Where to find a heatsink fan for NVidia FX 5200?

[James]

I have an NVidia GeForce FX 5200 card and the fan is having issues,
making intermittent noise. I took it out and put a 1/2 drop of 10W-40
motor oil on the end of the shaft that was exposed when I removed the
decal on the bottom which has gotten rid of the noise for now, but I
assume this is only going to be a temporary fix. Where can I find just
the fan for an older card like this?

So far haven't found anything by searching online. Striking out on
ebay.

Thanks.

 

[Andy]

This should work; check the mounting dimensions.
RED Mini UFO Universal VGA Video Card Cooler LED Fan
<http://cgi.ebay.com/RED-Mini-UFO-Un...hZ025QQcategoryZ80151QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem>
<http://www.evercool.com.tw/products/vc_ri.htm>

 

[James]

I'm not sure how you struck out on ebay.  Search there for
"FX5200 heatsink", and checkmark the "include Title and
Description" box.http://desc.shop.ebay.com/items/__FX5200-heatsink_W0QQLHQ5fTitleDescZ...

I struck out looking for just a fan. Nothing wrong with the heatsink.
I imagine the solid chunk of aluminum will last until the sun burns
out.

 

[Benjamin Gawert]

* James:

I have an NVidia GeForce FX 5200 card and the fan is having issues,
making intermittent noise. I took it out and put a 1/2 drop of 10W-40
motor oil on the end of the shaft that was exposed when I removed the
decal on the bottom which has gotten rid of the noise for now, but I
assume this is only going to be a temporary fix. Where can I find just
the fan for an older card like this?

Difficult, and if you find a fan it probably costs more than this 5+
year old low end card is worth.

Besides that, the Geforce FX5200 can be passive cooled easily (and
that's what has been done on most cards) as it doesn't produce that much
heat. Some manufacturers gave their FX5200 cards a fan not because of
the heat but because it looks more expensive or powerful. Usually, if
the fan dies, just remove it, the average heat sink used on these cards
should provide enough cooling for the GPU.

Benjamin

 

[Benjamin Gawert]

* kony:

That is not good advice. When such a low powered card as
these uses a fanned heatsink, to cut costs they use the bare
minimum fanned heatsink they can to cut costs.

Because of this, IF they had used an alternative, larger
passive heatsink it would work ok, or if they use a much
smaller fanned sink, also ok, but using the much smaller
formerly fanned 'sink without that fan is a big risk.

No, it's not. I have several Geforce FX5200 cards here which are stock
passively cooled with very small heatsinks. This GPU has very simple
cooling requirements and should work flawlessly without fan if there is
at least some minimal airflow in the computer.

So in reality the "big risk" you are talking about means a very little
chance to overheat a 5+ year old low end card which has no real value
any more, for which the price of the fan very likely will be higher than
what a similar or better card can be bought for on the used market, and
which can be replaced with something better and faster for a few bucks
today.

Benjamin

 

[rms]

Depending on how worn the fan bearing was, how long it ran

like that, odds are fair that it may run for a long time
after relubed

This part is certainly true. I've relubed noisy fans with Inox spray
lube, and they are going strong and silent two years later.

though ideally you would want to use a higher
viscosity oil than 10W-30 as the thicker it is the thicker
the film strength

This is so wrong. Get Inox spray lube, hardware stores will have it, or
order online. It's the best computer fan lube, bar none.

rms

 

[Augustus]

That is not good advice. When such a low powered card as
these uses a fanned heatsink, to cut costs they use the bare
minimum fanned heatsink they can to cut costs.

Because of this, IF they had used an alternative, larger
passive heatsink it would work ok, or if they use a much
smaller fanned sink, also ok, but using the much smaller
formerly fanned 'sink without that fan is a big risk.

It's very good advice....I've seen cards like the FX5200 usually perform
just fine with the fan removed and leaving the existing h/s assembly on.
Case ventilation is usually adequate for this. If it's an FX5200 Ultra it
might be an issue but these are very rare.

 

[Paul]

It's very good advice....I've seen cards like the FX5200 usually perform
just fine with the fan removed and leaving the existing h/s assembly on.
Case ventilation is usually adequate for this. If it's an FX5200 Ultra it
might be an issue but these are very rare.

My batting average is 50:50.

I purchased two FX5200 AGP cards. Each had a passive heatsink with
no provision for a fan. They were different brands, but the heatsink
is roughly the same size (heatsink is larger than the one used with
an integrated fan).

