ATI 5870 Fan Noise

Chances are there is something under the reference cooler hitting the fan. If you take off the wind tunnel you should be able to see if something is rubbing.

So I would need to open the card up to see if this is the case? Is that very difficult, because I have never done something like that before, and I don't want to damage the card.

I also wonder if this could be a faulty bearing in the fan itself. Does anyone know if the 5870 has access to the bearing well to put more oil in?

So I would need to open the card up to see if this is the case? Is that very difficult, because I have never done something like that before, and I don't want to damage the card.   I also wonder if this could be a faulty bearing in the fan itself. Does anyone know if the 5870 has access to the bearing well to put more oil in?

This guide is for technicians only and customers out-of-warranty. If you have an after-market card, check your warranty first.

First, remove the plastic cooler tunnel and make sure nothing is rubbing like C_Ronic suggests. This should be fairly easy because sometimes you don't have to remove the heatsink. If you do remove the heatsink as you separate the main 2 pieces, be careful not to tear any thermal tape (so it han be re-used).

To go deeper is fairly complex. I have done it a few times ... take your time and use the proper tools. If you continue (and you don't know what you are doing) it would be pretty easy to completely kill your video card.

Clean card and all parts with compressed air before dis-assembly.

Just like on a case fan, the bearing (that you want to oil) is behind the round sticker on the "motor" side of the fan. To get to that on a video card, you usually have to remove the fan. To remove the fan, you usually have to remove the heatsink.

Once you get the fan removed, carefully peal back the sticker half-way, so you can see the bearing. If there is a tiny plastic disc inside there, remove it (and put back after oiling). If it is dirty inside, blow it out gently. Put ONE drop of motor oil on the bearing. Do not use 3-in-1 oil ... it is too thin. Motor oil is thick and will handle the heat and high speed. Do not get any oil on the outside where the sticker goes. Spin the fan a bit to work it in. Press the sticker down. If it doesn't stay, remove the sticker, clean the surface, and make a new round "sticker" with heavy clear packing tape. It must seal down.

You can try just re-assembling it, but you should really remove all traces of the thermal compound from the large GPU chip and RAM chips, and install new thermal compound before re-assembly. That procedure is beyond the scope of this guide, but it's just like the procedure on a main processor (except you obviously use less). Google that if you need help. I like using non-conductive silicone based thermal compound (in case some accidentally oozes onto chip legs/contacts).

That's about it. It should work as good as before or hopefully better and quieter. If the card doesn't work at all (no video), or the fan doesn't spin at all, you might have done something wrong. Repeat all steps or go buy a new video card. If it works but the fan is still loud, the fan might be bad.

Many of these steps can be used to fix a normal case fan. Sometimes case fans (especially Dells and HPs) have temperature sensor or special plugs and/or wiring. They can cost $15-$20 to replace so this quick repair is sometimes worth the effort.

Thanks for the detailed response, but what exactly is the cooler tunnel? Is it those two red openings on the end of the card?

Thanks for the detailed response, but what exactly is the cooler tunnel? Is it those two red openings on the end of the card?

Sure.

It's all the large plastic pieces that tunnel the air from the fan out the back of the PC.

Thanks for the detailed response, but what exactly is the cooler tunnel? Is it those two red openings on the end of the card?

Try checking Youtube for videos on installing a waterblock on the 5870. That should show you how to take it apart. Good luck.

There are many YouTube videos to look at.

The best I can tell, the card initially separates into 2 pieces ... the circuit board and eveything else. At this stage, it looks like the fan is fairly easy to remove.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=659916

Now, if we could just find a suitable new after-market replacement fan for arounf $10-$20.

http://www.overclock.net/ati/646050-hd5970-fan-rattle-solved-valid-5850-a.html

Apparently, some of the 4xxx cards use the same fan.

More links ...

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=137534

http://www.powerlogic.cn/p-vga-6010-e.html

Complete aftermarket coolers are interesting ... but I don't think I would spend that much ... I think I might just buy another (newer) card.

I would really only be interested in replacing the fan with an exact replacement.