Vid cards normally noisy?

[benhar]

Ok, its not hair-dryer loud or anything, but I can hear my Gainward Ti200 GF3 over everything else in my case. Is this normal? This is my first card with a fan, so I know nothing about their noise levels. BTW, keep in mind that my case fans and cpu fan are all Panaflos.

 

[lordbob99]

hey benhar,

i've heard ppl mention before that their video card fans were pretty loud. i'm on still on a gts, and it has a fan, tho i don't notice it rite now as i'm waiting for my gc68 hsf to arrive. the volcano 5 i have in there right now sounds like a hair dryer's on 24/7 inside my case.

but related to ur video card, i haven't heard too many ppl complain that thier video card fan is drowning out everything else in their case. ur rig must be pretty sweet.

lordbob99

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

I'm using a Gainward GF2 Pro w/ a fan and yeah, the fan on my video card and the fan on my mobo seem to be overpowering my Panaflos right now...but it's very bearable in comparison to my old Delta screamer in there..

If ya don't overclock your vid card ya might be able to get away with some nice passive cooling and maybe one of those quiet PCI slot fans beneath it.

 

[mee987]

The fan on my Gladiac GTS started buzzing like a mofo recently, so before buying a new fan I decided to try a little lubrication. I took the fan off of the heatsink, peeled the sticker on the back up, and put a drop of oil into the hole. Result? The fan is now quieter than ever.

May not be the same problem you have, but its worth a try.

 

[benhar]

Thanks to all for the info!

mee987, how risky is that? What kind of oil did you use?

 

[mee987]

not sure how risky it is, ive done it to 2 of my noisy fans with perfect results.... I used valvoline synthetic penetrating lubricant just b/c I had it in the garage, but im sure wd40 would work fine

 

[FenrisUlf]

Usually when a small fan like the vid card fan or the fan on some northbridges becomes the loudest in the system it's because the bearings are rubbing. This problem seems to happen more often on the smaller fans I've found. Either replace the fan or take it off and add a drop of oil like previously suggested. Any type of lubricating oil should work, WD-40 is just fine.

 

[gaidin123]

benhar,

I too just did what mee987 described. I bought a little squeeze tube of lubricant oil from Radio Shack and have used it on several case fans, one ATI video card fan (omg I had no idea such a small fan could scream and buzz *that* loud), and an old floor fan that was louder than it should be.

Just make sure to put the sticker back in place after you add the oil to help keep dirt/dust from seeping into the fan mechanics.

Gaidin

 

[mee987]

yes -- definitely put the sticker back or put a piece of tape over the hole after you are done.... forgot to say that earlier

 

[benhar]

Ok, I finally got around to trying it, but when I took the sticker off there was no hole. Is there another way to do it?

Thanks

 

[Toro 45]

Sometimes there's a sticker on the front & back of a fan,be sure to check both sides.

Toro

 

[benhar]

I'm an idiot...

Thanks, I was looking at the wrong sticker.

So, one more question... do I need to have any thermal compound ready for when I put the fan back on?

 

[FACTION95Si]

I used bearing oil that I got from the local hobby shop. It seemed to quiet down my fans a little bit.

 

[Witchfinder]

I have a Creative GTS which may be the Suckiest GF2 for clocking but it`s AddA HS/Fan is virtually silent and has never given any probs - Like All AddA fans, the GTS one runs slooow and quiet

 

[Bentrold]

I am not sure that using WD40 is such a good idea, WD40 is basically a solution of heavy crude oil(nafta) in a mixture of organicsolvents!
After the solvents have evaporated the heavy crude oil is left behind.
I would use an acid free mineral oil, like the one used for fine mechanical devices, like sewing-machines. and only use a VERY small quantity!!

Cool Breezes

Bentrold

 

[prontospyder]

Is this product from Radio Shack OK? Thanks.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F005%5F012%5F000%5F000&product%5Fid=64%2D2301

 

[herbage11]

I was curious about oil as well. What I heard was good and found was some sewing machine oil at walmart (singer brand). Even says for computers on the bottle.

 

[lamga]

Do NOT use WD-40. It doesn't last anyway. I once tried it on a Pentium III CPU fan...the oil dried out in two days. Go with a light oil, such as Singer sewing machine oil. Use one drop, or even half a drop. Some other people have suggested using teflon lube or lubricant for roller blades. Somebody suggested canola oil, but that may be the wrong "light" we're talkin about!

FYI, my Radeon 8500's GPU fan is very quiet.

 

[Bentrold]

Prontospyder

I think that the product from Radioshack is OK!
As long as teflon and fine mineral oils are the main lubricating substances I) you'll do fine
But I am not an engineer specialized in lubricants, I have only done some work in organic chemistry.

Bentrold

 

[benhar]

So will I need some more thermal compound for when I put the fan back on? This is probably a stupid question, but I know nothing about video card fans.

 

[Confused]

I have done this on an Adda 80mm that was starting to rattle, and stopped the rattling

benhar, if you have just unscrewed and taken the fan off (and not the heatsink) then you will not need any thermal compound. If you took the whole heatsink off as well, then a thin layer of AS or similar would help

ConfusedBW