ATi cooling fan quality?

[diablo111]

Ok, first off let me say I'm not bashing ATi...I would just like to address a problem I'm having with them.

I just had to replace the 6th HSF on an ATi card...the bearings are burning out on them after about 6 months. I've had to replace the following:

FIC 9500 Pro (RMA'd got replacement and it died 2 months later after the warranty was up so I replaced it with a Vantech)
Sapphire 9000 Pro
Sapphire 9600 Pro
BBA 9600 XT
Visiontek 9600

It's driving me nuts. I have never had this problem with nVidia fans, I've never had to replace one. Has anybody had this problem with their ATi card? I'm almost to the point that I'm going to quit recommending/selling them to my customers...If the card burns out in 6 months because they aren't paying attention to a fan dying (your average user doesn't pay attention), it looks bad on me.

Any help or suggestions would be welcomed...I love ATi in the value end (sub $200) of cards...great 2D and good 3D if my customers want it.

 

[Maxx]

Fans wear out. Especially cheap stock fans, and small fans. But if you take care of your systems and clean them *properly*, you shouldn't have any problems for the lifetime of the card. In my personal experience I've had more NVIDIA fans wear out than ATI, and at a faster rate on average (NVIDIA: GeF3 fan TWICE in 15 months, TNT2 after some time, GeF4; ATI: oh wait...never had a fan wear out ). My real point is that it's a lot about luck, although certain 9800s I know had fan problems.

If you are hugely concerned about it, mount custom fans (Crystal Orbs work fantastic and are cheap), raise the price, and advertise your superior reliability. If you're a retail vendor, then consider buying brands that come with better stock cooling.

 

[python134r]

The Ati reference h/s/f on the 9600's and 9800's are crap. I always replace them with something better. Its worth the few bucks as not to have a card failure.

 

[diablo111]

Fans wear out. Especially cheap stock fans, and small fans. But if you take care of your systems and clean them *properly*, you shouldn't have any problems for the lifetime of the card. In my personal experience I've had more NVIDIA fans wear out than ATI, and at a faster rate on average (NVIDIA: GeF3 fan TWICE in 15 months, TNT2 after some time, GeF4; ATI: oh wait...never had a fan wear out ). My real point is that it's a lot about luck, although certain 9800s I know had fan problems.

Just the opposite here...I have 4 GF3 Ti-200 still running fine after 3 years in the same environment that killed a few ATi fans...and they have all been cleaned *properly* on a regular basis...

If you are hugely concerned about it, mount custom fans (Crystal Orbs work fantastic and are cheap), raise the price, and advertise your superior reliability. If you're a retail vendor, then consider buying brands that come with better stock cooling.

The Ati reference h/s/f on the 9600's and 9800's are crap. I always replace them with something better. Its worth the few bucks as not to have a card failure.

For personal use, I agree with you guys...the thing that worries me is voiding a warranty to a customer and having to replace the card myself.

 

[Maxx]

Just the opposite here...I have 4 GF3 Ti-200 still running fine after 3 years in the same environment that killed a few ATi fans...and they have all been cleaned *properly* on a regular basis...

Hence my point: it's about luck a lot of the time.

 

[_Korruption_]

My Sapphire 9700NP's fan failed after a few month's use. To me, it's just an excuse to upgrade the cooling solution to something better, as the stock cooling solutions are usually quite bad. Get a Zalman ZM80D-HP passive video card cooler, and never worry about failing fans again.