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Broken Fan

P

PiERiT

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
2,601
I have an RX 580 with two fans and the right fan is leveled/mounted incorrectly, causing it to spin very slowly or not at all. I can't exchange or replace it since it's out of stock everywhere. I'd leave it be except it makes a really bad grinding noise.

My question is, can I just tape it to the shroud to stop it from spinning? Or is that a bad idea? I'm sure it'll break the fan even worse and I know it will run hotter, but aside from that is it fine to do?

I spent about an hour trying to get it level and then trying to get at the connector to unplug it but didn't have any luck with either.
 
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Have you contacted the manufacturer? Even if retailers don't have stock, the company may be able to repair or have some set aside for RMA.
 
It may not take that long. Some companies do advanced replacement and you won't have any downtime.

I recently had to RMA a Titan X Pascal and I had the new one in less than a week.
 
This is a Gigabyte card, best I can tell they don't do advanced RMA.

As soon as I find another in stock somewhere I'll buy that and RMA this, just trying to find something I can do in the meantime.
 
If it is only the fan then an RMA shouldn't take long at all. You might, if you are technically inclined, have them send you a new shroud with fans and replace it yourself.
 
I appreciate the ideas but really I just wanna know if I can tape the fan to stop it spinning without it bursting into flames. :(
 
PiERiT said:
I appreciate the ideas but really I just wanna know if I can tape the fan to stop it spinning without it bursting into flames. :(
Click to expand...

NO! You'll burn out the fan header on the card. Tho the fan is mis-aligned and the blades are knocking against the shroud ( this is why you hear a horrible grinding noise), it's still spinning. You're going to have to disconnect the fan by removing the shroud and pull the plug. Because it has 2 fans, the fans will most likely be connected to 1 plug. Just remove the shroud and remove both fans, then get creative an attach a pair of 120's on the sink with zipties until you're able to get replacement fans for the card.

In the back of the fans check the stickers for model # and Voltage/Amp and use your google-fu to find replacements. Ain't hard.
 
Thanks. I didn't have any luck unplugging the cable yesterday, it's in a really awkward spot. I'll try again today.
 
Just remove the whole fan shroud, you'll see it. If you have needlenose pliers that'll work even better. Just be gentle. You don't want to rip the entire fan header off the PCB.
 
can you not fix the level of the fan or shroud so it stops hitting?
 
It's hard to describe the issue. The fan screws through a plastic bracket and into the heatsink. That plastic bracket is misaligned such that one of the screws is directly over the center of the heatsink where there are no fins and nowhere for the screw to go, making that portion of the fan angled differently than the rest. I tried loosening the other screws to compensate and that just makes the whole thing wobbly.

I'll try detaching the power cable again later today.
 
PiERiT said:
It's hard to describe the issue. The fan screws through a plastic bracket and into the heatsink. That plastic bracket is misaligned such that one of the screws is directly over the center of the heatsink where there are no fins and nowhere for the screw to go, making that portion of the fan angled differently than the rest. I tried loosening the other screws to compensate and that just makes the whole thing wobbly.

I'll try detaching the power cable again later today.
Click to expand...

Pics? I can kind of picture what you're describing, but if we had a visual we might be able to brain storm some other ideas.
 
I managed to get the fan detached. I then used some very advanced and highly technical items (Styrofoam and double sided tape) to prop up an old case fan, and voila. It's running even cooler than before.

s5tC9q2.jpg
 
PiERiT said:
I managed to get the fan detached. I then used some very advanced and highly technical items (Styrofoam and double sided tape) to prop up an old case fan, and voila. It's running even cooler than before.
Click to expand...

Gotta love the ghetto! :)
 
why don't you just call Gigabyte and ask them to sell you a fan?
 
So you can't mine with three cards instead of four (or maybe more) while it's out for RMA?
 
I could. I'd rather not. If I catch another one in stock I'll buy that and RMA this. This is fine in the meantime I think.
 
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