Replacing ATI 58xx/5970 Ref cards' fan (not a guide)

[bulanula]

got all 4 2 days ago, will replace a few tonight.

Why bother with replacing fans and not get an aftermarket cooler ?

Aftermarket cooler :

-much cooler so more OC and stability
-less noisy
-easy to work on if fans die ( unlikely with aftermarket fans ) compared to hassle of stock cooler + fan
 

[1714176143]

1714176143

[1714176143]

1714176143

[Littleshop]

I have reference fans in stock, am located in the USA and take bitcoin as payment. 

http://cryptoanarchy.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=66

[Littleshop]

got all 4 2 days ago, will replace a few tonight.

Why bother with replacing fans and not get an aftermarket cooler ?

Aftermarket cooler :

-much cooler so more OC and stability
-less noisy
-easy to work on if fans die ( unlikely with aftermarket fans ) compared to hassle of stock cooler + fan
 

Depending on the rig, aftermarket can be better or worse.  In open frame rigs they are better, in closed case rigs they are worse.   I know of no aftermarket fan that routes the heat of the GPU right outside of the case. 

Aftermarket kits are usually much more expensive. 

[max in montreal]

All I needed to do was replace one fan. Done and the fan is excellent. Aftermarket cooler probably work well but I was satisfied with the  stock fan, plus it was a hell of a lot cheaper.

[abracadabra]

This helped me with replacing a fan on a 5870.  I ordered the wrong fan and had to cut the tab that holds down the wires.  Some epoxy helped. 

[johnyj]

Best time to replace the thermal grease on GPU with liquid ultra, dropped temp on my GPU for almost 5c degrees compared with as5 before

[Landstander]

Sorry for bumping such an old post, but I wanted to thank the OP for the links to the thermal pads and glue they used. I had 2 5970s die on me after getting clogged with bacon grease (small apartment + paleo diet + open case, should have known  ). When I cleaned them I removed the pads and thought I could just use some thermal paste, but of course it's not thick enough to make contact with the heatsink. I was unsure which pads would be thick enough for this, so thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

[jdat]

Why not just get an aftermarked cooler?

[Landstander]

Why not just get an aftermarked cooler?

I can't find any for the 5970 that are still available for purchase. If you know of any, do tell!