1) One card, you could game with it all day long without a problem.
It didn't need anything more than the normal low level of air
movement through the case.

2) The second card couldn't game for very long at all. Give it 5 minutes or so.
I added an 80mm case fan next to the card, and now that card is fine.
As a consequence of that, both computers now have a fan next to the
card. You can use a wooden stick or a piece of metal, and hold it in
place with a couple PCI slot cover screws - the fan is held to that with
nylon ties.

For me, it would be a case of "your mileage may vary". Both of those
cards are the cheesy 64-bit memory subsystem version.

Paul

 

[Ed Medlin]

It's very good advice....I've seen cards like the FX5200 usually perform
just fine with the fan removed and leaving the existing h/s assembly on.
Case ventilation is usually adequate for this. If it's an FX5200 Ultra it
might be an issue but these are very rare.

Mounting a quiet fan blowing over the HS of the card would eliminate the
problem. I have mounted fans in trouble areas many times and tie wraps work
great for mounting a fan about anywhere you might need a bit more airflow.


Ed

 

[Benjamin Gawert]

* kony:

It is also possible the card overheats,
locks up the system, fails completely... not just after
having ran it for a few days, the heat buildup stresses it
longer term.

Even when the chances are low, of course it can be possible. So what?
Having wasted a card that has no remaining value and where better
replacement can be had probably for less than what a new fan would have
cost?

It's more likely if someone plays games than
not, but still a risk either way.

Well, if someone plays games that really cause a raise of GPU
temperature then overheating will definitely be the least problem he has.

I get dead computer gear all the time because of fan
failures. It's sound advice to have a fan on a card which
the manufacturer fitted with a fan, when using the original
heatsink still.

Yeah, generally. But we are not talking generally, it's about a very
specific situation. It's amazing how this is overlooked again and again
in this thread.

Benjamin

 

[Benjamin Gawert]

* kony:

IF the card isn't used for anything 3D it may run at lower
clockspeed and voltage,

No, it doesn't.

if that is the case it would be
easier to cool, but still a big risk as even some
screensavers cause 3D mode.

Right. But this doesn't change a thing.

Big risk isn't just about loss of a low value card, it's
about replacement cost and system downtime

Nonsense. If downtime would be an issue the OP probably had already
bought a replacement.

, big risk is a
relative term since we are talking about a video card not an
atom bomb. The risk to that video card is a big one without
the fan it was meant to have on the original 'sink and
that's why they didn't just save 20 cents by doing without
the fan or why they spend more for a larger heatsink when
it's a passive heatsink.

Well, maybe you should look at the specific situation, which is what you
obviously haven't done because most things you said are just not valid
for the actual problem. You might want to get informed about what a
Geforce FX5200 really is, how it performs, how much power it draws and
what amount of heat it dissipates.

Talking about things that might be valid for most cases when some fan
failed but which are not applicable to this situation is a waste of time.

Benjamin

 

[Derek]

Ok, and using the right lube I've had some run over 10
years, others thrown away with retired parts years later so
I'd have no idea when they might've failed in the future.
Tiny, small diameter and small thickness horizontally
mounted sleeve bearing video card and chipset fans are among
the hardest to keep working longer term, that is why the
choice of lube becomes more important than with other fans
in a PC. Fortunately the chipset fans are seldom horizontal
unless the case is a desktop instead of tower type, but
unless the case is a desktop instead of tower the video card
fan is almost always horizontal which is a potential
problem.

ASTM D445 weight for Inox is 10/2.5 (40C/100C)
ASTM D445 weight for 10W30 motor oil ~ 73/11.
ASTM D445 weight for 20W50 motor oil ~158/19


Plain old 20W50 motor oil is still too thin for the best
result but many times better than Inox. Recognize that
viscosity is the most important factor in a fan. The
tolerances in a worn fan (to the point of needing relubed)
are greater than in an automobile and even an automobile
needs more viscous oil than 10/2.5. The oil is most
effective when it is displacing part of the empty area in
the bearing and when the higher film strength keeps the fan
shaft from an eliptical pattern (which is the shape a
bearing wears towards). If the shaft is not kept from an
elliptical pattern this forces more lube out the more
elliptical it becomes.

would a more suitable alternative be an EP oil as they are much
more viscous then normal engine oils say EP90 ( Landrover nut here of
course)
Derek

 

[Andrew Smallshaw]

would a more suitable alternative be an EP oil as they are much
more viscous then normal engine oils say EP90 ( Landrover nut here of
course)
Derek

Yes.