Faulty 8800GTX???

[MYLIFE42]

My friend has an 8800GTX that he asked me to test/fix as he has some overheating issues and I've come to a dead end. The card runs at 90 degrees Celsius idle and I don't dare test it through FurMark as I've tested it at this temp through my new rig. I've cleaned the fans, replaced the thermal paste and it reads 90 degrees whether closed or open case.

I think it could be that the fan is not circulating air properly and needs a new one, but I'm unsure. Any tips?

 

[outlw6669]

Have you tried removing the plastic shroud and cleaning out the heat sink directly?
Unless the fan is no longer spinning, it sounds like it is just clogged with dust to me.
You should also be able to feel a breeze coming out of the exhaust vent to verify that everything is working.

 

[MYLIFE42]

There is a breeze, but its faint and of really hot air

 

[Pinhedd]

The thermal paste is probably completely dried up

 

[outlw6669]

Well, that is either a good or a bad sign, depending on how you look at it.
It means that your heat sink is not totally clogged and the fan is working, but it could help spell the end of life for the card :/

Maybe you could give a little more background information about the issues.
What program are you using to report your temps, does it fluctuate at all and did it change after reapplying TIM?
What specific issues was your friend having that prompted him to come to you; crashing out of games, BSOD's, excessive noise, etc.?
Could you also post the specs of both your systems including detailed information on the PSU's?

If it does turn out to be a fault cooler, which seems unlikely, I doubt it would be worthwhile to replace it.
The cost of a compatible cooler would put him well on the way to purchasing a newer, higher performing, GPU.
Even a current generation $100 card will have no problems outperforming a venerable GTX 8800, while drawing much less power as well!

 

[sscultima]

he mentioned he already replaced the thermal paste.

as outlw6669 mentioned sounds like dust build up in the heat sink fins themselves, i always was cleaning mine out on my 8800's.

it could also be that the rotation of the fan is possibly spinning in the oppossite direction, which has been known to happen with many 8800's and 9800's, make sure to look at the fan and see if it is spinning the proper way. rev up the fan and make sure a lot of air is comming out the back