I'm curious about a replacement myself.

Usually in situations like this, I would remove the fan and look at the sticker on the back, it should tell you the name and model type of the fan.

Also measure the fan diameter and the mounting hole spacing, in millimeters.

Then search ebay, aliexpress, or your favorite search engine for a cooler fan that matches either the fan model, or the size and mounting pattern.

But if that fails, you can try extending the life of the current fan by cleaning it out thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol. Then peel back the sticker, and add a few drops of machine oil to the shaft bearing.

I would try what pixel_workbench suggests as I have seen alot of different gpu fans on ebay or aliexpress.

I have a Sapphire Radeon X800 XL Ultimate, one of the reasons I bought it back in the day was the cooling solution.

Grem Five wrote on 2022-03-07, 03:03:

I would try what pixel_workbench suggests as I have seen alot of different gpu fans on ebay or aliexpress. […]
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I would try what pixel_workbench suggests as I have seen alot of different gpu fans on ebay or aliexpress.

I have a Sapphire Radeon X800 XL Ultimate, one of the reasons I bought it back in the day was the cooling solution.

That looks really nice actually. Didn't know those Zalman HSFs were used this way.

Just keep in mind that these coolers tend to take up 2 slots if not more, and the screws stick out from the back which can cause problems in tight cases. Finding single slot cooling solutions is rather difficult unfortunately.

About a year ago I saw some cheap FireGL V5100 (like $15) on ebay I almost bought them just for their coolers thinking I could use them on on my 9800s until I realized those cards are X8xx based not 9800 based.

Those coolers would work great on X8xx cards but unfortunately when I looked recently the only cards I saw were list like from $30-100 so not a good deal just for a cooler.

Still be much easier to get the info off the fan and look for that.

Those replacement fans are quite expensive, given you can find one at all. I was looking for some for myself but found it almost impossible to source one since they are mostly long end-of-life and hence unobtainable.
This for example is one of an ATi AiW 9600 card I have:
https://www.mouser.de/datasheet/2/6/Adda_AP45 … _LF-1155524.pdf

If you are sure it is the bearing that makes the noise you can remove the rotor and see if the bearing can be removed: There's some kind of washer under the label on the underside which holds the rotor axially in place. Remove it, then the rotor can be slipped out and the bearing should be visible. They are mostly just pressed in and with some gently power can be removed.
If it is a ball bearing you can buy replacement from ebay. Just measure the diameter, bore and height. Some searching on the net will reveal the standard name ( e.g. "MR52 ZZ" for a 2x5x2.5mm type).
Here's a website to start looking (only in German, sorry):
https://shop-rc.causemann.de/Kugellager

Of course, a complete & new fan/heatsink combination would be the nicer solution.

On the other hand I wouldn't use oil for lubrication because it finds its way out of the bearing soon. Better use some more solid grease which will stay in place.
New bearings are already greased and sealed by the way. So no need to add more of it.

ChrisK wrote on 2022-03-14, 20:04:

Those replacement fans are quite expensive, given you can find one at all. I was looking for some for myself but found it almost […]
Show full quote

Those replacement fans are quite expensive, given you can find one at all. I was looking for some for myself but found it almost impossible to source one since they are mostly long end-of-life and hence unobtainable.
This for example is one of an ATi AiW 9600 card I have:
https://www.mouser.de/datasheet/2/6/Adda_AP45 … _LF-1155524.pdf

If you are sure it is the bearing that makes the noise you can remove the rotor and see if the bearing can be removed: There's some kind of washer under the label on the underside which holds the rotor axially in place. Remove it, then the rotor can be slipped out and the bearing should be visible. They are mostly just pressed in and with some gently power can be removed.
If it is a ball bearing you can buy replacement from ebay. Just measure the diameter, bore and height. Some searching on the net will reveal the standard name ( e.g. "MR52 ZZ" for a 2x5x2.5mm type).
Here's a website to start looking (only in German, sorry):
https://shop-rc.causemann.de/Kugellager

Of course, a complete & new fan/heatsink combination would be the nicer solution.

On the other hand I wouldn't use oil for lubrication because it finds its way out of the bearing soon. Better use some more solid grease which will stay in place.
New bearings are already greased and sealed by the way. So no need to add more of it.

Thanks for the details - this is very useful!

The fan is an ADDA AD4512HB-E03. I can find a used one on eBay for EUR15, but it's in pretty bad condition:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275203372866

I was able to disassemble the fan entirely (the washer was difficult to get off but eventually was able to remove it) - it uses two bearing assemblies. Even after applying lubricant, they're still very noisy - I think they are too old and worn out. Will measure them up and order some replacements

This is turning into a fun project! 😆

Grem Five wrote on 2022-03-07, 03:03:

I would try what pixel_workbench suggests as I have seen alot of different gpu fans on ebay or aliexpress. […]
Show full quote

I would try what pixel_workbench suggests as I have seen alot of different gpu fans on ebay or aliexpress.

I have a Sapphire Radeon X800 XL Ultimate, one of the reasons I bought it back in the day was the cooling solution.

That cooler with ram sinks works very well! I had one.

Unless you really want the card to stay single slot, just buy the chinese zalman copy from ebay, cheap and provides better cooling.

Dolenc wrote on 2022-03-18, 09:33:

Unless you really want the card to stay single slot, just buy the chinese zalman copy from ebay, cheap and provides better cooling.

Linky? Is this specifically designed to fit our opd cards? Has a universal option?

Ebay.de

Has different mounting options, you check the holes before ofc 😀.

I ordered from that exact link on top, got the version with the transparent fan.

Dolenc wrote on 2022-03-18, 10:51:

Ebay.de […]
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Ebay.de

Has different mounting options, you check the holes before ofc 😀.

I ordered from that exact link on top, got the version with the transparent fan.
s-l1600.jpg

That's the cheaper option or on ebay there is a guy selling 2 zalman VF700s which should be the exact cooler as on my card pictured above but not in blue of course.