Hi,

I'm at the start of a new computer build, but it may be weeks before it's finished (do not even have most of the parts yet), and in the meantime the fan on the graphics card of my old machine is making intermittent noises and sounds like it will fail soon.

Would like to keep the old machine running, even with a new build on the way, so what are my options for repair? With the stock ATI cooler for the X800 XL can the fan be replaced? Is that difficult on that cooler? Can the fan bearing be fixed? What would be an alternate cooler for that card?

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

That card only has two mounting holes for the cooler, so I'd go with one of these options:

1) Take off the stock fan and plastic shroud, and attach an ~80mm fan to the heatsink
2) Use a heatsink of your choice, and zip-tie it to the card using the two mounting holes

I'd only go with the second option if you've already got something like an Accelero S1/S2 in your possession.

The Accelero S2 does have a pair of mounting holes on it although whether or not they fit the X800 XL I don't know. I know they fit a Geforce FX5600 fine but not an FX5950 which has 2 +4 holes and the S2 fits the 4 holes but not the 2 holes whicha re wider spaced than on the 5600. I suspect the X800 is the same hole spacing as the FX5950 which means incompatible with the S2.

The solution I would use, one which I have practiced many times is to get a CPU heatsink, drill 2 holes in it and screw it on. The FX 5600 which I have runs with a modified Socket A heatsink with the fan remove. For the X800 XL this also might suffice in which case say hello to a fanless graphics card! If not, 5V a fan on it and it'll still be quieter than the stock cooler and higher performing.

Thanks the feedback flemeister and edh (I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat for this problem I assure you )

The fan is scraping continually and sounds like it's going to fail at any point, so need to solve this right away.

A) is there anything temporary, like lubricating the fan bearing?

B) as for a real fix, the cover over the heatsink is metal, not sure it can be taken off. I've removed it before a long time ago putting on new thermal paste, and that is my recollection. Unfortunately this card is so old replacement parts are difficult to find.

edh, I won't be able to drill anything or use tools like that, but appreciate the idea, but an unconventional solution am open to.

Will the Zalman VF700 work? http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25004&highlight=
That old thread from SPCR says so, although the wiring doesn't work quite right.

Will the Zalman VF770 work, or are there too many attachment points? Any other ideas?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Depends on the fan as to whether or not this will work or not. I have had some success on graphics card fans with this before. The oil I used was sewing machine oil as this is intended to be clean in use, a good thing for the application. Obviously don't do it while the thing is running but a drop of oil can be worked into the bearing by turning the fan around with your fingers a few times then leaving to work in before powering on. I have seen some advice saying that this can be bad for some fan bearings so again it may vary upon design.


The VF700 should work fine as it has a 2 hole mounting to match your card. You will have to accept no fan control with it as stated in that thread but 5Ving it might be sufficient. The VF700 used to considered the best quiet cooler but that was a long time ago of course. The copper version isn't any real amount better than the Aluminium/Copper version so don't be scared of this version if it is much cheaper.


It has a 4 hole mounting with different spacing so without mods, no it won't fit. The same with the VF900 or pretty much any Zalman cooler since.

Maybe another solution from Zalman, brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of 2004:
ZM80 (A, C or D revision). It's passive but a slow spinning fan could be installed blowing air through it if needed.

Thanks for the response.

You mention I'll have to accept no fan control on the VF700, is there a manual fan controller that works at that voltage for that fan? Could I use a typical Zalman fan controller? Will probably go with the VF700, but like knowing the fans can be controlled. Will it be loud as is?

The Zalman ZM 80 looks interesting too, and it would keep my machine historically accurate, but it costs a little more.

If the VF700 can be made quiet enough, will try that.

Look for a "Zalman Fanmate" or any similar controller. You could also use a simple resistor cable or 12v to 7v/5v adapter cable. But you wouldn't have the flexibility of the Fanmate.

Just an update. Got the VF700 installed and it seems to be working okay. Couldn't find a way to check the GPU temp in the bios, is there any other way to check it without adding some utility?

The cooler has a little warmth, not much, so am assuming some heat is dissipating through it. Is that heatsink generally overkill for a X800 XL ? Could the fan be on low during games?

Otherwise thanks for the help, am glad to have the old machine working.

GPU-Z will show you temps/stats etc. without needing a big download and without needing to install the program.

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/