Project Reality Forums

As the title says; my GPU-fan has stopped running.

I had problems before with my computer shutting off while playing, I decided to take a look, found out it was overheating.

I desperately mounted an old CPU fan on my PC but still my GPU is overheating.
Any suggestions?

I don't think you'll need more info then this;
ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO (ooooold:razz

The GPU fan can fail from a variety of reasons. Age and wear are generally the most common. But other factors such as a high amount of dust buildup inside the case can cause the fan to burn out, due to the dust/debris buildup blocking or slowing down the fan which causes premature failure. Bad wiring, moisture damage, etc can also lead to fan failure but are less common.

The best way to prevent fan failure (of any internal fan) is to regularly clean the interior of the case using cans of pressurized air and blowing out all of the dust. And as a general guideline, I suggest actually disassembling the entire PC annually to manually dust/wipe all components, while double-checking all connections and wiring.


If the fan has totally failed though, you basically have 3 options.

1) Check to see if the video card is still within warranty, and if so you can request an RMA.

2) If the card is no longer under warranty, you can "bypass" the onboard GPU fan by removing it and installing a liquid cooling system with a GPU cooler block.

3) Replace the video card entirely.


But simply installing additional fans in the case is not going to sufficiently cool the GPU. With enough fans and proper airflow, you might be able to keep the GPU running cool enough to operate basic functions within the O/S, but once you start doing anything graphic-intense the GPU will most likely overheat shortly.

Problems are;

-No warranty
-Liquid cooling system is quite 'expensive'
-This is what I want to do but have no idea wich one to buy; there are GPU's that cost $70, but their memory vallue are different (512mb and 1024mb). I find it strange that they sell two differnt GPU's at the same price.

Anyway; recommend me one? Someone?

The higher the memory, the better the card (generally). If you see a 512MB card selling for the same price as a 1GB card, you should take a closer look at their specs.

But for around $70, the 1GB card might offer less "features" than the equally-priced 512MB. That or the 1GB manufacturer is not as well-known. For example, if the exact same card was made by XFX and Gimpers, the XFX would probably cost a lot more simply due to the manufacturer's name branding.


There are a lot of specs that you should look at though when considering a card, but narrowing it down to a specific price range also shortens the list of cards you need to compare. It will also depend on where you live, therefore where you purchase from. For example, someone living in the UK can buy a card from the US for $50 cheaper, but you might end up spending that much on shipping. With such an example I'd recommend buying the local card, since it'll arrive faster and it's easier to handle warranty concerns.


I'm assuming your old card is PCI-E, 128MB? What type of PSU are you running? A bigger video card will mean more power consumption, so you'll want to have a large enough PSU to support any upgrade. For most gaming PC's running a 512MB card I'd recommend at least a minimum of 400w, with 450-550w being ideal. The older 128-256MB cards worked with 325-350w PSU's just fine, but the newer cards will not.

Actually, I have no idea how much my power supply is, I mean, I can run my PC with ATI 256MB on it and 3 harddisks. So I don't think it will be a problem to get a new GPU with 1GB or so.
But I was looking for an ATI HD 5770 with 1GB, I dont' know sure if I should get them or not? I mean, it would be 4x more memory than the ATI HD 2400.

On the other side like you said; buying a 512MB GPU will get you more features, but I don't see differences on the official AMD-shop, maybe the speed in MegaHertz or whatever.

First off, stepping up to a larger video will require a larger power supply. In fact, most cards rated 512MB and above will state directly in the manual (and sometimes on the box) that a minimum wattage is required.

Looking at the retail box of my Radeon HD 4650, which is a 1GB AGP, it states a 400w+ is needed. The same is stated on the box of my older XFX GeForce 7600 GS 512MB AGP card.

Using a power supply with a lower rating might allow the card to function, but it's dangerous. You can actually damage you card by allowing it to run without enough power, and you can also cause the entire system to have boot issues. And I don't think you'd enjoy having your video cut out in the middle of a game.

To check your power supply rating, just open the case (while unplugged) and look at the sticker on the PSU. All of the information should be legible from the side, you don't need to remove the PSU. Just remove the side panel.


In regards to choosing a specific card, you could post up the models you are interested in and we can give personal opinion/feedback on those models. Specifically, the manufacturer and model. For example, the ATI HD 5770 will have various features depending on who makes the card you are looking at. We can review the features and specs of each and help you choose which is better for the money.

