-be-answered question:

Will my graphics card's heatsink get so hot that I can't leave rubber bands touching it to hold a fan onto it? if so, what are some alternative connection methods? the standard screw-on just won't work - the fan I'm probably going to use(from a pII heatsink) is too bit to fit that way.

 

[Zardnok]

Couple of comments here.

First, yes rubber bands would probably get to hot and either lose their elasticity or snap totally. I do not recommend connecting fans with rubber bands.

Second, Ducting is largely a personal decision. Anything that will channel air should work. You can check out a hardware store and get PVC for something rigid if you like or you can also find flex tubing that will probably work much better. Even your suggestion of using paper would probable work. Not sure what or how you want to use this paper, but you simply need to make sure that there are no air leaks. You could probably use a paper towel roll and cut/tape it together to get it in the direction you need. Just make sure to tape it together using duct tape so there are no air leaks. Oh, and if you go this route, you might not want to light the inside of your case because it will probably be pretty ugly.

Third, As far as mounting a fan in a position that is not necesarily designed for a fan, you can try "backstrap" material. It is thin strips of metal that have multiple holes drilled in it along the length. It can be bent and screwed into place and then mount the fan itself to the other end of the backstrap. This way you can bend and position the fan for maximum airflow across your GPU.

Fourth, you could do what I did for a while and stick a plastic TUMS container inside and stand the fan up on its end. This is also pretty ugly, but that TUMS container was just the right size and it kept my antacid close at hand in case I was doing something stressful.

Good luck with your cooling solution.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: yelo333
I haven't seen anything on the forums about bumping early(ex, some places have 24hr bump intervals enforced), so, if this is such a place, my apologies...

BUMP

I am about ready to try out some of my ideas, hence this "early" bump...

My #1, most needed-to-be-answered question:

Will my graphics card's heatsink get so hot that I can't leave rubber bands touching it to hold a fan onto it? if so, what are some alternative connection methods? the standard screw-on just won't work - the fan I'm probably going to use(from a pII heatsink) is too bit to fit that way.

I've seen plastic cable wraps used with success. The heatsink will get pretty hot; I'm not sure if rubber bands would hold up over time. You could also epoxy or glue it in place (though make sure the glue is stable to at least 50-60 degrees C).

Normal RADEON 9000 (and even RADEON 9600) cards don't have an active fan, just a passive heatsink. I can't imagine the AIW variant runs *that* much hotter. If you put a larger heatsink on it and have decent airflow in your case, it would likely be fine without a fan at all. Heck, you might not even need the larger heatsink.

 

[Pete]

If you've got a regular 9000 (the core is clocked at 250MHz) you might be able to get away with removing the fan and just using the stock heatsink--assuming you have decent case airflow. I've done so with my 250MHz 9100 with no problems in two systems, one with *slow* 80mm fans in the front and rear of the case, and one with just a regular 92mm fan in the rear.

If you want more cooling on your card, a Zalman fan arm (@ NewEgg & BestByte.net) might be simpler than modding your case. Or maybe a slot cooler directly below the card.

 

[yelo333]

Thanks for the fast reply's...

Zardnok: could you explain your tums container idea? I really don't see how that would work, considering I'm mounting against gravity(agp card in a standard tower)

RMA is still an option for me. so, modding a bigger heatsink isn't exactly my idea of fun, especially considering I can go route 1(RMA)...

Plastic cable wraps...mmm, good idea - I just might try that if the idea Pete mentioned doesn't work...

Hmm, unplugging the gpu fan...the heatsink gets barely warm to the touch, even under super-stressful conditions. I've got a regular 9000, non-pro, no extras, except for VIVO(which has absolutely TERRIBLE quality - I just wound up using an add-in pci card)


How would I tell if my gpu is being sufficently cooled? I really don't like the idea of killing it if I miscalculate... Should I just monitor the heatsink with my finger, while looping, say, 3dmark2k1, or glexcess, and shut it off it it gets too hot? The heatsink on this card is far smaller than the other 9000's with passive cooling. about 1/2 the size, I'd say. I'll also watch for artifacts...

OK, down I go for some fun(and, hopefully, will not kill my gpu)...

 

[nardvark]

I had a similar problem before. I attached a fan to my 9100 with some fairly hearty superglue (I think it was loctite industrial strength stuff, about a buck for a small tube at a local hardware store). Between the cohesion of the thermal grease and copious amounts of the superglue, the thing is as solid as a rock and running cool.

Only downside is that I don't think I can get the fan off without ripping some PCB traces up with it, but I don't think the card will ever be worth enough to bother selling.

 

[yelo333]

Success!

Thanks for all your kind replys...

I wound up using my most convient solution:

An 80mm fan ductaped+glued+strung to a pci slot cover which was bent so that It ran horizontal to the pci slots, and the fan attached underneath, pointing directly towards the almost-too-small-to-deserve-the-name heatsink on my r9000.

Now, for that other glaring problem with my box: the northbridge fan on my NF7...

if anybody happens to stumble across this thread, would this be the thing to get? Price-wise, it's a good deal for me, since I'll be getting one for a friend, also(IE, I'll be getting a volume discount by buying two):

the ZALMAN ZM-NB47J:

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=35-118-214&depa=0

Thanks again to all who helped me out!