Fan on my Gigabyte GTS 450 died...

arcas

Platinum Member
Apr 10, 2001
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...but not in the usual way. Fan itself is fine. But the fan header on the card no longer supplies power. I'm pretty sure I don't have my original receipt so even though it's probably still under warranty, I fear the hoops I'd have to jump through to get Gigabyte to RMA it.

Temporary fix is simple enough, I guess. Can extend the fan cable and power from a fan header on the mainboard or a rheostat but at the expense of automatic speed control.

I'm not opposed to replacing the HSF but seeing how GTS450s can be had for under $100 these days (plus BF is just around the corner), I don't want to spend a lot on a new HSF. So I'm curious...do lower-end HSFs have variable-speed fans or do they typically rely on the card to vary the speed? Or are they quiet enough that they can run at full speed?