[d0gZpAw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d0gZpAw Just received my Asus HD5970 after a long 40 days of waiting for it to arrive.. Now I find it works perfectly, other than the dreaded "fan rattle" that seems to plague some of these cards. I've read over threads in multiple forums, but never came up with a definitive answer to the problem.. Did everyone with this problem just deal or RMA the card? Or is it actually possible to fix the fan rattle by tightening the mounting screws? I would prefer not to have to deal with RMA after already waiting 40+ days, and I want to get my old HD4870 cards sold, so I don't really want to reinstall them at this point. I'm not afraid of disassembling my expensive new graphics card if it means I can fix this annoying chirpy sound. I'd just like to know if anyone has successfully fixed a 5970's fan chirp this way first.

update:

After running the fan for 5 days at consistently varied speeds, it seems the original Foxconn fan fitted to this card would have varied levels of bearing rattle at any speed, in the normal orientation you would install a graphics card (in a vertical ATX tower). I did not forsee the situation improving itself.

As I just upgraded from a dual HD4870 Crossfire setup, I had access to some viable replacement fans already.. I took note of the fan RPMs at different loads in CCC, then went ahead and disassembled both cards;



Since the cards are relatively similar in construction, I'll detail only the the HD5970 disassemble here.. I referred to the EK Waterblock install guide for screw locations.

Start by removing the screws on the front I/O panel, then the backplate, and finally the GPU brackets.


Next, I find you have to pry the I/O plate so that the lip clears the cowl, then lift the card straight up to separate.

On the back of the heatsink you will find several screws that mount the cowl in place. Locate and remove these, saving the screws for the fan until the next step.. The metal plate should then separate from the cowl.
Now would be a good time to clean off the stock thermal gunk, and replace with AS5 or your favorite thermal grease.

Final step to removing the fan, is to unscrew the 3 mounting screws. Now is a good time to unplug the PWM cable from the PCB if you haven't already.


Now you're at the halfway point! To install the replacement fan, just reverse the disassembly procedure, and eventually your HD5970 will be as quiet as the following picture!


Conclusion:
Foxconn clearly used flawed bearings on the stock fan in many some HD5970 cards shipped.. Comparing the Foxconn to the chinese fan fitted to my HD4870 card is like comparing an old IDE hard drive's acoustical properties to a new Samsung today. I will likely be contacting ASUS about a replacement fan, since I forked out quite a bit of money for their flagship video card.

Fan speeds of the chinese fan differ only by -40 rpm at lower speeds, but +100rpm at 100% load, compared to the rattler-Foxconn. 40% fan load is also much quieter than 20% was with the Foxconn.

EDIT (2/2/12):

Found a couple links that might make it easier to source a new fan for your rattly Radeons.. Just so you know, these will replace the fans on any -reference- design, dual-slot Radeon from HD4000 to HD7000..

http://www.google.com/search?q=d7525b12hp-0-c01&tbm=shop Google search by Part Number

http://www.pchub.com/uph/laptop/676-56300-16790/Others-Brand-NTK-Server-Round-Fan.html PCHub

http://www.amazon.com/ATI-Video-Card-4870-Replacement/dp/B005DO69T4 Amazon seller

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180779041435 eBay

 

[SilverPotato]

RMA it or buy an after market cooler. You really have no other choice

 

[Dopamin3]

I would disassemble it and mess with it. Surely there is some way to make it work.

I had the exact same problem. I sold the card and went i7 though so I never got a chance to try and fix it myself. If anything, take it apart and look for small screws near the fan area and tighten them. Another easy solution to stop the rattling is to lay the motherboard/case on the floor horizontally instead of how cases are normally vertically placed

 

[Clox]

If you RMA it you will be sadly disappointed because the replacement will be the same. It is apparently normal for these cards. I set my fan at 35-45% and I can't hear the rattling noise at all. I have a water block now which I will be installing soon so won't bug me at all after that. I am adding the questions/responses I got from Sapphire on it:

Quote:

