GPU Fan Rattling, Grinding or Clicking? How to Stop the Noise

In this guide (7 sections)

• First, find where the noise comes from
• 1. A cable is touching the fan blades
• 2. Something on the card is loose or rubbing
• 3. The card is vibrating against the case
• 4. A fan bearing is wearing out
• 5. The noise isn’t coming from the card’s fans
• Real cases: what other users ran into

Your graphics cardGPU (graphics card): The graphics card: the part that creates the picture you see on the monitor. More in our PC basics glossary →Close ✕ has started rattling, clicking or making a rough scraping sound, and you want to know whether it’s about to break. Good news: a strange noise is often something small, like a cable brushing the fan blades or a loose piece of plastic. Even when a fan is really wearing out, the card itself is fine and the fan can be replaced.

This guide is about mechanical sounds: things that rattle, tick, scrape or wobble. If your card is simply loud, like a steady whoosh, see our guide to a loud graphics card fan instead.

First, find where the noise comes from

Before you change anything, make sure the graphics card is really the source. Case fans, the power supply and the processor cooler can all make similar sounds.

1. Take the side panel off with the PC running (keep your fingers away from the fans).
2. Roll a sheet of paper into a tube. Hold one end to your ear and move the other end slowly around the inside of the PC. The noise gets much louder when the tube points at its source.
3. Change the card’s fan speed. In a free tool such as MSI AfterburnerMSI Afterburner: A free app that shows graphics card temperatures and lets you set the fan speed. It works with most NVIDIA and AMD cards. More in our Graphics cards & display glossary →Close ✕, set the fans to a fixed speed, for example 40%, then 70%, then 100%, and listen. If the sound changes with the speed, it comes from the card’s fans.
4. Switch the PC off and listen again. If you still hear a high-pitched sound, it isn’t coming from the PC at all.

Don’t stop the fans with your fingers to find the noisy one. It’s easy to bend a fan blade, and a cardboard tube does the job better.

What you hear	When	Most likely cause	Where to look
You hear a fast ticking or clicking sound.	Whenever the cooling fans spin	A cable or something small touching the fan blades	Cause 1
You hear a rattle or buzz that comes and goes.	At certain fan speeds only	A loose cover, screw or fin on the card	Cause 2
The noise started after you fitted a new card or moved the PC.	When you game or at certain speeds	A loose part, or the card vibrating against the case	Causes 2 and 3
A low hum or rattle stops when you press gently on the card.	Any time the cooling fans spin	The card vibrating against the case	Cause 3
You hear a rough grinding or scraping noise, worse on cold starts.	Any time one fan spins	A worn fan bearing	Cause 4
One fan wobbles or spins slower than the others.	Any time	A worn fan bearing	Cause 4
You hear a high-pitched whine that changes with the frame rate.	In games and menus	Coil whine, not a fan	Cause 5
You still hear the noise when the card’s cooling fans are stopped.	Any time	A case fan, the power supply or something outside the PC	Cause 5

1. A cable is touching the fan blades

This is the most common cause of a fast tick-tick-tick sound, and the easiest to fix. A power cable, a fan cable or a cable tie can sag onto the card and brush the fan blades every time they turn. The noise often starts after you’ve moved the PC or fitted a new part.

How to check: switch the PC off and unplug it. Shine a phone torch around the card’s fans from several angles, including from below. Look for any cable, cable tie, sticker or piece of plastic film that comes close to the fan blades.

Fix: move the cable away and hold it in place with a cable tie or a piece of tape on the case. Remove any leftover protective film on the card. Then turn each fan by hand: it should spin freely without touching anything.

2. Something on the card is loose or rubbing

The plastic cover around the fans (the fan shroudFan shroud: The plastic or metal cover on a graphics card that holds its cooling fans. More in our Graphics cards & display glossary →Close ✕) is held on by small screws. If one works loose, or if a metal fin of the heatsinkHeatsink: A block of metal fins that pulls heat away from a chip. Fans blow air through it. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕ sits too close to the plastic, they can rattle against each other at certain fan speeds. New cards can have this from the factory.

How to check: with the PC off, gently press on different parts of the cover and the back plate. Does anything move or click? With the PC on, change the fan speed in MSI Afterburner. A rattle that only appears at one speed range usually means something is vibrating.

Fix: tighten any loose screws you can reach on the cover, without forcing them. If a fin touches the plastic, a small gap can stop the noise, but bending parts on a card under warranty is risky. On a new card, ask the store or the card maker for a replacement instead.

3. The card is vibrating against the case

Big graphics cards are heavy and can bend slightly in their slot (called “GPU sag”). The card may then touch a cable, the bottom of the case or the cover over the power supply, and pass the vibration on as a hum or rattle.

How to check: with the PC running, gently press on the end of the card with a finger or a pencil. If the noise changes or stops, vibration is the cause.

Fix: make sure the screws holding the card’s metal bracket to the PC case are tight. Use the support bracket that came with the card, or a cheap GPU support stand, so the card sits level. Keep cables away from its underside.

