Safe to remove shroud from Zotac GTX 580?

[Kieran Sprouse]

Hi,

I have a Zotac AMP3! GTX 580 3GB Graphics card (see image via link below) and I have come across an issue. The fans seem to be slipping down and hitting the shroud which then stops the fans spinning altogether or makes a nice loud grinding noise. If I remove the shroud it would fix this issue (other problems too with the flare bits coming from the middle bending up and hitting the fans too (see pic and you'll get what I mean) - I think really it is a poorly designed shroud tbh.

If I remove the shroud it would fix the issue but would it overheat? It has two working fans on the heatsink itself within a PC case which has 4 120mm fans also.

Image:
http://compareindia.news18.com/specification/graphic-cards/zotac-geforce-gtx-580-amp2-edition/209022

If it isn't a good idea to remove the shroud, how can I fix the fans slipping?


Thanks in advance,

Kieran

 

[cryoburner]

The fans shouldn't be touching the shroud. That's apparently a Zalman VF3000 cooler, which looks something like this with the shroud removed...

https://techgage.com/viewimg/?img=/reviews/zalman/vf3000n_gpu_cooler/zalman_vf3000n_04.jpg

Unless the shroud is bent or something, it sounds like that black plastic frame that holds the fans may have become detached from the fins. You might try temporarily removing the shroud and seeing if you can re-secure that plastic frame. You'll probably want to put the shroud back on though, since it likely helps force more air between the fins.

 

[Kieran Sprouse]

Hi Cryoburner,

It was indeed the black plastic frame - it had un-clipped from the heat-sink. Took the shroud off, clipped it back in, put the shroud back on and now no problems!

Thanks,

Kieran