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:07:43 +0800 We will check with the Engineers reguarind this issue, and will get back with you. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:57:27 +0800 Thanks for your reply. I was more meaning the fan being defective, the card runs great it's a monster! The rattling is bearable with my side panel on, if several users reported the same it must be normal then? Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:08:21 +0800 How loud is this fan rattling noise? we have several users reported the same issue, and we have check the stock we have and they do make a little noise when the fan is active, but not loud enough to consider it as a defective card. Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:30:30 +0800 I purchased a Sapphire 5970 from a Canadian re-seller, it arrived open box with finger prints all over the card which I thought was odd (I can live with that) but the real issue I am having is that the fan is rattling. Is this normal or would it be considered defective? Again, this is the 5970, not the 5870. If this was considered defective does Sapphire offer RMA cross shipping? Thanks in advance

I have not heard back from them but I am not surprised.

 

[d0gZpAw]

Some people claim their HD5970 fan makes no rattling noise at all.. If it's normal, then wouldn't -every- card be effected?

Any chance a fan could be transplanted from a 4870 maybe?

 

[Clox]

How bad is yours? Have you tried changing the fan speeds to see if it mellows out a bit? I wouldn't RMA it right away without doing as you said above and try tightening up the screws etc. and also adjust the fan speed if you haven't already. What brand is your card?

 

[d0gZpAw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clox How bad is yours? Have you tried changing the fan speeds to see if it mellows out a bit? I wouldn't RMA it right away without doing as you said above and try tightening up the screws etc. and also adjust the fan speed if you haven't already. What brand is your card?

I have an ASUS card. The rattling sounds like an old hard drive at lower RPMs.. Raising the rpms makes the chirp/rattle less apparent due to increased airflow noise, but it's still obvious up to around 75% fan speed.

I just did a test-run in rFactor, and it seems to not get along to well with the beta driver (9.12 hotfix).. Mostly smooth but there are stutters here and there for no reason.. I have a race tonight, so I may have to drop in an HD4890 for now (rather than both my 4870s). Uniengine Heaven benchmark looked pretty awesome though.

Thanks for the input so far, Clox. I will post back if I get a chance to look a the fan mounting screws tonight.

 

[Clox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d0gZpAw I have an ASUS card. The rattling sounds like an old hard drive at lower RPMs.. Raising the rpms makes the chirp/rattle less apparent due to increased airflow noise, but it's still obvious up to around 75% fan speed. I just did a test-run in rFactor, and it seems to not get along to well with the beta driver (9.12 hotfix).. Mostly smooth but there are stutters here and there for no reason.. I have a race tonight, so I may have to drop in an HD4890 for now (rather than both my 4870s). Uniengine Heaven benchmark looked pretty awesome though. Thanks for the input so far, Clox. I will post back if I get a chance to look a the fan mounting screws tonight.

NP, please do post back. I will have mine apart soon so curious if the problem can be remedied somehow.

More reports of the issue:
http://www.overclock.net/ati/617337-...an-rattle.html

http://www.overclock.net/completed-t...ml#post7700003

http://www.overclock.net/ati/614095-...rol-fix-5.html

 

[d0gZpAw]

Man, Is there some special trick to removing the heatsink from this card?

I removed all 9 screws from the backplate (six big, three small), and the two gpu backplates.. the back end of the card separates easily, but I -cannot- find a way to pull the front end out.. I thought it might be stuck under the lip on the I/O shield at first, but it seems like it's hung up on something else.. don't wanna bend and break this card on the first day

On similar subject, I looked at some pictures of the mounting bracket, and both 4870 and 5970 appear to have similar fans with similar mounting holes, so if tightening the screws doesn't fix it, I may just replace the fan with one from a 4870 for now. Just need to separate the darn thing!

 

[imadude10]

I don't know if this will help, but here is a link to a picture of the 5970 heatsink removed. Perhaps you can locate a screw you didn't loosen. http://www.tech-news-daily.info/rade...ottleneck.html

Edit - Here, look what I found... http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/gra...-5970/1?tcs=nl

 

[d0gZpAw]

Heh, both those links don't describe the whole situation, which I was trying to solve for hours with google image search.. Thanks, though the TND article did open my eyes to a possible VRM cooling issue, I'll be sure to monitor the GPU1 VRM temps very closely, as in the past I've mostly monitored the VRM temps to make sure they don't go batty, since they usually jump a lot higher than the GPU core temp.

