Have I just broken my GFX card ??

AdamBrunt · 01-01-2021, 14:08

Hi all,

So I have a Dell Optiplex SFF which has been running a MSI GeForce GTX 1650 GFX card fine for the past 6 months.

The PC is mounted under my desk and I just whacked it with my knee and the PC then started making a loud humming/buzzing noise though everything appears to still be running though the PC lost its hard wired internet connection at the same time ??

Opening up the case I can see that one of the two fans, on the card, is not spinning very freely ( compared to the other one ) and that is where the new noise is coming from.

Is it possible to disable the faulty fan ? Is that even wise ? Is it easy to fix ? And would the faulty fan and loss of internet be corrected ?

UPDATE: Panic over ... a couple of quick blows/taps on the faulty fan and it running normally now

The Bear · 01-01-2021, 19:35

I'd also make sure all the cards and components are seated correctly still and aren't wobbling/loose.

Shingster · 03-01-2021, 14:29

Should add if this happens again: I'm not sure you can disable the fan with software as some cards are set up to make sure you can't, but if you can then you probably can by using software like MSI Afterburner or Speedfan. You could probably remove the fan though, and I would have thought that the card would be OK without the fan so long as you're not doing anything intensive like playing a game or watching a film/editing video. Well, at least long enough for you to order a replacement anyway. The fans on my card for instance only ever kick in when playing a game, and tbh even then it's only some of the games I play, not all, but then my card is more powerful than yours (980ti).

AdamBrunt · 05-01-2021, 19:08

Not sure a like-for-like replacement will be a goer ... looking at how much the card currently goes for compared to how much I paid for it ( not that long ago)

Shingster · 05-01-2021, 20:23

The price of all graphics cards are mental right now. Pure greed jacking prices up. You might find that removing all the fans and installing a passive cooling system or even a new set of fans is a viable and financially cheaper alternative, but hopfully you'll be OK without having to go DIY on the card.

AdamBrunt · 07-01-2021, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shingster

The price of all graphics cards are mental right now. Pure greed jacking prices up.

Tell me about it. Bought it for �80, current price on Amazon �240 !!!!

shteve · 06-01-2021, 08:41

My MSI 970 had a fan stop feature when running very cool. There was a physical fault where the second fan wouldn't always start up again when it needed to (it did after a little physical help). The fix for me was to set up a custom fan curve in Afterburner running the fans at minimum 5%. Still inaudible and saved me having to open the case each time.

AdminSpod · 08-01-2021, 11:29

It might have just been some dust stopping it from turning and tapping it may have just loosened or removed it.

If it happens again it might be worth trying a can of compressed air to clean it. Obviously only do that with the system turned off, and make sure that you stop the fan from turning with something like a pencil while you are cleaning it. You don't want the air blast to force the fan to turn quickly with pressure from the wrong side. That's a cheap remedy to try and a lot easier than replacing a fan.