GPU fan not spinning

Hey,
I've been having issues with my graphics card fan over the last couple of days... sometimes it works, and sometimes it just doesn't.
The card is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX Series and I'm running Windows 10.

For example, I was playing something on my PC and noticed a massive FPS drop. My first thought was that the GPU was overheating. I checked the NVIDIA settings and saw it hitting 90 degrees. When I opened up the PC case to try and cool things down, I realized the fan wasn't spinning at all—it tries to start, but it feels like something is blocking it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vup...5efNGcNYg/view

So, it kind of acts like this: it either works or it doesn't.

I actually took the card apart to get to the fan because I thought maybe there was some dust or something jamming it. There was a little bit of dust, but nothing crazy.
I put everything back together and fired up the PC, but the same thing happened. The fan tries to spin, but it can't. It was getting late, so I just shut the computer down and decided to deal with it again tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow, I'm going to test it to see if it'll actually run and let me adjust the fan speed in the settings.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w1C...C24VJ7huE/view

I set it to run at about 70-80% so I could hear it working and make sure it was cooling properly. I started a game, but after about 30 or 45 minutes, it just stopped working again and went back to trying to spin without moving.

Anyone know what might be causing this?

It could be
- a busted voltage/fan speed controller on the GPU; there’s no fixing that once it's gone.
- some shorts or blown switches in the motor itself; you can grab an ohmmeter and check that out.
- a warped bearing because the motor shaft has been cooking for too long; try cleaning it up and hitting it with some high-quality machine oil or even watchmaker's oil. It's also possible the self-lubricating material in the sleeve bearing just wore down to nothing.

Honestly, the smartest move is to just swap out the fan before you end up frying the actual graphics card. Then we'll see what happens.

I'm leaning towards just buying a new fan, but the real headache is finding one that actually fits a card this old. I've been digging around online, but I haven't turned up anything yet.
Do you think I could swap in a fan from a different card? If so, what kind should I be looking for? So far, I've only been searching for an exact match for my current one.

Richard Johnson said:I'm pretty sure just grabbing a new fan is the smartest move, but man, where am I supposed to find a replacement for a card that's basically a decade old? I've been scouring the web and coming up totally empty.
Do you think I could scavenge a fan from some other GPU? If so, what kind should I be looking for? I've only really been hunting for one that fits my specific card.

Fans are actually pretty standardized. Try to hunt down the specific model number on the fan itself—that'll make your life way easier. If you can't find an exact match, just look up the specs and grab something similar or even slightly beefier. Honestly, you can often find these old fans sitting in junk bins on old, broken cards for next to nothing.

Oh! Something else just popped into my head. Most PCs have multiple fans, including ones meant to help the GPU. A lot of times, they're set up in a way where the airflow actually fights against itself. Just shifting the card in its slot, plugging some holes in the case, or adding a fan to blow fresh air in from the front (or suck hot air out through the back expansion slots) can take a massive load off the existing fans. Map out how the air is moving inside your case and see if you can optimize it. Usually, that CPU cooler is just dumping all its heat right onto the graphics card.

You could always just mount a case fan directly onto the graphics card and call it a day... just plug it straight into the motherboard

Sure, it’ll be blowing air constantly, but at least your GPU won't be overheating on you

swiftowl7 said:You could just mount a case fan directly onto the graphics card and call it a day. Just plug it straight into the motherboard and you're set.

Will the fans keep spinning like this? At least the graphics card isn't overheating.

Just put this together. It’s not a permanent fix, but it'll do until I find the right solution.

Jack Cook7 said:Your fans are pretty standard. Try looking for the specific model number on them—that should make finding a replacement quick. If you can't find the exact match, just grab the specs and look for something similar or slightly more powerful. These series often have those old fans just sitting around on broken cards, practically for free.

Something else just crossed my mind. Most PC cases have multiple fans, including the ones on the graphics card itself. A lot of the time, they're positioned in a way where the airflow actually works against itself. Moving the card to a different slot, blocking certain vents, or even adding a fan—like one in the front to pull in cool air or one at the back to vent heat out through the expansion slots—can take a huge load off the other fans. Map out how the air flows inside your case and see if there’s anything you can fix. Usually, the CPU cooler just ends up blowing hot air right onto the GPU.

I actually found the exact same fan on eBay for about $10, but I’d much rather find a used one locally. I don't really feel like waiting a month for something to ship all the way from China.
Thanks a lot for this. I'll start looking around next week.

I mean, why wouldn't you just grab a newer card if your current one is basically twenty years old at this point? Which specific graphics card are we even talking about here?

swiftowl7 said:Why wouldn't you just grab a newer card if the one you have is 20 years old? What GPU are we talking about here?

It's an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580.
I don't really know the rest of my PC specs since I don't use it much...
For gaming, I mostly stick to PlayStation, but on my PC, I occasionally play sims like Euro Truck Simulator 2 or various City building games.
So, I don't need anything crazy. If you have any suggestions for something affordable, let me know.😁

Just patch this together while you can. You’re probably gonna end up dropping at least $500-$200 on a decent GPU (and even then, it'll be used), though I guess you don't really need the extra performance anyway...