4. A fan bearing is wearing out

A fan spins on a small fan bearingFan bearing: The part inside a fan that lets it spin smoothly. A worn bearing grinds or rattles. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕. After a few years, or sooner on a faulty fan, the bearing wears or dries out. You then hear a rough grinding, scraping or “motorbike” sound, often worse when the PC is cold and better once it warms up. The fan may also wobble or spin slower than the others.

How to check: switch the PC off and unplug it. Turn each fan gently with a finger:

• A healthy fan spins smoothly and keeps turning for a moment.
• A worn fan feels rough or gritty, stops quickly, or has noticeable play when you rock the center (hub) gently from side to side.

Check the speed in RPMRPM (fan speed): Revolutions per minute: how many times a fan turns each minute. It's the real measure of fan speed. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕ as well: in a free tool such as GPU-Z or HWiNFO, a failing fan often shows a lower reading than the others at the same setting.

Fix: a worn bearing won’t fix itself, and it usually gets louder until the fan stops.

• Under warranty: start an RMARMA (warranty return): Sending a faulty part back to the shop or maker under warranty to be repaired or replaced. More in our PC basics glossary →Close ✕ (a warranty return) with the card maker or the store where you bought it. Fans are a common warranty repair.
• Out of warranty: replace the fan. It’s a straightforward job on most cards. Our guide to replacing a graphics card fan shows how to find the right part and swap it.

Some people peel the label off the back of the fan and add a drop of light machine oil. On many graphics card fans the bearing is sealed, so this rarely lasts long. Treat it as a stopgap until the replacement fan arrives.

Until the fan is replaced, keep an eye on your temperatures and avoid long gaming sessions. If one fan stops completely, the card will run hotter.

5. The noise isn’t coming from the card’s fans

Sometimes the graphics card gets the blame for a noise that comes from somewhere else:

• Coil whine is a high-pitched electrical buzz from tiny parts on the card, not from the cooling fans. It changes with the frame rate and is loudest in game menus. See our guide to coil whine.
• A case fan or the power supply can rattle or grind in the same way. The paper-tube test above tells you which one it is. For the power supply, see power supply noises.
• Something outside the PC. If you still hear the sound with the PC switched off, the source is elsewhere in the room.

Real cases: what other users ran into

Real caseGeForce RTX 3060 12GBSolvedA fast ticking sound from a heatsink touching the coverRead what happened

In October 2022, the person who posted heard a fast crackling, ticking sound from a pre-built PC about three months old. Disconnecting the card’s power cable and running on the processor’s built-in graphics made the sound stop, which proved the card was the source. They cleaned it and looked for something caught in the fan blades, but found nothing. When they looked more closely, part of the heatsink sat very close to the card’s plastic cover. They gently made a small gap between the two, and after 10–15 minutes of testing the noise had gone. They planned to check it over the following days but didn’t post again.

Takeaway: a ticking noise isn’t always a fan touching a cable. Parts of the card itself can rub. See cause 2.

Source: BleepingComputer

Real caseRadeon RX 6800 XTTurned out to be normalA squeal that wasn't coming from the cardRead what happened

In April 2023, after returning a first card because of grinding and rattling from its cooling fans, the person who posted heard a high-pitched squeal from the replacement. Using a rolled-up piece of paper, they traced a sound to the left fan, and another forum member suggested contacting the card maker. A few days later they switched the PC off and could still hear the high-pitched sound, so it wasn’t coming from the card. Two people who listened to their recordings heard only normal fan noise.

Takeaway: before you return a card, switch the PC off and listen. See cause 5.

Source: PC Gamer Forums

Real caseGainward GeForce GTX 1060Not solved by the userA grinding fan that wobbled and slowed downRead what happened

In October 2023, the person who posted thought a noise that had grown worse since August was coil whine. Forum members recognized it as a fan with a worn bearing. Using a paper cone, the person found the noisy fan: it wobbled at high speed and spun slower than the other one. Pushing the fan back into place only helped for a while. The card was about five years old and out of warranty, so they looked up the fan’s exact model and specifications to order a replacement. They didn’t report back after fitting the replacement fan.

Takeaway: wobbling plus a lower speed points to the bearing, and a worn bearing needs a replacement fan. See cause 4.

Source: BleepingComputer

Frequently asked questions

Is a rattling GPU fan dangerous?

Not immediately. The noise itself doesn’t harm anything. But if the cause is a worn bearing, the fan may stop completely, and the card will then run hotter. Fix it soon, and watch your temperatures until you do.

Can I keep using my PC with a noisy GPU fan?

Yes, for normal use, as long as the temperatures stay in a healthy range. Avoid long gaming sessions if a fan wobbles badly or has stopped.

Why is my GPU fan only noisy at certain speeds?

That usually means vibration: a loose screw, part of the cover or a cable that only resonates at that speed. A worn bearing can also be loudest at low speeds and quieter when it spins fast.

Why does the noise get quieter once the PC warms up?

That’s typical of a worn bearing: the lubricant inside is thicker when it’s cold. The noise usually gets worse over time.

Will cleaning the fan stop the noise?

Sometimes. Dust can unbalance a fan and make it noisier, so cleaning it is worth doing first. But cleaning won’t fix a worn bearing.