Tech Repair Wiz

A few weeks ago I encountered an alarming noise coming from my PC.  Although not as soul-shattering as your PC choosing to no longer run, it was still a bummer.  My PC is getting to be a bit on the old side as it has been a little over 5 years since I built it, so having something wear out is likely.  With some light detective work and disassembly I managed to isolate the problem to my GPU--one of the fans was making a grindy noise.  Other than the noise, my GPU was working just fine (although I did notice at one point while I was playing CyberPunk that my case was pretty hot.  To solve this problem I dragged a floor fan over and aimed it toward the air intake on my PC and it did help)--never did I experience it crashing or turning off, so it was mostly still fine.

Obvious option #1 would be to simply replace the GPU.  I didn't want to do this for several reasons--firstly, the cost.  Even if I went with a lower-end GPU it would still cost ~$300 (and no, I wouldn't want to buy a used GPU).  Secondly, if I wanted to get the most out of a newer GPU I would need to upgrade my CPU.  If I upgraded my CPU I would want to upgrade my memory...it's a real If you Give a Mouse a Cookie kind of scenario that could have easily increased my costs to ~$500 - $800+.  My motherboard has an AM4 socket, so it's at the end of its life (sadly).  

Instead, I decided to do some research and find out if it was possible just to replace the fans on the GPU.  Fun fact--it is possible, it's affordable, and it was actually pretty easy.  I thought I would detail the process for anyone who might be facing a similar problem.  First though, a disclaimer.  If your GPU is still under warranty (I think the usual warranty is 2-3 years) you should send it back to the manufacturer and have them fix it.  Yes, it's a pain in the butt because it could potentially take awhile, but the risk to further damaging or breaking it is much lower (if not completely negated).  Just know that if you do attempt repairs or are taking it apart, you could be voiding the warranty and the manufacturer could refuse to repair/replace it.  (*And I know there are all those videos of people saying that it's not true and "right to repair" and so on, but I think I would want to avoid any arguments with the manufacturer.  Best to play it safe.)

Step 1: Try to find out the exact model of your GPU.  You can simply visually check your GPU or look in GeForce Experience (or the AMD equivalent).  Luckily, I had saved all the parts from my build on PC Part Picker, so I was also able to look there for any details.  You want to be as exact as possible because there can be slight variations in fan size between cards that might be SUPER or OC or whatever random variant it is.

Step 2: Order a replacement fan.  If you are only ordering one fan, make sure you note which fan you are ordering--they have different length connectors and you can't just freely swap them around.  I decided to order two fans and just replace them both.  It cost me around $30 (plus shipping, which I think was like $6-7).  I ordered from GPUfanreplacement.com (which is legit) but you could possibly find the replacements on Amazon (be cautious about buying from 3rd party sellers though).  My fans shipped from China but I still received them in about a week.

Possible Optional Step 3: Note the type of screws that are holding the cover onto the fan side of your GPU.  It turned out that mine used a torx type screw and that I would need a special screwdriver head to remove them.  If you do need a special screwdriver, just search for "electronics repair kit" on Amazon and make sure it has the screwdriver head you need.  You can get one pretty cheaply if you get a simple one or you could opt for a fancier one (I got one that had like 142 different tools/attachments which was overkill).  I would also highly recommend a magnetic screwdriver.

Step 3: Once you've received your replacement fans you'll need to remove your GPU from your PC.  Ideally you'll also want a magnetic container to hold your screws, but I would find some sort of small container in which to store them.  I would also do my deconstructing in a place away from any small children or pets.  The screws are tiny and very easy to lose.  They are definitely the kind that you don't want to drop because you'll never find them again (and you have to reuse them all because you don't get any spares with your new fans).  Remove the fan cover case--I think mine was like 6 screws.  Be gentle because there are some tiny cords/cables that can easily be damaged.

A zoomed in view of the tiny connectors.

Once I got the fan case removed I also discovered that I had to remove a small plastic cover on the back of my card that was over the connectors for the fans.  (You can follow the cords on your fans to find where the connector is). Gently unplug the connectors for the fans--they are small and you don't want to yank too hard and damage anything.  I have small hands, but this could be awkward for people with larger hands.

Step 4: Remove the old fans.  My fans each had 3 very tiny screws holding them down.  Be careful with the screws.  I also had to snip some very small plastic zip ties that were holding the fan cords down (even though you are replacing the fans, be careful not to snip the power cords).  Remove the zip ties (this could require some pulling and the use of tweezers).  I had to fish the power cords through a very small metal opening on the side of my card--it might require some twisting of the cords to get the connector through.

Step 5: Install the new fans--use your old screws.  Probably the hardest part for me was finagling the connectors and cords through the metal opening on the side of my card.  You want to make sure that the cables are pushed into the little hooks/holders on the card and not poking up.  The connectors are pretty short, so it can be a bit of a tight fit to connect them.  Make sure they're tightly connected and that the cables aren't kinked and are resting snugly on the card.  

Step 6: Re-install any covers you removed.

Step 7:  Re-install your GPU in your PC.  Remember to push firmly until you hear the click to make sure it is seated properly.

Step 8: Re-connect your PC and give it a go.  If everything is working correctly you should see your fans spin up nice and silently.

I, a person with negligible tech skills was able to accomplish this repair, so it's possible for anyone really.  I would also recommend looking up videos on YouTube to see examples of how to do this--I searched my card model and was able to get a good idea from a pretty mediocre video.  There are some videos that purport that you can re-lube your fans but I would be hesitant to attempt that as some fans aren't able to be separated from their motors and most of the videos involve cutting through a layer of plastic to reach the bearings (and a lot of those kinds of videos seemed to be crypto-mining related).