[philbert2501]

The fan on the Nvidia GT 630 (OEM) graphics card that came in my prebuilt desktop machine (an HP 1380T) began making a terrible noise today. I took it out and blew it out with an air duster, which made no difference in the noise. I'm assuming that the fan is damaged and will eventually give out on me, so it seems an upgrade/replacement is in order. It's been quite a while since I've done any hardware upgrading, and I'm feeling a bit lost as to what I should do. So here are some questions I have to get started:

 

• Do I need to replace the whole card, or is replacing the fan itself a reasonable option? It appears that the fan should come off pretty easily, but I haven't found much about replacing these fans online so I'm thinking this isn't likely a great idea.
•  
• This particular model doesn't seem to be readily available, probably because it's a bit old. How do I go about determining what card I should get to replace it? What specifications should I be looking for? I don't do much gaming or anything, but I do some work with large photographs in Photoshop and Lightroom. 
•  
• I just upgraded from Windows 7 to 10 about a week ago. I've heard that if you change hardware much, it could affect my Windows license. Is there anything I should do to avoid this?

 

I hope I don't sound like too much of an idiot, I'm a bit under the weather and not quite feeling like myself. Any help I can get would be much appreciated. Thanks!

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Hello philbert2501,

 

1: Replacing the cooling fan may be an option but it will depend on the availability of the correct replacement, the time, trouble and cost of replacement and how soon you need your computer up and running.

 

What brand is the present card that you have.

 

2: You do not need anything too demanding for Photoshop/Lightroom, I would suggest a card with at least 2GB of VRAM though as this will cover you for any new releases from Adobe that may require more than 1GB and for use with larger or multiple screens.

 

What would be your maximum budget.

 

What is the max output of the PSU, 300W, 460W or 600W.

 

3: Your Microsoft licence is fine unless you replace the motherboard and you can upgrade any other component/s as many times as you like without any worries.

[phillpower2]

Hello philbert2501,

 

1: Replacing the cooling fan may be an option but it will depend on the availability of the correct replacement, the time, trouble and cost of replacement and how soon you need your computer up and running.

 

What brand is the present card that you have.

 

2: You do not need anything too demanding for Photoshop/Lightroom, I would suggest a card with at least 2GB of VRAM though as this will cover you for any new releases from Adobe that may require more than 1GB and for use with larger or multiple screens.

 

What would be your maximum budget.

 

What is the max output of the PSU, 300W, 460W or 600W.

 

3: Your Microsoft licence is fine unless you replace the motherboard and you can upgrade any other component/s as many times as you like without any worries.

[iammykyl]

Gday.

 

Finding the right fan will be a challenge, must be a 2 pin connector to be compatible.

alternative is a new heatsink and fan, this one is compatible, you will need quite a lot of time, being a first timer, > https://www.neweggbu...m=9b-35-186-053

Review and guide, > http://www.overclock...-cooler-review/

 

So I would, as Phillpower2 hints, consider a new GPU, one that draws power from the PCI-E slot, then less worries about the PSU. 

[philbert2501]

Hello philbert2501,

 

1: Replacing the cooling fan may be an option but it will depend on the availability of the correct replacement, the time, trouble and cost of replacement and how soon you need your computer up and running.

 

What brand is the present card that you have.

 

2: You do not need anything too demanding for Photoshop/Lightroom, I would suggest a card with at least 2GB of VRAM though as this will cover you for any new releases from Adobe that may require more than 1GB and for use with larger or multiple screens.

 

What would be your maximum budget.

 

What is the max output of the PSU, 300W, 460W or 600W.

 

3: Your Microsoft licence is fine unless you replace the motherboard and you can upgrade any other component/s as many times as you like without any worries.

 

Current card is an Nvidia GT 630 (OEM). I'd like to keep the cost under $100 if I can, and the PSU is 460W. As I mention in the other post I made, my concern with the card I'm looking at is whether or not I have sufficient amps on the 12 volt rail, I'm not quite sure how to determine that. Here's the pic of the PSU label:

 

[philbert2501]

Gday.

 

Finding the right fan will be a challenge, must be a 2 pin connector to be compatible.

alternative is a new heatsink and fan, this one is compatible, you will need quite a lot of time, being a first timer, > https://www.neweggbu...m=9b-35-186-053

Review and guide, > http://www.overclock...-cooler-review/

 

So I would, as Phillpower2 hints, consider a new GPU, one that draws power from the PCI-E slot, then less worries about the PSU. 

 

Yeah, I'd say a new card looks like my best bet. 

[iammykyl]

Best Answer

A card for your consideration.   The best performance taking only power from the PCI-E slot. > http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

[phillpower2]

Not heard back from philbert2501 but fwiw I second the choice of video card suggested by iammykyl 

 

Some info for you regarding amps on the +12V rails and how to calculate them etc;

 

To calculate the amps that a PSU should be able to supply you need to check what the maximum claimed power output of the PSU is** and then divide that figure by 12, using your PSUs claimed output of 460W as an example it should be capable of supplying a minimum of 38 amps on the +12V rail.

 

It is the total capacity of the 12V source that matters and how the rails are laid out does not matter.

 

** Not all PSUs are actually capable of producing the maximum claimed output and that is why efficiency rated PSUs are advisable.