Sapphire 7850 Grinding fans..again.. Send it back?

[Matt1990]

So my first sapphire radeon 7850 had this annoying fan grinding between the fan speeds of 45-70%.. I sent that one back to amazon and got a new replacement. Now this one makes a grinding noise between 40-50%... Is this normal? Should I send it back? Or am I being too picky. To me it seems like something I paid $250 for should not be making grinding noises being under a month old. What do you guys think, send it back and get a third replacement? Keep it? Send it back and try for a different model card? I have to check my amazon account but I think this one is getting close to a month old so I would like to know what you guys think before that ends so if I do decide to send it back and get a replacement or refund I still can.

 

[aR3alCoo1Kat]

Does your card have the "Dual X" fans?

 

[sarinaide]

I am not sure what you mean by "grinding", if it is a grinding it could be barrings but that would woo more. needless to say I have never had Graphics cards fans that grind, they make noise but no grinding.

 

[nforce4max]

Why are people so helpless to fix things them selves that are very easy to do? If you don't want to wait you can just oil the fan bearings with some heavy weight motor oil from any store and a q-tip. It is better than being helpless.

 

[blazorthon]

Why are people so helpless to fix things them selves that are very easy to do? If you don't want to wait you can just oil the fan bearings with some heavy weight motor oil from any store and a q-tip. It is better than being helpless.

It might not apply here, but being unable to fix something and wanting to risk the warranty over it can be two different things.

 

[Maxx_Power]

It might not apply here, but being unable to fix something and wanting to risk the warranty over it can be two different things.

And if the OP means bearing grinds, then permanent damage has already been done to the bearing spindle, even if re-oiled properly, the fan will not last long.

 

[sarinaide]

Well there are solutions despite it being odd having two cards have bearing failures.

1] Test it with another in store card at the exact same load and fan speeds.

2] Aftermarket GPU cooler like Accelero's but its expensive.

BTW is this noise at full load and high fan speeds?

 

[Matt1990]

I don't know how else to describe it except for a grinding/ticking noise... and my card does have dual fans, aR3alCoo1Kat.

 

[nforce4max]

And if the OP means bearing grinds, then permanent damage has already been done to the bearing spindle, even if re-oiled properly, the fan will not last long.

Not really unless it had gone on for months, most of the fans used on most graphics cards are pretty cheap and low quality. Even the bearings are very cheap. All held together with plastic and glue.

 

[Maxx_Power]

Not really unless it had gone on for months, most of the fans used on most graphics cards are pretty cheap and low quality. Even the bearings are very cheap. All held together with plastic and glue.

I guess I should clarify myself:

Sleeve Bearing: on these bearings, by the time vibrations/rattle sets in, oiling is too late because the spindle has already made contact with the bearing walls due to loss of bearing fluid, and permanent scoring marks are made to the spindle or side walls. You can oil it, but it will not restore the spindle or make the vibrations entirely go away.

Ball Bearing: on these bearings, the motor assembly maybe sealed, and oiling it maybe hard or impossible. Hermetically sealed ones are not meant to be re-oiled. If the ball bearing is open, you can use a heavier oil, but fan life will be reduced due to additional load on the electronics.

Fluid Dynamic Bearing: hermetically sealed. You can't open these and then re-sealed them to the same tolerance (sub-mm liquid gap). These aren't known to run dry either.

Maglev Bearing: not sure if these even use oil films, they use magnetic suspension.

The point I was trying to make is that, by the time rattle/noise/vibration is detected, bearing damage has occurred. At the best, oiling will allow you to use the fan for a bit more time, but know that it is at the end of its effective life when the bearing is worn.

 

[nforce4max]

I guess I should clarify myself:

Sleeve Bearing: on these bearings, by the time vibrations/rattle sets in, oiling is too late because the spindle has already made contact with the bearing walls due to loss of bearing fluid, and permanent scoring marks are made to the spindle or side walls. You can oil it, but it will not restore the spindle or make the vibrations entirely go away.

Ball Bearing: on these bearings, the motor assembly maybe sealed, and oiling it maybe hard or impossible. Hermetically sealed ones are not meant to be re-oiled. If the ball bearing is open, you can use a heavier oil, but fan life will be reduced due to additional load on the electronics.

Fluid Dynamic Bearing: hermetically sealed. You can't open these and then re-sealed them to the same tolerance (sub-mm liquid gap). These aren't known to run dry either.

Maglev Bearing: not sure if these even use oil films, they use magnetic suspension.

The point I was trying to make is that, by the time rattle/noise/vibration is detected, bearing damage has occurred. At the best, oiling will allow you to use the fan for a bit more time, but know that it is at the end of its effective life when the bearing is worn.