Hey, there are a few things I'd like to clear up here:

A better solution to replacing a card's cooling system is buying an aftermarket heatsink, which can be found for much cheaper than a waterblock. Of course with either one you will have to be careful when removing and installing the heatsink or waterblock.

Usually the amount of memory has the most effect on larger screens. If you have a very large screen or multiple you will want a lot of video memory. Though these days any card you get should generally have at least 1GB. Most of the time a card with half a gig either has no other features than the full gig model or the differences aren't worth dropping that half gig for.

The wattage requirement from a PSU is more dependent on the quality. High quality PSU's can often be determined by the 80 Plus certification and those with a bronze, silver, or gold will be of the top quality at the specified wattage. Though even with a gold 80 Plus PSU you should still make sure it can provide at least as many watts as the GPU manufacturer specifies. A graphics card is one of if not the most power hungry part in a computer and as such cannot be compared to a few hard drives.


Other than that, an HD 5770 is a pretty nice card and I'd be happy to help you find the right one and the same goes for power supplies if your current one is not sufficient. Here you can see that the 5770 has a recommended wattage of 450 for a single card which takes into account the whole system therefore a decent 450w PSU should be fine. You'll also have to make sure that the PSU has a 6 pin connector that will plug into the GPU. I would also suggest that you get a 1GB version of the 5770 to ensure maximum performance.

Ninjadan; I'll take a look to my Power supply, though I have to dissamble my whole computer (not literaly though) to get to the information because the view of that yellow sticker with all these features is blocked by my CPU fan.

whatshisname55; Learned somehting today But anyway, my plan was to play on high textures + 1440x900 @ 75Hz (like I'm doing now btw) but getting a better framerate. I think it's worth buying something like a 5770 because it's cheap and good in some way (read lots of reviews and also saw lots of suggestion here on the forum).
And also, I don't seem to have that 6-pin connector. That's what I think though, my recent GPU is just being connected by sliding it in the PCi slot.

WithoutPurpose wrote:Ninjadan; I'll take a look to my Power supply, though I have to dissamble my whole computer (not literaly though) to get to the information because the view of that yellow sticker with all these features is blocked by my CPU fan.

Hmm, that's interesting. I haven't seen a configuration like that in a long time. Nearly every system I've built or worked on lately has had the spec sheet/sticker located on the same side as the side panel, allowing you to view the information by taking that panel off (in the same manner you install more memory or swap video cards). But it sounds like the spec sheet on your PSU is on the bottom? Oh well, it'll be going bye-bye anyways.

And also, I don't seem to have that 6-pin connector. That's what I think though, my recent GPU is just being connected by sliding it in the PCi slot.

That's what I meant when I said the higher video cards eat up more power. Unlike the smaller cards (such as the 128/256MB), the larger cards must actually be connected to the PSU. This is done with either a 4-pin "molex" connection or a 6/8-pin for PCIe (depending on card).

Chances are you'll need a new PSU to power up a good video card, and most modern PSU's do have the PCIe connection. Personally, I'd recommend the Ultra modular 500w, which has every connection you'll ever need and the modular design means less clutter (which means better airflow). I've used their PSU's for a long time, and I'm currently still using the X4 600w in my old rig. You can probably pick one up on ebay or newegg pretty cheap.

Just checked, my PSU has 300w max, so yeah I'll probally have to buy a new one or recover one at my school, they have lots of broken computers and free RAM Though I doubt there will be better PSU's there,I'll just give it a try.

Woah a 500w fully modular PSU for $90???? Do they have anything like that in 750w cheaper than this?

whatshisname55 wrote:Woah a 500w fully modular PSU for $90???? Do they have anything like that in 750w cheaper than this?

Tigerdirect's prices are slightly lower than buying directly from Ultra, but not by much. I've seen them cheaper on ebay when you can manage to find one, often 15-20% cheaper than Tiger.

But I've always had excellent support from Tigerdirect, and when you buy from them you know the warranty is flawless. Buying something on ebay means the warranty might actually be void, because most manufacturers will only validate the warranty for the "original purchaser" which means you bought it from retail/wholesale, not a 3rd-party dealer like the in-home shops abundant on ebay.


That being said, Tiger is currently selling the 750w X4 modular for $120, compared to the $170 for the Corsair model on Newegg. There is an Ultra X4 750w on ebay for $100 + shipping, but consider the note I mentioned above.