Alienware Aurora Front Port Issue and More

Alright, thanks again Cass. I know there is a local PC shop nearby and it's not a bad idea to have them do the leg work. I'll actually probably head in there and just discuss the entire thing with the guy beforehand to get things sorted out.

Something like that would be the perfect solution, unfortunately I have a 5.1 speaker system that requires a black/orange/green hookup. I wonder if there is a switcher that could accommodate 5.1 and a headset?

My 5870 fan was noisy too: I fixed it myself after watching this utube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH8spGRL3Yk

It is cheaper to fix then by a new one, which will rattle some day itself. If you're willing to replace the fan, it means you're willing to disassemble your 5970. Watch a utube on how to disassemble the 5970 to get at the fan. This isn't in English, but, watch & learn. Search Radeon 5970, Radeon 5870, you will get hits for disassembly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDDO492ofnw

You will need a mini-Philips head screwdriver. You will need new hi-performance heatsink compound for the gpu pair. After you disassemble yours, be sure to blow your videocard heatsink out. It's probably time to do it anyway. When you pop your fan apart, you can dunk it in the sink to remove heavy buildup then hit it with qtips/windex afterwards to get the rest of the gook off. Over time, the gunk on your fan blades actually adds weight to the rotating mass of the fan, which exacerbates the rattle, huh? Wash/clean the fan blades, then relubricate the shaft; see if that doesn't make it quiet for you. I used sewing machine oil on mine, but do not use wd-40. Engine oil works too, anything but wd. If you need a new replacement, they're on eBay, but there are two styles, I forget which is right, I know one is wrong, it has to do with the fan mount screw hole alignment I believe. Email the vendor if you have to ask is his is right. Search Radeon 5970 fan ...

Click on Chris_M's profile, send him a private message ...

Issue #2:   There is  the most irritating fan rattle coming from my HD5970.

First, be sure it's the card. There are many other fans and snap-in pieces that can vibrate (if so shim them). I say this because previous card-swaps should have fixed it.

If definitely the card, just fix or replace the fan.

Actually, I was wayyyyy nervous about doing the surgery, but, afterwards, I was like, what was all the fuss? It doesn't require much to take it apart, but if you don't trust yourself, find a local pc shop to do it. The fans are inferior, even a new one will rattle/be noisy eventually, that's why I fixed mine instead. At one point it seized up entirely, that's when I fixed it for good. Haven't heard a peep out of it since, & then I went and lubed up the other 3 fans for good measure.

The shaft needs lubed again, the blades need cleaned, it needs to be popped off and rebalanced, no wonder it acts ok after you thump it ... doing all that maintenance quiets them down ....

I have 5970's & 5870's. I take manual fan control with Catalyst Control Center > GPU Overdrive. My fan rpm's under no load is set to constant 35%, & the cards never get hot. Why not open CCC, set manual fan control when you game, set fans to 50% or more when you game, those temps you report don't need to go that high. The stock fan settings in CCC are way too low. AMD doesn't use aggressive fan profiles to cool our cards. So take manual fan control.

But in the least, blow your video card heatsinks out with air, to improve cooling ... good luck!  You can also use Alien Fx > thermals to bump your pci fan up when you game to circulate more air to your Radeon fan intake ... Cheers!

Thanks for the reply, Cass. I read several threads about the issue, and you're right, it seems to be notorious in the stock 5870s/5970s. Unfortunately all of my 5970s seem to have rattled from the get go, so I'd imagine I would need to order the replacement part. I was looking into some options on E-bay, but ultimately don't think I'm tech savvy enough to do it myself. Oddly enough the fan noise is not constant. Occasionally when waking my desktop up from sleep, restarting, or hard restarting, I'll get the rattle, but not always. For the past few years my solution, when the rattle is present, is to simply remove the side of the case and readjust the fan using my finger. I suppose the fan is simply loose or set wrong, so when it goes off balance the rattling begins. Seeing as how I can somewhat reliably curb the rattling, I'm more concerned from a cooling standpoint. Even when quiet, I'd imagine the fan isn't running at it's absolute best, and over the past few years I've reached upwards of 85-87c while under heavy load. From what I've read, the Cypress gpu has some pretty harsh throttling effects at high temperatures, and I'd hate for an inadequate fan to cause overall performance issues in an otherwise powerful machine.

Something like that would be the perfect solution, unfortunately I have a 5.1 speaker system that requires a black/orange/green hookup. I wonder if there is a switcher that could accommodate 5.1 and a headset?

I've been tossing a few ideas around and that's one of them. A couple of concerns with that solution are that A. I just got the headset as a gift. I could return/exchange it, but I'd rather not and B. From what I understand, USB headsets don't utilize your sound card.

After reading your switcher suggestion I searched for a 5.1 switcher and actually found an interesting solution on one of the boards. Someone suggested that when using a 2.1 switcher with 5.1, you could actually just keep the center/rear channels plugged into the sound card, and just use the 2 audio ports on the switcher for the front channel/headset. Then when using the switcher to go to headset mode, just change your settings from 5.1 to stereo.

Would sound quality be compromised @ all with a USB headset? Due to it bypassing the sound card.

