[SOLVED] GTX 970 Fans working poorly, at times losing signal to monitors (VIDEO Inside)

[blx3]

Greetings,

Very recently I have noticed an issue with my fans where they are stopping and starting at random times and in general, they're not working very well. Even when not under load they will stop spinning I'll lose signal to all of my monitors and I'm forced to reboot my PC. The GPU is old and I've used compressed air around the blades in the past before I knew it could possibly damage the fans, regardless I didn't have any issues up until now. When I use MSI Afterburner and turn up the fans to 100% manually they still spin very poorly, but at least they won't stop spinning entirely.

I have tried sticking the GPU in different PCI slots and the problem still persists.

How can I diagnose and fix this issue?

Here is a link to a video I have taken:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhKr0yq8wsw&feature=youtu.be


Appreciate any help and advice from anyone!

 

[Ralston18]

Old, possibly damaged GPU.

When you used the compressed air you may have just advanced the wear and tear on the fans but not to the point of immediate or near time failure.

However, additional/cumulative wear and tear since then may have moved the GPU/fans to EOL (End of Life) status.

Any way to try another GPU or put the GTX 970 in another computer?

Determine if the problem stays with the computer or follows the GPU.

 

[blx3]

Old, possibly damaged GPU.

When you used the compressed air you may have just advanced the wear and tear on the fans but not to the point of immediate or near time failure.

However, additional/cumulative wear and tear since then may have moved the GPU/fans to EOL (End of Life) status.

Any way to try another GPU or put the GTX 970 in another computer?

Determine if the problem stays with the computer or follows the GPU.

Thank you for your reply Ralston. I don't have access to another GPU right now. Could replacing the fans with an aftermarket fan possibly fix the issue? If so would it be hard to replace them?

 

[Ralston18]

I think you would be better off just getting a new GPU.

Reasons:

1) No way to know what may next go wrong on that old GPU.

2) Aftermarket fans - again no way to really know what quality those fans may be and how well they will really work if put into the GPU. Very leery about parts and products claiming "compatible with" etc..

As for the question about how hard it may be to replace the fans - I will need to defer on that.

"Mr. Murphy" often makes his appearance in such matters and everything goes further down the tubes.

With respect to the present situation and GPU I would not put money into it.

Being very much a DIY person I might consider replacing the fans if I could salvage or otherwise obtain the fans from another GPU no direct costs involved. Still requires time and effort.

In addition, installing the repaired, old GPU could put the host computer at some risk if something is not quite right. May not end well - that being either sooner or later...

New GPU. Simple, straightforward, and you will also have a warranty.

 

[John Chesterfield]

Just cable tie a couple of low rpm 120mm fans on there, sorted.

 

[blx3]

I think you would be better off just getting a new GPU.

Reasons:

1) No way to know what may next go wrong on that old GPU.

2) Aftermarket fans - again no way to really know what quality those fans may be and how well they will really work if put into the GPU. Very leery about parts and products claiming "compatible with" etc..

As for the question about how hard it may be to replace the fans - I will need to defer on that.

"Mr. Murphy" often makes his appearance in such matters and everything goes further down the tubes.

With respect to the present situation and GPU I would not put money into it.

Being very much a DIY person I might consider replacing the fans if I could salvage or otherwise obtain the fans from another GPU no direct costs involved. Still requires time and effort.

In addition, installing the repaired, old GPU could put the host computer at some risk if something is not quite right. May not end well - that being either sooner or later...

New GPU. Simple, straightforward, and you will also have a warranty.

Thanks again for your reply. I have been looking into getting myself a new GPU. Any chance you'd be able to help me out between these options I've come across?

Finding the best value/price card here for 1440p gaming:
(USED) Vega 56 for $300-$340CA
(USED) Radeon VII for $520CA
or (NEW) MSI 5700 for $510CA
or (NEW) MSI 5700 XT for $545CA?

And is there a large price/value difference between these options?

Appreciate your responses mate!

 

[Ralston18]

Start here:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

I do not recommend "used" electronics that may cost beyond what I would be willing to lose in a lottery.

(Full disclosure - not much!)

Even if there is a warranty of some sort for the used device, such warranties can be less than adequate when the fine print is read.

Decide what you want/require from the GPU. Look at the games you play and what the recommended GPU specifications may be.

Many games list specs as "minimal", "recommended", and "best". You do not want "minimal"and you want as much "best" as you can afford. And some future proofing purchase is a good idea.

And do remember to consider the host system as a whole. For example, a new GPU may be more than what the PSU will be able to support all things (wattages) considered.