I am not a dumbass, been fixing machines for years.

 

[blazorthon]

I don't see any text saying that you are a dumbass in that post. If you want to rebuke maxx-power's argument, then you could simply state what about graphics cards fans makes it so that they are more accepting of oiling than other fans with different bearings. Otherwise, it would seem that he/she has the information upper hand and you're just getting defensive (no offense intended by that, just an observation).

 

[nforce4max]

I don't see any text saying that you are a dumbass in that post. If you want to rebuke maxx-power's argument, then you could simply state what about graphics cards fans makes it so that they are more accepting of oiling than other fans with different bearings. Otherwise, it would seem that he/she has the information upper hand and you're just getting defensive (no offense intended by that, just an observation).

The fans that are used in most machines have pretty good tolerances when it comes to the bearings and are not tight fitting as compared to lets say an engine block. The surfaces inside the fan bearings even when in poor shape after one or more tires with oil usually fill in the imperfections enough to allow continued use with very little vibration. To poke at him he must be one of those middle class types that are overpaid and act that they are or have to be professional in everything.

 

[Maxx_Power]

The fans that are used in most machines have pretty good tolerances when it comes to the bearings and are not tight fitting as compared to lets say an engine block. The surfaces inside the fan bearings even when in poor shape after one or more tires with oil usually fill in the imperfections enough to allow continued use with very little vibration. To poke at him he must be one of those middle class types that are overpaid and act that they are or have to be professional in everything.

See here:

"When sleeve bearings fail, one of three things typically happens. Almost all failures will occur because of issues with the lubrication.

Failure one, worn bearing- This occurs when the lubrication is insufficient or the rotating component too unbalanced,. The rod begins to wear away the sleeve material to a point when the cylindrical space is no longer round. The rod will begin to vibrate producing an audible noise as it rotates. In instances such as this there is nothing that can be done, but to replace the bearing or more typically the entire fan.

Failure two, reduced fan speed - A situation can sometimes develop where the lubricant partially evaporates, or becomes more viscous then its operational tolerances will allow. It then resists the magnetic forces rotating the fan blades causing the entire assembly to rotate at a lower then normal RPM. The results of this type of soft failure can be serious if the fan is cooling an essential device like a power supply or CPU.

Failure three - Complete failure. Occurs when there is an absence of lubricant, or when highly viscous lubricant overcomes the rotational force from the fans' motor. In these cases the fan will not rotate at all, and devices which need cooling may overheat. This is one of the more common failures among power supply fans because of the continual amount of dust they suck in and their elevated operating temperatures. This type of failure can also occur when improper lubricants are used which become highly viscous through age or as a reaction to operational temperatures."

Taken from http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=193&page=2

Notice this statement : "Failure one, worn bearing- This occurs when the lubrication is insufficient or the rotating component too unbalanced,. The rod begins to wear away the sleeve material to a point when the cylindrical space is no longer round. The rod will begin to vibrate producing an audible noise as it rotates. In instances such as this there is nothing that can be done, but to replace the bearing or more typically the entire fan."

When you re-oil a sleeve fan (since the other types are not easily re-oiled), you only fix the lack of lubrication. The vibration, wear are not repaired, which leads to uneven loading and accelerated wear. As was said above "nothing that can be done".

Lots of people re-oil their fans, I included. But with the acceptance that the fan life is nearly over, and this is nothing more than a stop gap.

AND I DID READ YOUR COMMENT: "To poke at him he must be one of those middle class types that are overpaid and act that they are or have to be professional in everything. " -Very "unprofessional" of you.

 

[nforce4max]

See here:

"When sleeve bearings fail, one of three things typically happens. Almost all failures will occur because of issues with the lubrication.

Failure one, worn bearing- This occurs when the lubrication is insufficient or the rotating component too unbalanced,. The rod begins to wear away the sleeve material to a point when the cylindrical space is no longer round. The rod will begin to vibrate producing an audible noise as it rotates. In instances such as this there is nothing that can be done, but to replace the bearing or more typically the entire fan.

Failure two, reduced fan speed - A situation can sometimes develop where the lubricant partially evaporates, or becomes more viscous then its operational tolerances will allow. It then resists the magnetic forces rotating the fan blades causing the entire assembly to rotate at a lower then normal RPM. The results of this type of soft failure can be serious if the fan is cooling an essential device like a power supply or CPU.

Failure three - Complete failure. Occurs when there is an absence of lubricant, or when highly viscous lubricant overcomes the rotational force from the fans' motor. In these cases the fan will not rotate at all, and devices which need cooling may overheat. This is one of the more common failures among power supply fans because of the continual amount of dust they suck in and their elevated operating temperatures. This type of failure can also occur when improper lubricants are used which become highly viscous through age or as a reaction to operational temperatures."