I've been tossing a few ideas around and that's one of them. A couple of concerns with that solution are that A. I just got the headset as a gift. I could return/exchange it, but I'd rather not and B. From what I understand, USB headsets don't utilize your sound card.   After reading your switcher suggestion I searched for a 5.1 switcher and actually found an interesting solution on one of the boards. Someone suggested that when using a 2.1 switcher with 5.1, you could actually just keep the center/rear channels plugged into the sound card, and just use the 2 audio ports on the switcher for the front channel/headset. Then when using the switcher to go to headset mode, just change your settings from 5.1 to stereo.   Would sound quality be compromised @ all with a USB headset? Due to it bypassing the sound card.

As for the Graphics Card, I'm 100% certain it's the card and not some other component. Whenever it acts up I can tinker with the fan using my finger and fix the rattle with about a 90% success rate. I've done my fair share of research on the matter, and it seems the 5970s are notorious for their fan rattle. Some were able to fix the stock fan, others had to buy a replacement or a new cooling deck. I'll probably just end up bringing it into a local PC shop and seeing if they can fix it. I'll probably bring up the front i/o issue as well and see what they say. Two birds with one stone wouldn't be such a bad idea for the right price.

It's kind of pathetic how many video cards fans I've repaired or replaced. In the old days, (if clean and oil didn't work) it was often about the same cost to replace card with next level (plus, you wanted the upgrade). I use 1 drop of motor-oil. But nowdays, with $500 cards? ... I would just fix it myself. Hard to say how much I would pay someone else for labor because I don't do that. Warranty replace, RMA, or buy new for me.

Be sure it's clean. Just a little dust will slow-down or throw fan off-balance as well as reduce heatsink fins efficiency. I had to remove mine from the machine to clean it with air compressor completely. While installed, you just can't point the air into proper holes.

Thanks for all of the help, guys. I've decided to just avoid the front i/o issue and go with the switcher that was suggested. Amazon Prime should have it on my doorstep tomorrow, :). My 5.1 set is probably on its way out, anyhow, seeing how it's over 10 years old. When it dies I'll just pick up a really nice 2.1 set. I've been looking at the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 in anticipation.

They do tend to die, but maybe it's because I keep them 10 years (about 3 computers) like you. I support many desktop stations and peripherals get passed around. Both of these developed strange problems after about 8 years.

Circa 1998 Altec Lansing 2.1 - Sub Amp developed a bad hiss. Internally disconnected it and used it as a 2.0 set for a while (still had plenty of bass and midrange through large satellites).

Circa 2003 Harman Kardon 2.1 - Potentiometer on Sub-Level went flaky causing it to cut in and out. It was special part so just soldered in a fixed resistor that holds it at 50% (where I always kept it anyway).

You know, I always thought I would eventually just get a real (small) Amp and good speakers for the computer (maybe even HTiB) ... connected via digital optical SPDIF. Instead, the Amps went to the rooms with big TVs. My PC listening is usually private as to not disturb others and headset works better with a mic anyway.

Thanks for all of the help, guys. I've decided to just avoid the front i/o issue and go with the switcher that was suggested. Amazon Prime should have it on my doorstep tomorrow, :). My 5.1 set is probably on its way out, anyhow, seeing how it's over 10 years old. When it dies I'll just pick up a really nice 2.1 set. I've been looking at the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 in anticipation.

As for the Graphics Card, I'm 100% certain it's the card and not some other component. Whenever it acts up I can tinker with the fan using my finger and fix the rattle with about a 90% success rate. I've done my fair share of research on the matter, and it seems the 5970s are notorious for their fan rattle. Some were able to fix the stock fan, others had to buy a replacement or a new cooling deck. I'll probably just end up bringing it into a local PC shop and seeing if they can fix it. I'll probably bring up the front i/o issue as well and see what they say. Two birds with one stone wouldn't be such a bad idea for the right price.

In the beginning I used to think it was a dust issue, but the rattling has been around since the card was brand new. To be honest I've had a pretty bad time with the 5970 since I got this rig back in 2010. The first card would randomly lock up in game, making me have to hard reset. Dell replaced that one, and the 2nd one was when I first encountered the fan rattle. Dell, again (really great customer service to be honest), sent me an entirely new card again. The third card, unfortunately, began to rattle, and I've just lived with it since.

I've removed it and thoroughly dusted it on multiple occasions, sometimes resulting in a worse rattle. It must be a matter of a faulty or loose fan assembly. Regardless, the card is still a beast. There's no way I'm going to pick up a new card, since this one was roughly $700 new, and anything comparable would cost me quite a bit.

The place I'm considering is pretty accommodating. My roommate brought his laptop up there when the AC cord went out and the guy charged him next to nothing for labor. Anything under $100 would be worth it simply for an end to the annoyance and the peace of mind that it's cooling adequately. Under load it floats around 82c, and I'd prefer if it ran cooler.

It's funny that you mention Altec and HK.

Don't let my comments discourage those brands. They were both good values and lasted well beyond there estimated life-spans. Both are still in use. The fact is that this is all consumer grade items built to meet a price point. Their full-sized Home Theater products are built a little better.

Ya, for now ... I would just use the Logitech z5300 (even in 2.1 mode if you have to) ... until it craters.