ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

[SteveNielsen]

This is a pretty good old graphics card that performs well for gaming, however the fan is very loud. Is it safe to slow it down or even turn it off? Even after running a game for hours it never gets into the red zone on the Catalyst Control Center temp meter with max "ATI Overdrive" clocking. I've cleaned the heatsink fins, the fan has been lubed, but it has always been very loud since day one and still is. If I slow it or unplug it I can throttle the clock settings down to min and I'd think that would help. I'm not so much interested in running it overclocked as I am in using it for its 512MB RAM and eliminating the use of integrated graphics but it is just too damn loud.

[Wester547]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

If it's only a two wire fan it probably runs at +12V all the time (full speed), which is why it's loud.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Yes, it is a two wire.

[brethin]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Do not turn the fan off or you will cook the card.

You can slow the fan down if you have good case cooling and that will help, just make sure you monitor the cards temp.

You could also replace the fan / heatsink with water cooling if it being loud bothers you more than the $ it would cost.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Thanks yous. I don't want to fry the GPU so I won't run without the fan at all. I tested the fan with the card out of PC running on 5v and it starts up fine and spins very nicely and much quieter and still moves air. The PC case I use it in runs pretty cool. I'll try it out running at 5v rather than 12v and monitor the GPU temp and see how she does.

Steve

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

I have it doing fine on 5v now. Not getting any hotter than before and is much quieter.

[stj]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

if you have the space, you can get better sink/fan units for gpu's

i dont know what yours looks like,
but i have an ati 8960 here that i retro-fitted wih a thermaltake blue-orb.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Well, space is a limitation. This is in a Dell GX270 which is the only 1/2 way decent computer I have working with an AGP slot. The card is too tall to fit unless I leave the top 1/2 of the case opened, which of course makes the PSU and CPU fans louder too. Anyway the GPU fan is much quieter now so it's not nearly as loud at 5v as when the fan was running on 12v, and I can live with it for the time being. Now all I hear is the CPU and PSU fans. I may buy or make and AGP slot extender and mount the card in sideways so I can close the case.

[momaka]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

You should have checked the GPU temperatures before doing the fan mod. And don't trust the Communist Control Center - that software is a piece of turd. A "red zone" means nothing. For all you know, that could be at 80C+, which is way too high for any BGA chip.

Use either Speedfan, GPU-Z, or RivaTuner to monitor the temperatures of the GPU (you may have to try all three, since not every one of them is able to read the GPU sensors properly). If GPU is over 60C idle, I would strongly suggest you leave the fan as is - that is, if you want that video card to last. Alternatively, you could try 7V (red fan wire on 12V and black wire on 5V) or 8.7V (red fan wire on 12V and black wire on 3.3V).

If nothing, try a different heatsink. Possibly a 2-slot one if it fits. The X1650 isn't exactly power-hungry, so you don't really need a huge behemoth either.

Post some pics of the video card's heatsink. If you're crafty, you can mount a CPU heatsink on there and that should keep the temperatures low even with a very slow fan.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Sorry I missed your reply until now. Better late than never Thank you for the advice.

I did check the temps before and after the mod and I have since run the software you suggested. SpeedFan does not read the GPU info that I can see. GPU-Z does and it agrees with Catalyst. RivaTuner also is not showing temp data.

I've had the fan running on 5v for a month and no ill effects, no over heating, it stays about the same temp as before so I'm not concerned about it now. I will probably move this hardware all into different case so I can close it up properly and put the GPU fan back on 12v then. I need to get it all in a bigger case anyway now that I've decided that this setup is working well for me.

[stj]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

RivaTuner is for nvidia chips.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Yeah, I know but it does detect my ATI card and shows quite a lot of information about it, just not any temperatures.

[mitsus78]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

You could try passive cooling.Something like this:
http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/accelero-s1-plus.html

[c_hegge]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

^
That wouldn't fit in to the OP's GX270 case

[mitsus78]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

oops, you are right. I didn't notice that

[ThePCDoctor]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

I had (still have) a video card that I really liked, but....
it had one of those tiny little fans that set down inside the GPU heatsink.

I had cleaned and re-oiled it several times and one day I noticed it was not turning at all. It was frozen solid. I was surprised that the GPU was not fried. A web search for that little fan was not forthcoming, so I did what I usually do with any such problem.... I got innovative!

I removed the two-wire fan from an old K6 CPU cooler and after removing the OEM fan, I glued the new fan down on top of the heatsink, with my HOT-Glue gun.



It not only kept the GPU nice and cool, but it was as quiet as a "mouse blowing bubbles in a feather bed". That was several years ago now, and that Vid card is still working in my backup PC. Total Cost=$00.00 , because I used spare parts I already had in my junk box.

So when life gives you lemons..... make Lemonade.

Cheers mates!
The Doctor

[TCB]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

I have saved more than a few video card fans (from being noisy and from being inop) by disassembling the fan after removing from the card, cleaning it well, then adding a drop or 2 of machine oil in the pocket where the fan spindle mounts into the motor assembly and reassembling.

Just a suggestion.

Hope it helps someone :-)

TCB

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've repaired and replaced some fans before so I know those methods. I don't have a suitable fan for replacement and due to the mounting I have been unable to remove the fan for repairing it. I think the sound is more due to the size and design of the fan and heat sink than anything else. It has always been noticeable sound. Running it off the 5v source has worked out well so far, however in doing so it bypasses the fan speed control on the card so I don't really like that even though it has been working fine at keeping the GPU at a good temp.

What I am planning to do is take the motherboard out of the GX270 case and put it in a Dimension 2400 case. I haven't checked yet but I hope the MB will fit that case. If so everything will fit inside properly and be in a closed case, then I will move the fan back to the original connection and see how it sounds. I may try again at that time to pull the fan off and service it.

[stj]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

one problem you may find doing that is the base the heatsink screws down onto is probably the gx270 case and not a X-frame on the bottom of the motherboard.

i know the newer machines are like that.

so you may need to salvage a heatsink mounting base from a dead atx motherboard.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: ATI x1650 AGP card fan LOUD

Thanks for the heads up on that. I am currently using the GX270 and the 2400 is the only other working PC not in use so I'd have some down time here. I don't like down time. The other working PCs I have are in use by my wife and daughter. There are other cases I could conceivably use but I don't care for them for various reasons. They are basically just being parts holders of old mobos and PSUs right now, i.e. they're junk waiting to be cannibalized.