Taken from http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=193&page=2

Notice this statement : "Failure one, worn bearing- This occurs when the lubrication is insufficient or the rotating component too unbalanced,. The rod begins to wear away the sleeve material to a point when the cylindrical space is no longer round. The rod will begin to vibrate producing an audible noise as it rotates. In instances such as this there is nothing that can be done, but to replace the bearing or more typically the entire fan."

When you re-oil a sleeve fan (since the other types are not easily re-oiled), you only fix the lack of lubrication. The vibration, wear are not repaired, which leads to uneven loading and accelerated wear. As was said above "nothing that can be done".

Lots of people re-oil their fans, I included. But with the acceptance that the fan life is nearly over, and this is nothing more than a stop gap.

AND I DID READ YOUR COMMENT: "To poke at him he must be one of those middle class types that are overpaid and act that they are or have to be professional in everything. " -Very "unprofessional" of you.

Most fans are only rated for 40,000-50,000 hours of use but most never last that long. I mend, I fix, I make do, I make the most of what comes my way unlike most that see one thing wrong and it much go to the dump. I am not middle class and arrogant either just unhappy. As for vibration I don't have that problem because I make do with I have. Second I don't let things go bad by neglecting to do repairs when they are needed especially when it is only a quick fix. As for amazingly instantly degrading vaporizing fan bearings well tough luck for those who let things rattle for a few weeks, months, years, even a decade if it rattled along for that long.

 

[Maxx_Power]

Most fans are only rated for 40,000-50,000 hours of use but most never last that long. I mend, I fix, I make do, I make the most of what comes my way unlike most that see one thing wrong and it much go to the dump. I am not middle class and arrogant either just unhappy. As for vibration I don't have that problem because I make do with I have. Second I don't let things go bad by neglecting to do repairs when they are needed especially when it is only a quick fix. As for amazingly instantly degrading vaporizing fan bearings well tough luck for those who let things rattle for a few weeks, months, years, even a decade if it rattled along for that long.

Well, that's what I do anyway. Fair enough, frugality and efficiency. A rare trait these days.

On a different topic, I'd rather think that the middle class is associated with its original ideals of extra time on hands to persue personal interests, which I think should be largely personal development, inter-personal development and so on. I certainly hope (if it is not already true) that the middle class generally are not wasteful and short sighted.

 

[nforce4max]

Well, that's what I do anyway. Fair enough, frugality and efficiency. A rare trait these days.

On a different topic, I'd rather think that the middle class is associated with its original ideals of extra time on hands to persue personal interests, which I think should be largely personal development, inter-personal development and so on. I certainly hope (if it is not already true) that the middle class generally are not wasteful and short sighted.

Sadly most are wasteful If there is a problem it is in the dump or they throw piles of money at the problem until it is fixed. I see way to many people in my age group on up through to 50 and 60 year olds they have poor moral values. Many got spines of jelly that wimp out at any sign that they would have to get their hands dirty to get things done. It makes me almost enraged to see people who are under skilled, under qualified, have poor or no ethic at all to speak of, poor taste in clothing, and a terrible attitude problem in jobs that should have gone to someone else. I am tired of businesses both large and small pass up more deserving people when it comes to work while having high prices for goods and services. I am disgusted how young people are not given and honest chance to prove them selves to earn a job while others who older lose any chance of retirement. I have so much to say but just short of words to express my self.

 

[Maxx_Power]

Sadly most are wasteful If there is a problem it is in the dump or they throw piles of money at the problem until it is fixed. I see way to many people in my age group on up through to 50 and 60 year olds they have poor moral values. Many got spines of jelly that wimp out at any sign that they would have to get their hands dirty to get things done. It makes me almost enraged to see people who are under skilled, under qualified, have poor or no ethic at all to speak of, poor taste in clothing, and a terrible attitude problem in jobs that should have gone to someone else. I am tired of businesses both large and small pass up more deserving people when it comes to work while having high prices for goods and services. I am disgusted how young people are not given and honest chance to prove them selves to earn a job while others who older lose any chance of retirement. I have so much to say but just short of words to express my self.

I often inherit "broken" things this way when the prior owner decided to not deal with the problem with brain but with wallet. I ended up recycling nearly a TON of broken electronics after striping them out for parts to use for repairs. Now I have a few boxes of fans, grilles, a collection of PSU caps, chokes, filters, a large collection of heatsinks (great for routers), fan headers, other electronic parts........