Trying to glue a fan to a GPU heatsink.

[Man]

So I've this old GT730 from Inno3D whose fan is on the brink of death. It wobbles and makes a terrible grinding noise. Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to zip tie a case fan and replacement fans are pretty much non-existent. Just out of curiosity, I opened it up just to see what's inside and it looks like a single ball bearing design. I tried to lube it with some motor oil but it did absolutely nothing which means the bearing is worn out. 

 

In any case, I've an old case fan which is the exact same size (~50mm) and after cutting its frame with a hot knife; it fits perfectly inside that heatsink hole or whatever you'd like to call it (English isn't my native tongue). Problem is, I can't screw it to the heatsink!

 

Seems like gluing is the only viable option but I've never done anything like this before so any input would be appreciated. I looked into superglue but seems like it can't withstand high temperatures and this thing gets pretty hot courtesy of the Fermi architecture (rebadged GT440) and the tiny heatsink.
 

Any ideas?

 

 

 

[HanZie82]

If you want something that can handle the temps get a 2 component glue.

But that does mean you almost wont be able to take the fan of later, as most of that is really tough.

Maybe get some 3M double sided tape? There are some very sticky ones...

[RTX 3090]

You could leave the casing on the case fan on, and then (super) glue the frame of the case fan to the heatsink

6 minutes ago, Man said:

I looked into superglue but seems like it can't withstand high temperatures

You could try using high temperature epoxy

[Grabhanem]

From what I'm reading, super glue will hold up at much higher temperatures than the GPU will survive at.

[SupaKomputa]

just zip tie it. superglue will be very messy.

[Man]

3 minutes ago, Grabhanem said:

From what I'm reading, super glue will hold up at much higher temperatures than the GPU will survive at.

You're probably right. Guess I was looking at 'regular' super glues! Just Googled a bit more and it appears there's a stronger super glue adhesive called "Cyanoacrylate" which can have a temperature resistance of up to 250°C (482°F). That's on par with industrial grade epoxy which I was considering + I can probably remove the super glue with vinegar whereas epoxy is pretty much... permeant!

 

Thinking about going that route but if someone has a better idea do let me know. 

[HanZie82]

6 minutes ago, Man said:

there's a stronger super glue adhesive called "Cyanoacrylate" which can have a temperature resistance of up to 250°C (482°F).

That IS superglue.
Others are just bad copies?

 

Also note Cyanoacrylate dries up really hard, so it will not be able to bend, and this might be a bad idea to mount a fan (considering all the vibrations). Besides it not adhering all to well to metals and plastics.

(It was made to replace stitches for human skin, also why it glues skin so well. (Yes it is safe to use on wounds, if you get the real one).

[RTX 3090]

2 minutes ago, Man said:

I can probably remove the super glue with vinegar

Super glue is near impossible to remove, epoxy I think you can melt it off. Anyways, don't you want a permanent solution ? Are you planning to remove the fan after a while. You could also just get a VGA cooler if you want a full solution https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Titan-Heatpipe-Twin-Turbo-VGA-Cooler-Fan-For-Nvidia-Geforce-Graphic-Card-Etc/373318411544

Many GPU dies use the same mount, but double check the dimensions before hand

[RTX 3090]

5 minutes ago, Man said:

Cyanoacrylate

Thats the name of adhesive in the super glue. Super cheap too, like £1 a bottle (UK)

[Man]

7 minutes ago, HanZie82 said:

That IS superglue.
Others are just bad copies?

 

Also note Cyanoacrylate dries up really hard, so it will not be able to bend, and this might be a bad idea to mount a fan (considering all the vibrations). Besides it not adhering all to well to metals and plastics.

(It was made to replace stitches for human skin, also why it glues skin so well. (Yes it is safe to use on wounds, if you get the real one).

So... should I go with epoxy instead?

 

This is so confusing!

 

8 minutes ago, RTX 3090 said:

er glue is near impossible to remove, epoxy I think you can melt it off. Anyways, don't you want a permanent solution ? Are you planning to remove the fan after a while. You could also just get a VGA cooler if you want a full solution https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Titan-Heatpipe-Twin-Turbo-VGA-Cooler-Fan-For-Nvidia-Geforce-Graphic-Card-Etc/373318411544

Many GPU dies use the same mount, but double check the dimensions before hand

Actually the case fan is pretty old as well. Don't think it has much life left in it! That's why I'd prefer something I could easily remove later.  

[HanZie82]

11 minutes ago, Man said:

So... should I go with epoxy instead?

 

This is so confusing!

