Disconnecting fan on a graphics card

Pernod · Post by **Pernod** » Mon May 19, 2003 5:58 am

Hi all, would it be stupid to disconnect the fan on a graphics card (ASUS V3800) or has anyone done this and "got away" with it?

mdhare · Post by **mdhare** » Mon May 19, 2003 6:07 am

Your mileage may vary, but I'd say stupid.

I tried doing this with my asus v6600 Deluxe last night, actually. This is one of those first gen GeForce cards. GPU temps generally are around 65C with heatsink and fan. With just heatsink it jumped to 80C, and that was no 3d.

I'm probably going to look at that zalmon heatpipe.

Will35 · Post by **Will35** » Mon May 19, 2003 6:09 am

Looks like the clock speed on this card is either 125-150MHz. I'd sure give it a try. Unhook the fan and try your favorite graphics intensive game. If you start seeing any artifacts or other non normal visuals it is probably going to need some type of cooling. The finger temp test will also tell you alot. While it's not the same card, I've been running my 275MHz Radeon Pro 9000 fanless for a couple of months with no problems. Just proceed with a bit of caution initally, but I'm pretty sure you'll be fine as long as your case already has good ventilation.

cowsclaw · Post by **cowsclaw** » Mon May 19, 2003 8:08 am

Will35 wrote:The finger temp test will also tell you alot.

hey, can you tell me more about the finger temp test? i unhooked my fan frm a gainward ti4200 and the GPU was REALLY REALLY hot. i couldnt even keep my finger on it for more than a second. i used a zalman fan bracket and panaflo L1A now, though, so hopefully itll be better

Will35 · Post by **Will35** » Mon May 19, 2003 9:10 am

Cowsclaw, If it's 'hot" to the touch I'd say it's probably too hot to run without a fan.

Edit: I re-read your post.... wer'e sorta comparing apples and oranges here. I was talking about a 125-150MHz card.... I couldn't find any info on the chipset you have but I suspect that it's much faster.

sorenbro · Post by **sorenbro** » Mon May 19, 2003 11:19 am

Dunno about your GFX, but on a gf4-ti4xxx with a Zalman ZM-80HP and it gets VERY hot, so my guess it that the tiny retail heatsink will get even hotter

Pernod · Post by **Pernod** » Tue May 20, 2003 11:46 am

Thanks for the replies

Will35: I have a pretty good case/ventilation so I think I'll give it a try...

Ducky · Post by **Ducky** » Tue May 20, 2003 6:35 pm

Hmmm. With a GF4 Ti4400, I'm "getting away" with it at the moment. 'course, I also "ducted" the card with a fairly high CFM slot cooler. That is, put a cardboard thing lined with foam around the underside of the card that surrounds the slot fan, forming a vaccum cleaner nozzle-shaped thing that "sucks" the air in fron the opening towards the front and blows out of the case via the slot cooler.

Since the slot cooler is quieter than the whiny fan, I find it tolerable. Tried to do a muffler in the back, but haven't found time to do it yet...

I usually get "idle" temps of 31C -- with 3D games, it stabilizes around 45C. If I run 3DMark03, though, the temperature just simply continually increases and doesn't go down until I terminate the test.

(Then again, temperature is about the same with the stock fan, so I guess it's working as well as the stock fan does...)

fmah · Post by **fmah** » Tue May 20, 2003 6:45 pm

I have done this with my Radeon 8500, but haven't played any games yet.

Kerosene · Post by **Kerosene** » Fri May 23, 2003 4:23 am

I'm getting away with it too. But only just. And probably not for much longer.
I've just started getting unusual reboots every now and then, which I assume is my card going nutzoid - but it really could be anything.
This is with an underclocked MSI GF2TI.

Do bracket mounted fans make a difference to fanless graphics cards? Or do they actually need that silly little fan right up against the sink?

Kerosene · Post by **Kerosene** » Sat May 24, 2003 9:59 pm

I went to get a Zalman bracket yesterday - but they were sold out.
So i knocked one up myself. It's pretty crappy - but it seems to keeping my heatsink a lot cooler.

The bracket is made from an old card mount thing that I bent.
Apx 60 seconds manufacturing time

Disconnecting fan on a graphics card

Disconnecting fan on a graphics card

Re: Disconnecting fan on a graphics card