dude_56013
Fully Optimized
- Messages
- 4,262
Well my problem just started a few days ago. A mysterious ticking noise started from my case and I had no idea what it was...I finally tracked it down to the GPU fan. Here's the gfx card I've got. It's an ATI 3870 and it's been perfect for me. I don't game too often (a few times a week for a few hours), so performance is fine.
When I say intermittent, I think I mean to say that I only hear ticking at high RPM (under load). And it's definitely not cooling as well as it should. I used to get temps under load at around 50-55*C, and now they are shooting up to 60*C...and even idle it's running hotter than it did.
So my question is, should I talk to Sapphire and get a replacement? Or should I buy an aftermarket VGA cooler like this or this (will these even work/fix my problem? I'm not familiar with using VGA coolers...). Keep in mind that I'm all for better performance. I don't mind shelling out 40 bucks or so. If anyone else has a solution, let me know. Also, I know I can't RMA with newegg, even though it's not a year old yet, because I've cut the UPC for Sappire's rebate...
Or maybe there's an even cheaper solution I don't know about. Maybe I could open up my the casing and see if the fan is catching on something....hmm...but it may void warranty with Sappire...
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks everyone!
Zac
When I say intermittent, I think I mean to say that I only hear ticking at high RPM (under load). And it's definitely not cooling as well as it should. I used to get temps under load at around 50-55*C, and now they are shooting up to 60*C...and even idle it's running hotter than it did.
So my question is, should I talk to Sapphire and get a replacement? Or should I buy an aftermarket VGA cooler like this or this (will these even work/fix my problem? I'm not familiar with using VGA coolers...). Keep in mind that I'm all for better performance. I don't mind shelling out 40 bucks or so. If anyone else has a solution, let me know. Also, I know I can't RMA with newegg, even though it's not a year old yet, because I've cut the UPC for Sappire's rebate...
Or maybe there's an even cheaper solution I don't know about. Maybe I could open up my the casing and see if the fan is catching on something....hmm...but it may void warranty with Sappire...
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks everyone!
Zac