How to replace a Radeon HD 5850 fan gone bad?

[Emton]

Well the fan on this Radeon HD 5850 is making bad noises, in addition to the fan fins being inundated with dust. Since the card still works (for a few seconds before it starts slowing down from heat) is there a way to replace the fan? I took it out looking for a way to work with it but I'm not sure. Is the plastic housing removable?

 

[Binky]

Try ebay. There are lots of them listed all the time. Search for "5850 fan."

 

[KingFatty]

Yes, you can replace the fan. The trick is you'll see that the plastic shroud is attached to a metal cooling plate, and the fan is under the plastic shroud also attached to the cooling plate.

So, you need to first remove the cooling plate from the card. Then, you look under the plate and see where the hidden screws are that hold the shroud to the plate, normally you can't see those screws because the video card's mainboard blocks them.

The fan has 3 little screws that can be amazingly difficult to remove. If you are sure you will replace the fan, you can crack the fan case around the screws and pull out the plastic pieces and then the screws will come out easily.

 

[EXCellR8]

Is this a reference card or a different aftermarket cooler?

A lot of the AMD cards use the same fan so you should be able to find one. They are fairly simple to disassemble just keep track of the screws and other hardware. There should be some little screws around the edges of the card that hold the plastic cover on. I have a 5870 but I haven't taken a look at it in awhile.

 

[SPBHM]

I got one from ebay recently,

 

[bononos]

Well the fan on this Radeon HD 5850 is making bad noises, in addition to the fan fins being inundated with dust. Since the card still works (for a few seconds before it starts slowing down from heat) is there a way to replace the fan? I took it out looking for a way to work with it but I'm not sure. Is the plastic housing removable?

Before you swap it out, you might want to oil it first with singer oil. Since it doesn't have a removable cover for oiling on the exposed side (like casing fans usually do) you have to manually drill it (check youtube for videos). Drill it upside down to make sure plastic shavings drop outside or do it slowly and use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the tiny bits.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

You can fix it OP. Just detach the fan from the vid card, and (gently) pry off the bladed half.
Clean with IPA, then reoil.

Did the trick with the 5830s in my Bitcoin mining farm.

 

[KingFatty]

What oil did you use? Was it singer oil?

What about using bearing grease, instead of oil?

I'm just curious, as I replaced my stock blower fan on my 5850 because it made a grumbling noise at low RPM. I diassembled it and saw it was a bushing that seemed a little worn to allow the low-speed wobble, so would the oil be thick enough to prevent the wobbling? Or does the oil lube it so well that there is no vibration going on?

 

[Emton]

Ok thanks yall I'll check it out again and buy me one of them replacement fans. I think it's a reference card (seems to have a heat exhaust in the back) Maybe I'll recondition the old fan too but if I do that I'll use some bearing grease like I saw a guy on youtube recommended.

Edit: Here's the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH8spGRL3Yk

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

What oil did you use? Was it singer oil?

Usually machine oil, but I have used fresh motor oil from my car in a pinch

 

[MeldarthX]

If you pull it apart you can also use wd 40 - I replaced my 6870 xfx fan with Antec twin fan; dropped my temps by 10 degrees and go rid of the horrible grinding noise

great little piece of kit; if you're not really wanting to spend that much; pull yours apart; clean and reoil/wd 40 it

 

[Emton]

If you pull it apart you can also use wd 40 - I replaced my 6870 xfx fan with Antec twin fan; dropped my temps by 10 degrees and go rid of the horrible grinding noise

great little piece of kit; if you're not really wanting to spend that much; pull yours apart; clean and reoil/wd 40 it

Yea I think I am gonna just repair it but I want to use bearing grease instead of wd-40 or oil. Anyone know where I should look to find some of this bearing grease that should be used for computer fans?

Edit: I might just use some automotive wheel bearing grease and see how it goes, ehehehe