I finally found the solution in the EK Waterblock installation guide for 5970.. It details the location of all screws, and aside from the ones I had mentioned, I missed two screws that went through the actual I/O plate.. never seen screws in this location before, but it made sense in the end.

Successfully separated the heatsink from the card, and went ahead and checked the screws mounting the fan.. sure enough they weren't tightened, but they were only off by maybe half a thread.. didn't take much movement of the screwdriver to tighten them.

Still haven't powered it up, but I can tell by listening to the fan when I manually spin it, that it wants to make noise in the upside-down configuration, but seems totally quiet in any other orientation. How annoying! My case (Stacker 830 Evo) is definitely not designed to run on it's side.

If the rattling persists, I will try lubrication of the fan bearing next. If that fails, I will definately attempt a fan swap from the heatsink of a reference HD4870. Comparing the two, they look to have the same dimentions and mounting holes, so it SHOULD be compatible. I just hope the actual motor doesn't differ too much from the original to matter.

 

[d0gZpAw]

Updated original post with replacement fan install procedure.

 

[skunksmash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d0gZpAw Some people claim their HD5970 fan makes no rattling noise at all.. If it's normal, then wouldn't -every- card be effected? Any chance a fan could be transplanted from a 4870 maybe?

i have no rattle at all with my 5970...??, at any RPM.

just stick your heads into the ''5970 owners thread'', i dont think there's anyone with a rattling fan in there..

its by no means something that's inherent with ALL the cards.. some ppl just seem to be unlucky.

nice guide though OP....

 

[d0gZpAw]

Sorry, Skunk.. I did not intend to imply that all cards were affected, nor even most. But I have heard/read a select few persons have had bad luck on the draw, and ended up with a rattling fan..

I would be interested to know whether the rest of you folks with quiet fans use the same Foxconn unit.. If anyone knows this info already, please post back and let me know. Thanks.

 

[finalturismo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopamin3 I would disassemble it and mess with it. Surely there is some way to make it work. I had the exact same problem. I sold the card and went i7 though so I never got a chance to try and fix it myself. If anything, take it apart and look for small screws near the fan area and tighten them. Another easy solution to stop the rattling is to lay the motherboard/case on the floor horizontally instead of how cases are normally vertically placed

Agreed Mess with it. Just be intelligent about it.

 

[solidsteel144]

No fan rattling here.

 

[kurei]

The problem doesn't seem exclusive to 5970. My 5850 emits the rattle when my tower is standing and runs cool and quiet when it is laid horizontal. I think Ppl making ati cards need to follow the same standards as ATI who have now become the unquestioned leaders in the enthusiast segment since the 58xx series arrived. I dont want to open my card up so i guess i'll just RMA it now. But all in all the 58 series just plainly rocks. Ive benched in vantage, 06 , DMC4, Crysis and GTA IV so far with impressive results all around (the tower is laid down of course).

 

[kcuestag]

Guys, sorry for bumping such old thread but I need yor help.

My Sapphire HD5970 OC Edition also does that rattling noise but I don't want to RMa it

Any chance of fixing it without losing warranty or something? I rly need ur help, it happens after 33% fan speed, like this:

YouTube- Sapphire HD 5970 fan rattle
What should I do ?

 

[kcuestag]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcuestag Guys, sorry for bumping such old thread but I need yor help. My Sapphire HD5970 OC Edition also does that rattling noise but I don't want to RMa it Any chance of fixing it without losing warranty or something? I rly need ur help, it happens after 33% fan speed, like this: YouTube- Sapphire HD 5970 fan rattle What should I do ?

Noone here that could please help me

?

I don't want to RMA it

 

[technocar2]

Here is the FIX for the 5970 fan rattle. Take out the card from the PCI-E slot and hold the card in your hand. Use human force to push red fan inside and you will hear a "click" noise, once you hear the "click" then you know the fan in secured in its place (you might have to push it really hard don't worry it will not break). Now put your card back into the pci-e and the rattling will be gone. If you need more info e-mail me.