EVGA Geforce GTX 980ti acx 2.0+ fan clicking noise?

[Thunderaan]

I bought my EVGA 980 ti acx SC a few months ago, and about 2 weeks into owning it I started to hear a clicking noise. At first it sounded like a case fan, so I ignored it. I then got curious, and started to test what it was. I noticed that if I was idle in windows and my fans on the video card were off, it would no longer make noise. Then using EVGA Precision X I ramped it up in 5% increments, and started to hear it worsen.

I did some searching online for similar issues, and the best I found was a evga 970 having a similar noise, but come to find out his was a wire on the heatsink being hit by the fan. I investigated into mine, and found nothing interfering with the fan, and its simply clicking freely.

To me, this seems like a ball bearing may be bad, and there is 2 fans, both dual ball bearing.

Any help is appreciated, as I am at the point of sending it in under warranty which always sucks.

Video: 980ti clicking fan noise

You can hear on startup it starts the fans, and makes this noise.

 

[dangus]

sounds like it could be coil whine? coil whine is unfortunately a somewhat normal occurance and won't hurt the card. some companies don't accept coil whine as a reason to RMA a product but i'm not sure what EVGA's stance is on this.

does the sound/frequency/volume of the clicking change when the card is put under different loads? if so it's probably coil whine.

 

[Thunderaan]

sounds like it could be coil whine? coil whine is unfortunately a somewhat normal occurance and won't hurt the card. some companies don't accept coil whine as a reason to RMA a product but i'm not sure what EVGA's stance is on this.

does the sound/frequency/volume of the clicking change when the card is put under different loads? if so it's probably coil whine.

I pushed it from 0%-80% speeds, and the sound worsens as it gets higher. With it fully unplugged, when I was checking if a wire had fallen into the fan bay, I spun the fan with my finger and it also made the noise. Would the "coil whine" happen in that case as well?

 

[WildCard999]

It doesn't sound like coil whine, if there's nothing obstructing the fans and its still making that noise then it might be the bearing. I would RMA it.

 

[Thunderaan]

It doesn't sound like coil whine, if there's nothing obstructing the fans and its still making that noise then it might be the bearing. I would RMA it.

That was my thought when I heard it. I checked the fan to be sure nothing is in the way, and tested moving it with my finger, it just makes the noise free spinning. How much of a problem is this with dual ball bearing fan? It still runs good, and does not overheat, is this a major issue I should RMA asap? My issue with RMA is I need my computer, and I have never had a good RMA, they always take 60 days or longer to come back, and I am SOL with no card.

 

[WildCard999]

It doesn't sound like coil whine, if there's nothing obstructing the fans and its still making that noise then it might be the bearing. I would RMA it.

That was my thought when I heard it. I checked the fan to be sure nothing is in the way, and tested moving it with my finger, it just makes the noise free spinning. How much of a problem is this with dual ball bearing fan? It still runs good, and does not overheat, is this a major issue I should RMA asap? My issue with RMA is I need my computer, and I have never had a good RMA, they always take 60 days or longer to come back, and I am SOL with no card.

Well if its the bearing then at some point its bound to fail and the fan will stop working which will more then likely cause overheating and thus possibly damaging the card. I've only had to get a Sata cable from EVGA (previous one broke) and they sent it to me for free and it took about two weeks (there out of CA/USA). It would be worth it to call them and ask about the RMA procedure and see if there's anyway to expedite the shipping or if they can send you a replacement card while they work on your current card or something similar. Here's there customer service number...
1 (888) 880-3842

 

[Thunderaan]

It doesn't sound like coil whine, if there's nothing obstructing the fans and its still making that noise then it might be the bearing. I would RMA it.

That was my thought when I heard it. I checked the fan to be sure nothing is in the way, and tested moving it with my finger, it just makes the noise free spinning. How much of a problem is this with dual ball bearing fan? It still runs good, and does not overheat, is this a major issue I should RMA asap? My issue with RMA is I need my computer, and I have never had a good RMA, they always take 60 days or longer to come back, and I am SOL with no card.

Well if its the bearing then at some point its bound to fail and the fan will stop working which will more then likely cause overheating and thus possibly damaging the card. I've only had to get a Sata cable from EVGA (previous one broke) and they sent it to me for free and it took about two weeks (there out of CA/USA). It would be worth it to call them and ask about the RMA procedure and see if there's anyway to expedite the shipping or if they can send you a replacement card while they work on your current card or something similar. Here's there customer service number...
1 (888) 880-3842

I actually just realized I got this card from cutting edge gamer, and they do replacements and then RMA it themselves. So I will have this one replaced and sent back via them and save me the hassle and time of getting it repaired or anything like that.

Thanks for the help guys, always quick to the resolution on here 😀.

 

[WildCard999]

Although I suppose if you need the card now for awhile you could wait a bit, that GPU is warranty for 3 years.

http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-4991-KR