How to Replace a GPU Fan: Find the Right Part and Swap It

In this guide (10 sections)

• Before you start
• 1. Check the warranty before you open anything
• 2. Find out which fan is faulty
• 3. Find the part number of the fan
• 4. Buy a fan that fits your exact card
• 5. Take the old fan out
• 6. Fit the new fan and reconnect every cable
• 7. Test the card and adjust the fan speed
• If you can’t find a matching replacement fan
• Real cases: what other users ran into

A worn-out fan doesn’t mean 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 ✕ is finished. The fans are separate parts, replacement fans for most popular cards are cheap, and swapping one usually takes less than an hour with a small screwdriver. The key is buying a fan that really matches your card.

Not sure the fan is the problem? Our guide to a rattling or grinding GPU fan helps you confirm it first. A fan that has simply stopped may not be broken at all: see GPU fan not spinning.

Before you start

Your situation	What to do	Where to look
The card is still under warranty.	Ask the card maker or the store to repair it	Step 1
You’re not sure which fan is faulty.	Find the noisy or slow fan first	Step 2
You don’t know which fan to buy.	Read the part number on the old fan	Step 3
You found a cooling fan that looks the same but comes from another card.	Compare the plug and power rating before you buy	Step 4
The new fan is louder than the old one was.	Set a gentler fan curve	Step 7

You’ll need a small Phillips (cross-head) screwdriver, a phone to take photos, and a clean table. The job is easier with the card out of the PC.

1. Check the warranty before you open anything

Graphics cards often have a warranty of two or three years, sometimes more if you registered the card. A worn fan is a common warranty repair, so check first: opening the card yourself may affect your warranty, depending on the maker and where you live.

Under warranty: contact the card maker or the store where you bought it, and ask for 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). Some makers will send you a replacement fan instead of taking the whole card.

Out of warranty: carry on with the steps below.

2. Find out which fan is faulty

On cards with two or three cooling fans, usually only one fails. Switch the PC off, unplug it and turn each fan gently with a finger. A worn fan feels rough, wobbles when you rock its center (hub) slightly, or stops much sooner than the others.

With the PC on, a free tool such as GPU-Z or HWiNFO shows each fan’s 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 ✕. A failing fan often reads lower than the rest. Our guide to a rattling or grinding GPU fan explains these checks in more detail.

3. Find the part number of the fan

The cooling fans on a graphics card aren’t the same as standard PC case fans. Each card uses its own size and plug, so the best way to find the right one is the part number of the original.

1. Take the card out of the PC. Switch off, unplug the power cable, unplug the card’s power cables, unscrew its bracket and press the release clip on the slot.
2. Look at the back of the fan. The center label usually shows a model code, the voltage (12V) and the current, for example “0.35A”. If the label is hidden by the card’s cover, you’ll see it once you’ve removed the fan (step 5).
3. Search online for that code together with your card’s exact model, for example “MSI RX 6600 XT MECH 2X replacement fan”. Online stores that sell graphics card fans usually list the cards each fan fits.

Write down the code before you order, and take a photo of the label.

4. Buy a fan that fits your exact card

Compare these four things with the original:

• Size: the diameter in millimeters (for example 87 mm or 95 mm) and the thickness.
• Plug: the number of pins and the plug shape. Most cards use a small 4-pin plug, much smaller than a fan connectorFan connector (CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT, AIO_PUMP): The small 4-pin sockets on the motherboard where fans plug in. The motherboard checks the one labeled CPU_FAN at startup. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕ on the motherboard.
• Power rating: 12V and a similar current (amps). A small difference, such as 0.35A against 0.40A, is usually fine.
• Left, right or center: on some cards the fans spin in opposite directions or share one cable, so they’re sold as a set.

A fan that only looks the same can cause trouble. On some cards, fans taken from another model don’t start on their own or don’t respond to the card’s speed control. When in doubt, buy the set listed for your exact card.

5. Take the old fan out

1. Work on a clean table, away from carpet, and touch something metal first to discharge static electricity.
2. Take photos of the card from both sides before you remove anything. They’ll help you put it back together.
3. Remove the screws that hold the fan or the cover. On many cards the fans are screwed to the plastic cover (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 ✕), which is held on by small screws on the back of the card. Keep the screws in order.
4. Lift the cover gently. Don’t pull: the fan cables are still connected to the card underneath.
5. Unplug the fan cable by holding the plug, never the wires. Then unscrew the faulty fan from the cover.

