Fan on video card not spinning

[DarkForceRising]

I did a quick search and can't find a whole lot on this here, so here goes.

I just had my computer shut down in the middle of the Witcher 2, which is pretty intense, performance-wise. I popped open the case, blew the dust out, and started it back up. According to GPU-Z, the fan speed is 100%. However, the fan wasn't spinning. It was idling at around 80 degrees C at my desktop. I turned everything off, blew everything off again, reseated the video card, checked all connectors, and turned everything back on. This time, it's idling at 60 degrees C and rising, with the fan speed at ~40 %, where the fan is actually turning ever so slowly (3-5 seconds per rotation, if I had to guess). As far as I can tell, the card is still fine and unfried.

The card is an HIS ATI 4850 paired with an Athlon II x4 635. Pics of card (I hope it works): http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/14-161-259-03.jpg

So, questions:
Can I fix the fan? I've seen suggestions that say to try oiling the bearings, but I'm not sure what kind of oil or exactly how to access the bearings.

If the fan isn't fixable, how easy/inexpensive is it to replace the fan? I can afford to buy a new card if I need to, but wasn't planning an upgrade until early next year, probably.

Fan recommendations? I've never replaced a GPU fan before. Note, I accidentally snapped the little lever retention thingy on the motherboard off, which might make the card less stable for heavier fans.

Should I just buy a new card at this point?

 

[Elixer]

You can jump 2 generations for not that much money.
I would just get a new card, unless you are really hurting for cash.

 

[DarkForceRising]

Well, a little bit of lube on the fan and I seem to be back in business. It's actually spinning now, and idling at about ~45 C. I'll keep an eye on it though.

 

[soccerballtux]

blow on it it will spin

 

[Bill Brasky]

Glad you fixed it, but lubing the bearings is rarely a permanent fix. Just keep an eye on the fan.

 

[TheAdvocate]

Definitely dont run it with the fan not working. In addition to frying the GPU, you may fry the PSU.

I'd probably get a new card, but that fan reminds me of the one on the $15 XFX 9600GT that newegg has on sale right now, so you could try that.

 

[DarkForceRising]

I looked at getting a card, but what I would really want is just a stopgap. I looked, and it seems like just getting a card that matches the performance that I had previously would cost ~100$ or so, and if I was going to do that, I might as well go full bore and upgrade.

 

[7earitup]

Definitely watch your temperatures. My 260's fan stopped spinning once and it reach well over 100 degrees Celsius. I am lucky I didn't fry it.

 

[DarkForceRising]

And.... the fan stopped spinning again tonight. Got out of Portal 2, and GPU-Z was reporting temps of about 97C.

Relubed it tonight with grease instead of oil, and I'll continue to monitor. It's working thus far.

 

[Plimogz]

Grease won't help anything much. For your application, light oil is all you need.

You could remove the existing fansink, pull the existing, failing fan, zip tie an 80mm case fan to the sink, connect the fan to a motherboard header, (if possible) configure the header in BIOS to slow down the fan and cut down on noise.

If you had:

a)extra space around the graphics card
b)a case fan, thermal paste, zip ties and a spare fan header on your motherboard
c)a healthy tolerance for ugly but functional fixes

Refurbishing that dead fan isn't going to happen. And spending more than 10-15$ on that card would be a bit of a shame, given how much new, better cards are going for.

It's what I'd do if it was my computer, anyway. Or if I was fixing the problem for someone I knew to be as cheap as me.

 

[ITPaladin]

I have a Sapphire Toxic HD 3870 that I think the fan is malfunctioning.
I hear this loud occasional rubbing/scraping sound that vibrates even through the case>floor>desk next to the computer.
You can get aftermarket coolers that you can install (Zalman, etc) but for the money ($50 for one Zalman) I might as well get a new card.

 

[DarkForceRising]

Grease won't help anything much. For your application, light oil is all you need.

You could remove the existing fansink, pull the existing, failing fan, zip tie an 80mm case fan to the sink, connect the fan to a motherboard header, (if possible) configure the header in BIOS to slow down the fan and cut down on noise.

If you had:

a)extra space around the graphics card
b)a case fan, thermal paste, zip ties and a spare fan header on your motherboard
c)a healthy tolerance for ugly but functional fixes

Refurbishing that dead fan isn't going to happen. And spending more than 10-15$ on that card would be a bit of a shame, given how much new, better cards are going for.

I'm thinking about it. Pull the current fan, go grab a 120mm case fan from somewhere, add zipties, and presto. I've also contacted HIS to see if I could just get a replacement fan. I just want to last until early next year, when hopefully the new cards will be out.

 

[Seero]

I'm thinking about it. Pull the current fan, go grab a 120mm case fan from somewhere, add zipties, and presto. I've also contacted HIS to see if I could just get a replacement fan. I just want to last until early next year, when hopefully the new cards will be out.

I friend of mine came to me with a 4890 and said that his son's pc overheats and shut down due to it. The fan is obviously dead and he asked if I can do something about it. Since he is a friend who is low on cash, I got THIS as a replacement and assembled for him. I thought it won't be good enough as 4890 runs hot, but it is cheaper than a new card (20 bucks). His son has since been a happy gamer (or a sad one since his old card didn't die.)

4890 runs hotter than 4850.