in need of hardware help

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March 7th, 2003, 04:32 PM
cybernetic

in need of hardware help

i know that this is a security site but i don't frequent any harware sites (especially hardware forums) so i kinda have to ask here

basically the fan on my video card stoped working. it's GeForce 2 (by Creative 3D Anahilator) the fan is screwed on into the heat sink and plugs into the acuall video card (AGP powered ;)

i took out the card unscrewed the fan and it's very hard to move w/ a finger (maybe dust)

the computer runs fine but i'm wondering if i'm not missing any performance in games and such
i guess if the fan is there it was neccessary the big problem is i was planning to try and overclock the card and the CPU

anyone knows what could be the problem (the power plug is in the right way!!!)
anyone knows where could i but a small fan like this
anyone have any diag. software

please help i don't have money for a new card if this one will fry
March 7th, 2003, 04:42 PM
SirDice

You will not miss any performance in games. You will however heat up your GPU more quickly. This may result in it burning out.

The fan should be easily movable with your fingers (when the power is off). If it doesn't rotate it's either dust or the ballbearings are damaged or a bit of both. You probably need to replace the fan, especialy if you intend to overclock your GPU.

You are lucky you can unscrew the fan. Mine is glued to the chip :(
March 7th, 2003, 04:48 PM
moby_duck

call the manufacturer-- either Creative or NVidia. they will be able to suggest a method for replacing the fan or possibly the whole card.
March 7th, 2003, 04:50 PM
ick

you can buy a new fan in every better pc-store ask them they will help you
you can also buy it in online-stores

if you want to overclock your card buy a better fan

search the net for "pc mods" you will find a lot of sites where they offer better fans for vga-cards

a case fan would be good too if you want to overclock

if you dont have money dont overclock it can be expensive :)
March 7th, 2003, 04:53 PM
VictorKaum

I advice when you want to overclock your gpu, you replace the fan either by a passive VGA heatpipe cooling like the Zalman ZM-50HP (can be used on GeForce MX models) or Zalman ZM80A-HP or with an active cooling e.g. a new fan. Otherwise, if possible you can always downclock your gpu / cpu to lower system temperature or install an extra 80mm fan like the PAPST 80m 2G/L close to your agp card. Easiest: replace the unscrewed fan with a new one.
For instance with the ThermalTake Crystal Orb

Quote:

ThermalTake Crystal Orb
Application for GeForce 2 Series, GeForce 3 Series, GeForce 4 MX Series Video Card & Chipset
Dow corning T-340 thermal grease interface material
54dia.x 25 mm tall
Push pin easy to install
March 7th, 2003, 04:55 PM
cybernetic

the heatsink is glued on to the chip but the fan is screwd into the heat sink ... so to answer your question i can replace the fan but where can i get one that is small enough
March 7th, 2003, 04:58 PM
VictorKaum

Cybernetic read my post above. ThermalTake makes those fans, and I'm sure there are others that deliver those fans too.
March 7th, 2003, 05:03 PM
shadow_dancer

www.hardwareanalysis.com/content ---- find your problem here
www.overclockersonline.com/ ---- how to overclock gpu
www.comp-shop.com/Articles/geforce or www.rf-funkinternet.at/shop -- to buy heat sink
March 7th, 2003, 05:09 PM
ick

you can use a "papst" fan
they are from germany
www.papst.de you can find all sizes off fans there

a passive Zalman heatpipe isnt the real think for overclocking its only to make the pc more silent
March 8th, 2003, 04:11 AM
jinxy

You may be able to unscrew the fan and lift it away from the card, peel the sticker from the back of the fan and blow away any dust. A drop of slicone oil on the small metal area and the spindle, work the fan about a bit Try that.