5970 fan rattle

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rampantandroid

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 14, 2006
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So, I finally got my RMAed 5970 back...and it's rattling. Still. I know people recommended ages ago shoving a 4870 fan into it since it had the same mounting holes - what are the other options out there?

Where can I buy/find a replacement fan for my 5970 to end this damn rattling? It annoys me enough that I want to sell the card (or smash it. I'd enjoy that given how much trouble it's been) unless I can address the rattle. The only aftermarket fan cooling is the Accelero that nommed on some cards a few months back...so I'm left with replacing the fan it seems?

Thanks!
 
RMA it again? You shouldn't have to replace anything on a card you just bought.
 
I wouldn't rma because of rattle. You could end up with trading your good working card for a defective one. Save yourself the potential headache of RMA woes.
Roll up your sleeves and take the advice about replacing the fan. Its an easy fix if your'e handy. You can Watercool it if you plan to keep it for awhile.
 
Vexerz said:
I wouldn't rma because of rattle. You could end up with trading your good working card for a defective one. Save yourself the potential headache of RMA woes.
Roll up your sleeves and take the advice about replacing the fan. Its an easy fix if your'e handy. You can Watercool it if you plan to keep it for awhile.
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WCing costs too much. Over 3 RMAs, I've had no fix to the rattle. Where can I buy a compatible fan (4870, 4890...5870, 5850 I imagine as well) that doesn't rattle?

Thanks!
 
rampantandroid said:
WCing costs too much. Over 3 RMAs, I've had no fix to the rattle. Where can I buy a compatible fan (4870, 4890...5870, 5850 I imagine as well) that doesn't rattle?

Thanks!
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Take it apart first you might not need a new fan. It might be a wire underneath that hits it. Tighten the screws wiggle whatever you can. I just think its silly to RMA a card with a defective heatsink/fan. Try a used card or find a guy that watercools their card and offer to buy the heatsink. I had the same rattle on my 4870x2 but I watercool all my cards soon after.
 
HUH?!

No...RMA the card again if it's defective and keep doing it until they supply you with a working one, you're within your right to get a working product. Never take steps to correct defective hardware yourself, it's not your job and isn't worth the risk of your fix leading to worse trouble down the line, at which point you'll be screwed out of any legit help because you messed with your card and void the guarantee.

it'll suck not having a video card for a while but suck it up and get the job done correctly.
 
Vexerz said:
Take it apart first you might not need a new fan. It might be a wire underneath that hits it. Tighten the screws wiggle whatever you can. I just think its silly to RMA a card with a defective heatsink/fan. Try a used card or find a guy that watercools their card and offer to buy the heatsink. I had the same rattle on my 4870x2 but I watercool all my cards soon after.
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Pretty sure that tightening things up isn't the fix; the problem is AMD is using crappy fans that rattle when they hang on their bearings.

I didn't RMA for the fan solely....but I'm not RMAing again at this point, too much trouble.

So again - anyone know where I can buy a fan that'll fit? I might just post in FS/FT

Thanks!
 
I think i'm getting the same thing u are, what brand, mines xfx and the fan rattle is disturbing
 
I would try to remove the fan, and re oil it to see if that helps.
It really isnt that hard, I did it with my 4890 when i started hearing bearing noise (light grinding/whining sound).
 
I would just RMA it again. I've had countless several experiences with rattling fans, and none turned out well. One was a 3870X2; at first it was just the annoying sound, but within a couple of weeks the card started overheating. Then I had a 4830 card that started rattling within 4-5 days, two days later I couldn't play games on it anymore because it got too hot. Eventually it would even overheat while idling. Which was a shame, because it was an excellent and cool-running card before the fan started acting up. So from my experience, it'll only get worse. RMA or get an aftermarket cooler.
 
I would say more than half of all stock 5970s have the fan rattle. You could be RMAing a lot to get one without it. The Arctic Cooling cooler is a shit cooler and will likely kill your DVI ports or totally brick your card as pointed out on numerous forum boards.
 
I had a GTS250 that the shroud around the card rattled when the fan got above 50%. I ended up sticking a piece of cardboard between the card and the plastic shroud and it stayed that way for about a year with no sound. I don't know if you're card has the same setup as that 250, but it would be worth a try.
 
Didn't know others had this problem also. Yeah, mine rattles also, but it's not so annoying to the point where I want to return it. Not worth the trouble.
 
Mine ratled also, but decided to go and grab an Accelero Xtreme 5970 ,and I am damn happy with it, so are all my friends that got it too!

Although there is always a risk of bricking the card.
 
GreenGoose said:
I would say more than half of all stock 5970s have the fan rattle. You could be RMAing a lot to get one without it. The Arctic Cooling cooler is a shit cooler and will likely kill your DVI ports or totally brick your card as pointed out on numerous forum boards.
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Source on that figure please. Otherwise I call bullshit, there is a problem with these cards where some fans rattle but I find 1/2 of them to be a bit of a stretch.
 
After 3 RMA's I would just sell the card then. You got a small window between now and 6990 if you want to go that route again. Q1 2011. The new vapor chamber style coolers might be rattle free. But I wouldn't count on it. Seems like the dual gpu cards are only plagued with this. My old 4870x2 rattled, only on shutdown though.
 
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ito4u said:
If it bothers you that much, upgrade the cooler.
Click to expand...

To what?!?! There is nothing else!

I'll try oiling it...need to figure out what oil to use first though...don't have anything other than WD40 at home...hehe.

SO tempted to dump the card though and just buy a GTX580 and never touch AMD again. Horrible experience.
 
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