GPU Fan makes crunching noise

[Pepi93]

I finally found where that crunching noise is coming from!

Stopped gpu fan with my finger and noise went away. I originally thought it was my 10k raptor crunching away or my side panel fan vibrating due to poor vibration dampening.

I manually set the fan to 100% with MSI afterburner and the noise stopped. Then put it back to 60% which is what I have been running the fan at for basic windows non gaming operations and voila no noise. I've noticed this pattern comes and goes as it pleases. Sometimes especially after a cold restart (pc off for a while) the noise comes on right away, then over time goes away.

The card I have is the Gigabyte 550gtx ti oc, 1gb version with one fan.

What are my options? I read somewhere that the cooler could be lose?

I was already considering replacing the TIM and doing it on this card as practice but even when I'm taxing the gpu at 99% the temps stay at or below 72 degrees celcius.

P.S. my PC is spotless in terms of dust etc...

Thanks for any tips.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Sounds like you have a cable hitting the fan, or a bearing crapping out in the fan.

 

[RnRollie]

WD-40 to the rescue

 

[Pepi93]

um cable hitting the fan no...

bearing? from my understanding these are bearingless fans...

still waiting for more tips.

 

[Mandrake4565]

If this is your card and where it says gigabyte on the fan is a sticker. You could try peeling the sticker off, if there is a rubber plug in the middle remove it and put a couple of drops of oil in there. Then replace the plug and sticker. It may help.
How to lubricate your fans

 

[JeremyCT]

WD-40 to the rescue

No WD40, it's a pretty bad lubricant. Effective sometimes, but short lived results compared to an actual machine oil like 3-in-1 or Singer Sewing Machine Oil.

The description of the problem does sound like a lubrication issue. There's probably a tiny amount of oil in there that gets spread around as things warm up and quiets the noise. Get to it before the bearings or race are damaged and the noise becomes permanent.

 

[Pepi93]

I just took apart the gpu...I took stickers off from both sides...the pic above is indeed my gpu...I could not find access to the bearing...it says brushless fan...I cleaned it all up, the little that needed cleaning, applied new TIM and it works fine but the fan still goes on and off with that crunching noise.

Can I buy a replacement fan for this without having to buy a VGA aftermarket cooler?

 

[JeremyCT]

Worst case: that appears to be a 120mm fan. If you can find a 120mm fan with roughly the same specs, you could remove the current fan and strap the replacement on with some zip ties. It appears to plug into a standard 3-pin fan header on the card, so just plug the new fan in there.

 

[Pepi93]

Yeah worst case..it's actually a 10cm fan but not a big issue I don't think.

There's def no access points to put oil in but I put some in through the sides anyway into the housing where the bearing sits I guess...

I'll see how it goes and I'm actually going to email gigabyte to ask for a replacement fan

We'll see what happens.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

um cable hitting the fan no...

bearing? from my understanding these are bearingless fans...

still waiting for more tips.

All fans have a bearing of some sort. Sleeve, ball, fluid; they're all types of bearings.

Just grab an aftermarket cooler, it'll keep temps down some that way too.

 

[Pepi93]

vga coolers will be compatible with a new gpu? I'll be upgrading at some point anyway...

 

[ATMINSIDE]

vga coolers will be compatible with a new gpu? I'll be upgrading at some point anyway...

It depends what cooler you get. If you're thinking about upgrading pretty soon, it could give you an excuse

 

[Pepi93]

If I upgrade soonish there's no point in buying a cooler since the new gpu will have a decent stock cooler and it will be new. Depending on prices, I'll probably upgrade come black Friday or latest boxing day at the end of the year.

I'll just wait...

Thanks for the imput.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

If I upgrade soonish there's no point in buying a cooler since the new gpu will have a decent stock cooler and it will be new. Depending on prices, I'll probably upgrade come black Friday or latest boxing day at the end of the year.

I'll just wait...

Thanks for the imput.

Yeah, past a different cooler, you could look for a dead GPU on eBay that has your cooler then scavenge the fan from it. That's about all I know to tell you.

The card isn't under warranty now, is it?

 

[Pepi93]

I used a rebate on this card but the card itself still has the SN on it...I just emailed gigabyte we'll see what they say. Warranty is 3 years so it should be but I'm not RMA'ing a gpu because I'll be running my PC without one for weeks till the issue is resolved.

I could also do as suggested above. I have plenty of 12cm fans I could attach till I get a new gpu...for now the fan works, maybe the oil I put in there will slowly work itself in where it needs to be.

 

[JeremyCT]

I used a rebate on this card but the card itself still has the SN on it...I just emailed gigabyte we'll see what they say. Warranty is 3 years so it should be but I'm not RMA'ing a gpu because I'll be running my PC without one for weeks till the issue is resolved.

Ask them if they'll cross ship. Most companies will do this. You just need a credit card. They put a hold on the credit card for the value of the card they send, then lift the hold when they get your RMA card.

 

[Pepi93]

ok I will try that as well once they reply to my ticket. I requested a replacement fan so far.

thanks...

 

[Pepi93]

new fan arrived and is installed, no more issues.