Damaging Graphics Card Fans by stopping them?

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bryo

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May 31, 2013
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I'm trying to figure out where a grinding noise is coming from in my desktop (I'm thinking it's a fan making the noise), and I was wondering if temporarily stopping the graphics card fan (by pressing on the center with my finger) would be harmful/cause any damage to the fan.

Thanks for your help!
 
Solution
markwp
You run a small risk of cooking the fan and a smaller risk of overheating the gpu, but not much. Before you do that, get the tube from a roll of paper towels or roll up a sheet of paper and put it to your ear. Move the other end around your components to isolate the sound. Sounds weird, but it works.

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markwp

markwp

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Jan 22, 2013
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You run a small risk of cooking the fan and a smaller risk of overheating the gpu, but not much. Before you do that, get the tube from a roll of paper towels or roll up a sheet of paper and put it to your ear. Move the other end around your components to isolate the sound. Sounds weird, but it works.

Mark
 
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B

bryo

Honorable
May 31, 2013
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10,510


Thanks for the tip! It's definitely not coming from the PSU fan or case fans, but I'm still having trouble figuring out whether it's the CPU cooler fan or graphics card fan. Would slowing/stopping the GPU fan with my finger for just a second run the risk of cooking the fan?

 
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bryo

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May 31, 2013
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10,510


I couldn't figure out how to unplug the GPU fan without taking the heatsink off, so I ended up stopping the fan for a second with my finger. The fan seemed to spin up normally after I let go so I'm guessing no harm was done?

(The noise ended up being my CPU cooler fan)
 
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bryo

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May 31, 2013
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10,510


Yep, I just ordered a new fan. :) The noisy fan still seems to be running fine but I'll keep an eye on it until the new one comes.

Thanks for all your help!
 
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