quick question regarding testing video card fan

thegwimweepuh

Honorable
Oct 16, 2013
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10,510
hey guys, hopefully someone can help me with a quick question. my friend gave me an videocard, and i wanted to test the fan before i use it since he said it might be noisy. can i just hook up the video card to a power supply (paperclip ready) via the pci-e power cables without plugging it into a motherboard to test and hear the fans on it? would doing this damage the video card in any way since its not plugged into the motherboard? thanks for the help
 
It won't work unless its installed into the motherboard and to test the fan throughout its speed range you'll need to have suitable drivers installed.
As a simple test, just spin it as best you can with your fingers or a pencil, any roughness or tight spots will be all too evident.