Asus video card problem: fans

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BP

I have an Asus ATI Radeon 9800 Pro w/256MB video card. I started having some
strange video problem: verticle green lines appearing. I opened up the case
and noticed that the cooling fans on the card are not working. I reseated
the card and plugged the card into a new 12v power connector but they are
still dead. The card works. I believe the video problem occurs when the card
overheats. Anyone know what the problem might be?
 
"BP" said:
I have an Asus ATI Radeon 9800 Pro w/256MB video card. I started having some
strange video problem: verticle green lines appearing. I opened up the case
and noticed that the cooling fans on the card are not working. I reseated
the card and plugged the card into a new 12v power connector but they are
still dead. The card works. I believe the video problem occurs when the card
overheats. Anyone know what the problem might be?
Click to expand...

This is a picture of the card with cooler in place. The fan power connector
goes into the socket to the left of the cooler.

http://www.ixbt.com/video2/images/asus-ati/asus-9800xt-scan-front-with-cooler.jpg

Here is the card with the cooler removed, making it easier to see the
three pin header for the fan.

http://www.ixbt.com/video2/images/asus-ati/asus-9800xt-scan-front.jpg

Perhaps the fan cable is not firmly in place ?
Does the video card normally change the fan speed, depending on
how much work the video card is doing ? Perhaps some fan speed
control thing has failed. The most reliable way to run fans, is
directly from a power rail.

If there was only one fan and it was stuck, I'd suggest checking the
fan hub, to see if it moves freely, or is getting stuck. A drop of
oil might be a temporary solution for a problem like that. But
since there are two fans present, it is unlikely both failed the
same way at the same time.

A permanent solution, is to purchase a kit like this. The fan is
powered from the PSU, so does not rely on any video card circuitry
to run the fan. You might need some blank PCI slots next to the
video card, to make room for the heatsink. Be careful not to get
thermal compound all over the top of the GPU - only the die should
have a thin coat on it. You don't want so much paste on the die
that it ends up coating any circuitry on the top of the chip.

Zalman VF700-Cu graphics card cooler and ramsinks:
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=149&code=013
http://www.zalman.co.kr/product/cooler/VF700_compatiblelist_eng.html

Paul
 
Paul said:
This is a picture of the card with cooler in place. The fan power
connector
goes into the socket to the left of the cooler.

http://www.ixbt.com/video2/images/asus-ati/asus-9800xt-scan-front-with-cooler.jpg

Here is the card with the cooler removed, making it easier to see the
three pin header for the fan.

http://www.ixbt.com/video2/images/asus-ati/asus-9800xt-scan-front.jpg

Perhaps the fan cable is not firmly in place ?
Does the video card normally change the fan speed, depending on
how much work the video card is doing ? Perhaps some fan speed
control thing has failed. The most reliable way to run fans, is
directly from a power rail.

If there was only one fan and it was stuck, I'd suggest checking the
fan hub, to see if it moves freely, or is getting stuck. A drop of
oil might be a temporary solution for a problem like that. But
since there are two fans present, it is unlikely both failed the
same way at the same time.

A permanent solution, is to purchase a kit like this. The fan is
powered from the PSU, so does not rely on any video card circuitry
to run the fan. You might need some blank PCI slots next to the
video card, to make room for the heatsink. Be careful not to get
thermal compound all over the top of the GPU - only the die should
have a thin coat on it. You don't want so much paste on the die
that it ends up coating any circuitry on the top of the chip.

Zalman VF700-Cu graphics card cooler and ramsinks:
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=149&code=013
http://www.zalman.co.kr/product/cooler/VF700_compatiblelist_eng.html

Paul
Click to expand...

The connections are fine. The fans move freely and spin by just blowing on
them. The unit has been in operation for 16 months. Altering the card would
void my warranty. I guess it's RMA time.
 
Better to initiate the RMA rather that modify anything.
In case the RMA isn't accepted, the you can think on modifications.
 
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