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Video Card Fan Noise - Fix or Replace with 9200/9600?

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DaCurryman

Golden Member
Ok, so I have a GeForce4 - 440MX 128MB video card that I got from CompGeeks a few months ago. Installed it when I first got the comp and my computer made a lot of noise so I always just assumed it was the HDs making the noise. So today, I opened up my computer to install a PCI card and as I air-dusted the video card, I noticed the the fan made a nasty sound as it spun and it didnt spin as loosely like it seemed it should.

So I turned on the computer and noticed the fan on the video card is making all the noise. I would consider just removing the fan, but I'm sure the card gets pretty hot and I don't want to cause any damage. So now I guess I have three choices.

1. Try and replace the fan with something a lot quieter. This would be preferred since it would be the cheapest, but I'm concerned that the fan is probably proprietary and I cant just replace it with any other I want.

2. Replace the card with a Radeon 9200. The benefit of this is that it's cheaper than the 9600 and that it has no fan, just a heatsink.

3. Replace the card with a Radeon 9600. Benefit here is that the card is DX9 ready, also has no fan - just a heatsink, and also has a DVI output if I ever need it in the future. Drawback is that it's the most expensive option.

My uses. This is for my regular computer (not my HTPC), so it's most 2D applications (Office/Web-Browsing), viewing DVDs, and also ripping/converting/burning DVDs. I know I wrote you guys a book here, but I would really appreciate some help. If there is anything additional, you need to know, then please ask and I will answer. Thanks in advance.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I don't do any gaming....that's what my XBox is for. 🙂
 
9200 will be about same performance, while 9600 is a lot nicer. You could also use a 9600SE - cheapo version of 9600 with half the memory bandwidth, but still DX9. The Sapphire 9600SE uses the big PCB from the plain 9600, and retains DVI and VGA outputs, unlike most other 9600SE cards that have just VGA or just DVI. Plus TV-out on 'em all, of course.
 
Many mx440's use passive heatsinks, so it would probably be fine if you ran it without a fan. You could even underclock it a little if you're worried.
 
Originally posted by: modedepe
Many mx440's use passive heatsinks, so it would probably be fine if you ran it without a fan. You could even underclock it a little if you're worried.
Click to expand...

Yea, silence is golden.
 
First things first: try a small drop of oil in the sucker.

It's out of warranty, I guess? You can always try and ask the manufacturer to mail you a replacement fan, provided you can easily remove the current one. The tiny fan on my Radeon 9100 can be replaced via four tiny screws. Vtek sent me a replacement in the mail which I doubt cost them more than 50 cents shipped. I've already had to oil the replacement, as it occasionally makes very loud noises on startup, struggling to turn.
 
WOW! Thanks a lot for the suggestions guys....I guess my plan of action is...

1. Try and oil the fan.
2. Call the manufacturer (once I find the box...I know I have it) and ask for a possible replacement. The fan is held on by tiny screws.
3. If those 2 fail, then I'll look into a 9600SE I guess.

Also, if it's possible to run without the fan, how do I underclock it so I can rest a little better having it passively-cooled?
 
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