GPU fan is acting weird

[dooda]

Hello everyone.

 

I have encountered a very weird situation with my GPU, Gigabyte's GTX 1050 ti OC. I have had this GPU for about three years and never had problem with it until recently. Let me describe it to you.

 

When the PC is idle and I'm not doing anything, I can hear a vibration (more like grinding sound, you will hear it in the video below) coming from my GPU. This grinding lasts for about minute or two and then stops. This recurs every ten to fifteen minutes. I know that it is coming from my GPU since I stopped the fan with my finger and the grinding sound stopped, but after the fan starts again the grinding sound comes back. It's like it's programmed to do its two minute grinding sound and then go back to normal. Now, the GPU under load doesn't produce this sound, I can hear only the fan spinning and cooling as it's supposed to do. 

 

Things I have tried/done: 

• Cleaned dust from the fan, didn't help
• Installed older NVIDIA drivers, didn't help
• Downloaded MSI Afterburner and adjusted the fan curve, didn't help. Interestingly, I played with the fan curve and found that if I put 50% and above (min. is 33%), the grinding/vibrating sound doesn't happen. But I don't want it to be at 50% all the time since it's rather loud and it disturbes me. 

I have googled this but couldn't indentify it. It is not coil whine, dead fan (maybe it is dying) or other things I have seen asked about GPU fans. One thing I did not do is change the thermal paste, since I don't know how and I'm afraid that I will break something.

 

Here's the video in which you can hear this annoying sound: GFYCAT link.

Even though the fan blade spins throughout the way, you can hear at the end that there is some kind of switch where regular fan cooling noise kicks in after the grinding comes to halt.

 

Would love to hear your opinions for this.

 

dooda

[ThijsKunst]

this sounds like the bearings in the fans arent that happy. you can remove one of the fans by removing the 3 or 4 screws. then look at the modelNR. you can order new ones by typing that nr in on amazon or aliexpress. if you need to take the cooler of to replace them, be sure to order some thermal paste as well.

[dooda]

10 minutes ago, Bob116 said:

this sounds like the bearings in the fans arent that happy. you can remove one of the fans by removing the 3 or 4 screws. then look at the modelNR. you can order new ones by typing that nr in on amazon or aliexpress. if you need to take the cooler of to replace them, be sure to order some thermal paste as well.

Did not know about that, will try to do it thanks!