I have to give my fan a boost

[RSanders]

Ok. I have been having trouble playing any game on my computer. The game would freeze, the computer would shut off, name it and it has happened.

So first.. I clean the fan on the videocard. It was very dusty. I did it simply by blowing in it a lot till it looked pretty clean .

Well today I finally decided to get a better look at the card. So I turned on the computer and noticed the fan wasn't spinning.. so I decided to keep pushing the fan, and after about 30 seconds of that, it start spinning. I was able to play Counter-Strike for as long as I wanted.

Just wandering.. could this be a case of the fan dying or do I need to clean it with some kind of air can thing first?

 

[jonesthewine]

Just wandering.. could this be a case of the fan dying or do I need to clean it with some kind of air can thing first?


Sure. What kind of VC, and how old is it. And why do you let so much dust build up in the first place? Back to your question, an aftermarket cooler might be your best solution. Maybe you wanna consider a filter of some sort (foam, panty hose) to kep the inside of your case clean.

 

[abs0lut3]

yea you might want to check svc.com...they have some artic cooling fans on sale for about 10 bucks each. I got one each for my GF3 Ti 200 (just got done installing it this morning) and about to install it on my 9800 Pro tomorrow morning.

 

[RSanders]

Hmm I most definately might try that. I started getting little artifacts on Counter-Strike since all this has started.. I hope the card isn't damaged.

BTW.. I don't mean to let that much dust build up.. just sometimes things slip your mind.

 

[theMan]

if it keeps happening, just get an vf700, or a arctic cooling cooler for it.

 

[RSanders]

Ok. BTW, Is it hard replacing the fan or is it pretty simple?

 

[jonesthewine]

It's a piece of cake, if you have any amount of aptitude at that sort of thing. What video card do you have?

 

[RSanders]

9700 Pro.

BTW.. The computer shut down on me again, but now I put a good fan (floor fan) and aimed it right at the videocard and I played flawless! =D No artifacts either.

So that should eliminate most other possibilities as to why its shutting down on me.

 

[jonesthewine]

Yeah, it's a heat issue for sure. An Arctic Cooling or Zalman VF700 ALCU should do the job for you. here's a
link to what you need...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118116

 

[KBTuning]

yeah.. get either one... i got a AC on my X800GTO2 and it keeps temps way down eventhough i put to much thermal paste

 

[abs0lut3]

Originally posted by: jonesthewine
Yeah, it's a heat issue for sure. An Arctic Cooling or Zalman VF700 ALCU should do the job for you. here's a
link to what you need...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118116

That's expensive...check out this price here!

I bought and finished installing one for my 9800Pro and my GF3 Ti 200.

While you at it, you might as well get some aluminum/copper ram heatsink to improve your video card RAM performance

 

[jonesthewine]

yeah, the Zalman costs more than the AC Silencer, but it has a longer useful life as it can be used on a wide array of cards. I have the AC Silencer on an ATI AIW 9800 Pro for a couple of years now, it performs very well. The link you provided is a great price.

 

[RSanders]

Thanks all! I should be ordering a new one in the next day or two. Glad it is just the fan and not the card itself. =D