Weird sounding Geforce 4

[Lenine]

Hey,


I noticed lately, my Geforce 4 ti 4200 8AGP made by Pine (XFX) is sounding pretty odd (the inbuilt fan on it). The card runs fine and produces maximum performance, but the sound makes me worried.


The fan is very loud, and inconsistent, I seem to be able to hear it spinning erratically. What I'm wondering, is if this continues could it permanently damage my card or is the inbuilt fan a gimmick?


Does anyone know how I might correct this, and how much a replacement fan might cost.


Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[mechBgon]

The fan's bushing may be wearing out. You could probably screw a 40 x 40mm fan in place of the existing one, using some machine screws from the hardware store. The fan I linked to is a 12V fan, so you would need to power it from the motherboard or use a 3-pin-to-4-pin adapter to power it from your power supply (most video-card fans seem to be 5V fans).

If you would like to try getting some more life out of the existing fan, unscrew the fan, take it out of the heatsink, pry the label off the back, and put a drop of automatic transmission fluid on the fan's axle if you can see it.

 

[Blain]

I had an Abit GF3 fan that lasted hardly anytime at all. It eventually just wouldn't turn any more.
I removed the label covering the fan bearing, added a couple of drops of 3-in-one oil, then replaced the bearing cover. I worked the blades back and forth a little to get the oil down in the bearing.
Now it's running quieter than it did new!