Noisy fan on ATI Card

[Steve_in_VA]

The fan on my ATI 9000 pro card has suddenly developed quite a growl. How necessary is this fan if I'm not overclocking anything?

 

[14Dx]

how big is the heat sink? some 9000 Pro cards dont even come stock witha fan, but they have a fairly large heat sink. you can always take the fan off, but feel the heat sink to see how hot it gets. If it gets hot enough to burn you then you need the fan.

If its not broken, you're not trying hard enough.

 

[Steve_in_VA]

There's not much of a heat sink, just a flat piece of metal with some small fins around the fan. I took the fan off and squirted some WD-40 (all-purpose miracle stuff!)into the bearing, and it got better, at least for now.