 

Actually the case fan is pretty old as well. Don't think it has much life left in it! That's why I'd prefer something I could easily remove later.  

As long as there is some wind going over the cooling fins. It doesnt really matter if its a fan that fits.
Even if you just strap a 120MM fan to the side it should work fine.

 

But personally for glue i would've used this (yes from my personal collection )

Just a simple somewhat stinky glue. That dries up a lot smaller but not completely rigid. No mention of temps but im sure it can hold up to at least 100C and you wont go above that.

Also you can remove this with acetone. But im not sure what the name is in other countries. (Hence the full picture)

 

[RTX 3090]

Superglue although weaker, is harder to remove, With epoxy you can use a heatgun and take it off. Similar to phone screens, they heat it, then remove it. Both are capable of doing what you want. Super glue requires maximum 10-15 minutes to fully set, epoxy takes a maximum of 24 hours. If you use super glue, put a very small amount on, just enough to hold it in place. Too much and it may be too difficult to remove. Also try to put it in fewer points as possible, I would do around 3 - 4 small dots

[Man]

@HanZie82 That looks like it'd do the trick! Unfortunately, it's not available around here. 

 

@RTX 3090You're right. I can always use a heat gun to remove the epoxy plus it's much higher viscosity than superglue. I was considering this epoxy, do you think it will do the job?

 

 

 

[narrdarr]

I agree with zip tieing. It easy, less messy, and easy to remove.

[Man]

24 minutes ago, HanZie82 said:

As long as there is some wind going over the cooling fins. It doesnt really matter if its a fan that fits.
Even if you just strap a 120MM fan to the side it should work fine.

 

But personally for glue i would've used this (yes from my personal collection )

Just a simple somewhat stinky glue. That dries up a lot smaller but not completely rigid. No mention of temps but im sure it can hold up to at least 100C and you wont go above that.

Also you can remove this with acetone. But im not sure what the name is in other countries. (Hence the full picture)

 

I'd probably go with epoxy but do you think it's the same 'stuff'?

 

[Man]

2 minutes ago, narrdarr said:

I agree with zip tieing. It easy, less messy, and easy to remove.

That's not an option, unfortunately, given the design of the PCB!

[narrdarr]

7 minutes ago, Man said:

That's not an option, unfortunately, given the design of the PCB!

Do you have a side view? Usually there is a small gap between the pcb and the heatsink you can feed the zip tie through and wrap it around 

[RTX 3090]

24 minutes ago, Man said:

You're right. I can always use a heat gun to remove the epoxy plus it's much higher viscosity than superglue. I was considering this epoxy, do you think it will do the job?

Any should do the job. It's more expensive on Amazon, probably better just to get from a hardware store. If you get too high temperature epoxy, heat won't be able to remove it, I suggest to get the normal stuff if the GPU will stay below 80c. If they have a brand called unibond, try to get that one. Make sure not to get a high tempeature one. Something like this will do the job. 

This one sets in 5 minutes, but leave it for around 12 hours to properly dry.

[Jeppes]

Kintsuglue or Sugru ftw.

[HanZie82]

Or just go balls out!

 

[narrdarr]

22 minutes ago, HanZie82 said:

Or just go balls out!

 

Lol the fan is worth more then the gpu

[HanZie82]

2 minutes ago, narrdarr said:

Lol the fan is worth more then the gpu

Hahahaha yeah, i tought it was funny.
(Also the only fan i could find with transparency in the picture itself on a quick google-image search)

[The1Dickens]

Use the base of the old fan, remove the hub/post/motor part (cut off and file flush), mount the new fan base to it with whatever adhesive, and use the old fan base to screw it to the heatsink.

[HanZie82]

Just now, The1Dickens said:

Use the base of the old fan, remove the hub/post/motor part (cut off and file flush), mount the new fan base to it with whatever adhesive, and use the old fan base to screw it to the heatsink.

Thats a darn good idea, and might be the best solution for being able to remove the fan!

Its almost genius. (Wish i tought of that. )

[Man]

16 hours ago, HanZie82 said:

Or just go balls out!

 

 

LOL! I bought that GPU for like 15 bucks or something years ago! Just want to glue a fan and dump it on some poor fellow for $25-30, thanks to 'Corona inflation'! Already have an HD7790 in my other machine. 

 

15 hours ago, The1Dickens said:

Use the base of the old fan, remove the hub/post/motor part (cut off and file flush), mount the new fan base to it with whatever adhesive, and use the old fan base to screw it to the heatsink.

That's a great idea!

 

It's a shame I've already glued the fan with the epoxy. In any case, I'll keep it in mind for future reference.