Hardware & Technical Graphics card help

sinkarma

S
So my radeon R9 290's fans just died and everywhere I look there is no where a replacement fan for it... so... its pretty much junk now...
If I use it without a fan it will melt and bumb out

So now really I need to buy a new card.

I am just a teacher so money is short.

But I don't know what is good and what will run elite or not... I know some computer stuff but not a lot...

Would this do?

https://www.rebeltech.co.za/6444-sapphire-radeon-r7-250-2gb-ddr3-pci-express-30.html
 

Flimley

Flimley
Hello sinkarama, what screen are you using or do you wish to eventually go VR ? I'm just an enthusiast so not a full on computer geek.
Just looking at your proposed card, it will play the base game fine assuming you have a 1080p screen. But with horizons it will struggle and so you may be turning down the graphic settings. Etc.

Looking at Frontiers recommended graphics card they specify a R9 280X which had 3Gb of Vram. But as I say the game will work fine on a lower card with a bit of in game graphics tweaking.

Flimley
 
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Asp Explorer

Asp Explorer
If the fan controller onboard is still working, just unplug the existing fans and screw new ones in :)

Might look a bit junky, but it’ll work. If the fan controller is toast, just power the fans from another power connector.

If the whole card is toast, you’ll need a new one anyway :)
 

Flimley

Flimley
Oh yes. Why didn't I think of that....the man who has an extra fan running off the motherboard pointed strait at his graphics card.

Flimley
 

rrobes

R
Unfortunately, the GPU is just about the most important component in a PC if you are using it to play games. You can get away w/ a middle road CPU but many games are GPU-intensive, particularly on high settings, but you knew all this.

I recently had issues w/ a high-end AMD GPU, ran extremely hot and the fans would run full speed on any setting other than low. RMA on that one, gave the replacement card to my son.

I bought an Nvidia 1070, I know it's expensive but it's a card that will last for some time and it flat out runs. It's dead quiet, cool, will run ED at the highest graphics on the factory settings and can be overclocked, which isn't necessary.

They also have the 1050 and 1060 models that should do the trick as well. They have single and dual fan options, I would go for dual fans, as two fans running slower pull as much air as a single running faster. Heat is the enemy.

Higher end GPU prices are the one thing in the PC world that aren't cheap.
 
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ilmostro

ilmostro
OP - have you taken the card out and given it a good vacuum in the fan area? Try to stop the fan spinning when doing this, as the fan will turn into a dynamo. Yeah - I've checked on a voltmeter - you can easily generate 12 volts vacuuming a fan!
 

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
You can very easily remove a GPUs heatsink and fan assembly, and replace it with another.

It's usually 1 fan connector plug, and 4 screws. You just then need to clean the processor, and add more thermal paste and then reassemble the new cooler on top. :)
£50 tops, and maybe 30 minutes work.
There's plenty of video guides. :)

Beats spending £400+ on a new card.

But then I'm a stingy . Lol

Also, list your budget. A modern day R9 290 is at a total guess, somewhere around the nVidia GTX 1060(ti?) performance mark, maybe 1070..? (Guessing here)

I just sold a R9 280x to CEX. Don't buy any you see in their shop. It's broken. Lol
CEX is a good place to go to find a good cheap GPU. They had a GTX 970 for £195, with 2 years warranty.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
 
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Asp Explorer

Asp Explorer
ilmostro said:
OP - have you taken the card out and given it a good vacuum in the fan area? Try to stop the fan spinning when doing this, as the fan will turn into a dynamo. Yeah - I've checked on a voltmeter - you can easily generate 12 volts vacuuming a fan!
Click to expand...

That's a great way to knacker bearings :D

Hoovering fans isn't a bad idea if you can keep the blades still while doing so, but if a part has got the point where there's enough fluff to need hovering - it's generally always a better idea to disassemble it and service it properly :D
 

Ozric

Volunteer Moderator
Ozric
Asp Explorer said:
That's a great way to knacker bearings :D

Hoovering fans isn't a bad idea if you can keep the blades still while doing so, but if a part has got the point where there's enough fluff to need hovering - it's generally always a better idea to disassemble it and service it properly :D
Click to expand...

Yeah sod hoovering, just buy a can of compressed air. Works wonders as long as you don't inhale :D
 

sinkarma

S
I have cleaned the fans... not helping when 1 has suddenly popped out its socket and refuses to spin anymore
anyway...

I am looking into buying just a new fan but so far down here in south africa everyone is useless and its been impossible to find a new fan
 

Aashenfox

Aashenfox
Barely used and new GTX 970s aren't bad on ebay these days, that would be my budget suggestion. About the same power as you had before, much more efficient card, try to get a MSI gaming G4 one. If you feel it's time for an upgrade, any Nvidia 10 series will satisfy, I'm afraid I don't know much about hte current generation of AMD cards.
 

Elan

Elan
Remove the old fans + shroud and zip-tie a couple of case fans to the heatsink.

No really!

[video=youtube;-yQHAMz1v5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yQHAMz1v5g[/video]
 

Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
sinkarma said:
But I don't know what is good and what will run elite or not... I know some computer stuff but not a lot...
Click to expand...

Check the hardware recommended details for Elite Dangerous, then use this site that does a great job of ordering GPU's in a hierarchical order:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html

This will give you a nice idea on what to look for. Then i'd check some prices on Amazon (just for getting an idea of costs) and start to look around local to you, like in those computer repair shops etc and see if you can find a card you want for the price you can afford. New GPU's are currently over-priced due to the bitcoin rush, and it may take a while for prices to settle down again.
 

ilmostro

ilmostro
Asp Explorer said:
That's a great way to knacker bearings :D

Hoovering fans isn't a bad idea if you can keep the blades still while doing so, but if a part has got the point where there's enough fluff to need hovering - it's generally always a better idea to disassemble it and service it properly :D
Click to expand...

I specifically said don't let the fan spin! The bearings are the least of your worries, it's the RPM related voltage and current the the motor produces that will cause the most damage.

Yes - total dismantle is the best option, but given the OP asked here, I'm sure they aren't going to go down that route.

If it was me, the whole card would be in bits, checked and re-assembled!

As you can see, I like to get my hands dirty! :







 
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