Some cards make this much easier. On recent Sapphire Nitro+ cards, for example, each fan is held by a single screw and plugs straight into the card, so it comes off without opening anything else.

6. Fit the new fan and reconnect every cable

1. Screw the new fan onto the cover in the same position as the old one, with its cable on the same side.
2. Plug every fan cable back in. It’s easy to forget one, and a card running without its cooling fans gets very hot very quickly.
3. Check that no cable touches the fan blades, then refit the cover and its screws.
4. Turn each fan by hand to make sure it spins freely, then put the card back in the PC and reconnect its power cables.

7. Test the card and adjust the fan speed

Switch the PC on and open GPU-Z or HWiNFO. Check that every fan shows a speed when the card warms up, then play a demanding game for 20–30 minutes while you watch the temperatures. Our guide to how hot a GPU should run shows what’s normal.

New fans from another maker can spin faster or slower than the originals at the same setting. If the card is now louder, set a gentler fan curveFan curve: A setting that decides how fast the fans spin at each temperature. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕, as shown in our guide to controlling GPU fan speed.

If you can’t find a matching replacement fan

For older or less common cards, the exact fan may no longer be sold. Some people then remove the cover and attach one or two ordinary 92 mm or 120 mm case fans to the heatsink with cable ties. It works, but those fans plug into the motherboard, not the card, so they don’t speed up with the graphics card’s temperature on their own, and the card looks home-made. Treat it as a last resort.

Real cases: what other users ran into

Real caseRadeon RX 6600 XTNot solved by the userFans from another card only started when repluggedRead what happened

In May 2023, one fan on the person’s card failed. They fitted fans taken from an old GeForce GTX 1050 Ti that looked identical and had the same 4-wire plug. The fans only started if they were unplugged and plugged back in while the PC was running. After every restart they stayed still, even when set manually. Forum members advised buying the cooling fans sold for that exact card, which were available online. For the time being the person removed the cover and mounted case fans instead.

Takeaway: a cooling fan that looks the same isn’t always compatible. Buy the fan sold for your exact card model. See step 4.

Source: TechPowerUp Forums

Real caseGigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Mini ITX OCSolution not confirmed by the userThe part number was printed on the old fanRead what happened

In May 2022, the card’s only fan started making strange noises, so the person stopped using the card and switched to the processor’s built-in graphics. They wanted a matching replacement fan because their case has glass panels and a strapped-on case fan wouldn’t look right. Once they took the fan off, they found its exact model code on the label (an 88 mm, 12V, 4-pin fan) and ordered the same one online. They didn’t report how the new fan worked.

Takeaway: the label on the old fan is the most reliable way to find the right part. See step 3.

Source: TechPowerUp Forums

Real caseASUS GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost DirectCU IISolvedCheap replacement fans worked but were much louderRead what happened

This is an older card, but the lesson still applies. In September 2017, both cooling fans on the person’s three-and-a-half-year-old card had died. They measured the old fans, found a matching pair listed for their exact model and fitted it. In October they reported that the new fans worked, but at 100% they sounded like a jet engine: GPU-Z showed about 4,600 RPM against roughly 3,600 for the originals. With a custom fan curve in MSI Afterburner, the card stayed below 65°C after an hour of gaming.

Takeaway: after a fan swap, check the speed and set a fan curve to suit the new fans. See step 7.

Source: Guru3D Forums

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth replacing a GPU fan?

Usually, yes. A replacement fan costs far less than a new card, and the rest of the card is unaffected by a worn fan. It’s less worthwhile on a very old, low-end card that you were planning to upgrade anyway.

Can I use any fan on my graphics card?

No. Graphics card fans come in many sizes and use small plugs that differ between models. Match the size, the plug and the power rating, or buy the fan listed for your exact card.

Do I need to remove the heatsink or thermal paste?

On most cards, no. The fans are attached to the plastic cover, which comes off without touching the heatsink or the thermal pasteThermal paste: A thin gray paste between a chip and its cooler that helps heat pass from one to the other. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕. If your card needs the heatsink removed to reach the fans, follow a guide for that exact model.

Can I run the card with one fan missing?

Only for light use, such as the desktop, while you wait for the new fan, and only if you watch the temperature. Don’t play games with a fan missing or unplugged.

Should I replace all the fans at once?

If the fans are the same age and sold as a set, replacing them together makes sense: the others may wear out soon, and matching fans keep the noise even.