Radeon 5850 fan is louder than normal. Warranty has already expired, what do I do?

[Paktu]

I tried cleaning out my case and spraying with some compressed air to no effect. It seems like after a while, the noise gets less noticeable as the computer heats up. Would WD-40 do anything, or is that a stupid question?

 

[RavenSEAL]

Maybe...

 

[Rvenger]

Don't use WD40. The bearings are probably going on the fan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...celero&x=0&y=0

 

[Despoiler]

WD40 is NOT primarily a lubricant. It's a solvent that removes rust and then a crap lubricant.

 

[Silverforce11]

Take apart the 5850, clean out your fan and heatsink which is most likely blocked with dust and maybe even hairballs. :0

I recently cleaned mine, put in a new ocz freeze thermal paste and it runs a good 10C cooler.

 

[Zanovar]

I had this prob with my 5850,the fan would grind and rattle but only at 30% fan speed,very strange.so i just bypassed that speed with afterburner and has been grind and rattle free ever since.

 

[Rvenger]

When I booted up my 5850 for the first time yesterday it was making a knocking noise when the fan was on low. All the sudden it just went away... I don't have confidence that it will remain quiet.

 

[Despoiler]

This works to fix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH8spGRL3Yk

 

[Leyawiin]

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch...iteria=AA79372

If you can swing $18 this will make it nearly silent and cool better than any stock fan to boot.

 

[wand3r3r]

When I booted up my 5850 for the first time yesterday it was making a knocking noise when the fan was on low. All the sudden it just went away... I don't have confidence that it will remain quiet.

The bearing on the fan is almost certainly going out. Had the exact same issue with a HD 5870. First the knocking sound kind of quietly, then it disappeared. Then a month or two later it came back and a week later and finally it was knocking/rattling like crazy. It took a while but if the sound is like a ticking knock it's almost certainly the same thing. Time to replace the fan (or the complete cooler with a better aftermarket alternative).