[SOLVED] Is this fan wobble even worth an RMA?

[Fastfishy2]

RTX 4070 asus dual. Left fan seems to wobble a teeny bit however it is most present when spinning up or down. Shop tells me it could be 2-4 weeks for their returns team to assess / fix and I can get replacement fans in half that time.

https://imgur.com/a/8FBkBHO

View: https://imgur.com/a/8FBkBHO

 

[XxDarkMario20xX]

Yes small things like this can make things worst this is new GPU and should be working without faults so rma the card and get it fixed!. It will be nightmare to deal without gpu for that ammount off weeks but it be better in long run!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Are you sure it's actual wobble, and not just a center emblem that is not centered correctly? Because that can make it LOOK like it's wobbling, and to be honest, at least from the video which isn't revealing much, it doesn't really look all that much like the rest of the fan is wobbling.

But if it IS wobbling, then I'd RMA it straight to ASUS unless you live in a region where you can't do that and then I'd either deal with the shop or replace the fan. ANY amount of wobble is generally due to a bad bearing and that will only ever get worse, never better, and never go away until it's addressed.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Absolutely. You never know if it will get worse. A brand-new card should always be perfect out of the box.

After all, there's nothing wrong with the money you gave them so there should be nothing wrong with the card.

 

[Fastfishy2]

Are you sure it's actual wobble, and not just a center emblem that is not centered correctly? Because that can make it LOOK like it's wobbling, and to be honest, at least from the video which isn't revealing much, it doesn't really look all that much like the rest of the fan is wobbling.

But if it IS wobbling, then I'd RMA it straight to ASUS unless you live in a region where you can't do that and then I'd either deal with the shop or replace the fan. ANY amount of wobble is generally due to a bad bearing and that will only ever get worse, never better, and never go away until it's addressed.

The problem is, I'm off for surgery early next week and then I'm recovering at home on heavy painkillers for 2 weeks after that. Even if I returned the card today, the retailer insists on it going to their repair techs for anywhere between 7-20 business days before considering a refund or replacement if the issue is 'non fixable'. Unless the fan is likely to shatter or fall off in the next 2 weeks, I'd rather just keep it for now and send it in when / if the wobble becomes easier to notice. Otherwise there's a good chance they might not spot the issue and end up sending it back after 2 weeks with nothing done.

I know thats not how this stuff SHOULD happen, but I'd have to massively strong arm them to get an outright in store replacement unless I can get it to the point it's easy to see in a shop environment. And from what my mate who works in the RMA field tells me, the local authorized repair shops are likely to take weeks to diagnose a fan issue if they do at all.

I'll still definitely be slapping the retailer with an immediate warranty claim if it gets worse though.

Edit: also have 2 spare fans arriving in 1-2 weeks from today, they're for the 3070 KO but other than the bearing type (sleeved not DBB) theyre identical

 

[Karadjgne]

I see sticker misalignment. If you look at the lines on the hub, they get a sideways shimmy where the exact center of the hub where the 2 sets of lines meet 'wobbles'. But, if you look at the outside edge of the blades, they aren't moving, perfectly smooth.

Your eyes are deceiving you because they fixate on the sticker movement, the single most common issue with gpu fans.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I see sticker misalignment. If you look at the lines on the hub, they get a sideways shimmy where the exact center of the hub where the 2 sets of lines meet 'wobbles'. But, if you look at the outside edge of the blades, they aren't moving, perfectly smooth.

Your eyes are deceiving you because they fixate on the sticker movement, the single most common issue with gpu fans.

This is exactly what I said in the beginning. And I think you/I/we are right because looking at it again it really does not seem like the rest of the fan is misaligned at all. I'd just use it until and unless it becomes obvious that something is wrong. If that doesn't happen, then it's likely just the alignment of the center emblem/sticker is not totally center, which wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the world on an ASUS Dual series card because that is their lowest end series for gaming cards. Which is not to say there is necessarily anything wrong with them in general. But they aren't the high end models for sure. So, I think it's probably fine and just keep an eye on it. If it becomes obvious that there IS something wrong, THEN move forward.

Most countries these products carry about a 3 year warranty, depending on where you are of course.

 

[Fastfishy2]

This is exactly what I said in the beginning. And I think you/I/we are right because looking at it again it really does not seem like the rest of the fan is misaligned at all. I'd just use it until and unless it becomes obvious that something is wrong. If that doesn't happen, then it's likely just the alignment of the center emblem/sticker is not totally center, which wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the world on an ASUS Dual series card because that is their lowest end series for gaming cards. Which is not to say there is necessarily anything wrong with them in general. But they aren't the high end models for sure. So, I think it's probably fine and just keep an eye on it. If it becomes obvious that there IS something wrong, THEN move forward.

Most countries these products carry about a 3 year warranty, depending on where you are of course.

Yeah, it carries a 3 year warranty here too. I also have replacement fans on the way in the even it does eventually poo its pants. Additionally, I am looking at fabbing myself some sort of shroud / fan attachment so that I can fit slimline Noctuas on it. That one's more of a concept at this stage.