PNY RTX 4080 Triple Fan: the middle fan is faster and louder

[vawgr]

I bought a PNY GeForce RTX™ 4080 16GB VERTO™ Triple Fan DLSS 3 and since the first day the middle fan is much faster and louder than the other two. It's absurd how loud it is, and no it doesn't sound broken, it's just working too fast. Usually all fans are off but once the card reaches 50 degrees or so the fans begin to work and man does it show. Then they don't turn off until the GPU is at around 25 degrees. The fan is so loud that it's headache-inducing after a few minutes.

Using afterburner or such to change curves wouldn't do anything since it already sounds like that at minimum speed (30%). If I use afterburner to force the fan speed to the maximum, the three fans sound more or less the same. So it seems like, at minimum speed, the middle fan decides to spin at maximum speed anyway. Doesn't this sound like a VBIOS or driver bug? I can't imagine a hardware defect doing this, but I'm not experienced.

 

[lightning70]

Some cards have 2 fan connectors. Check how many revolutions are returning from GPU Z. I have two on my Rtx 3070. There are 2 connectors in total, the middle fan is the 1st connector, the right fan, the left fan, the 2nd connector.

 

[vawgr]

First fan is not reporting anything in afterburner or gpu-z. Always shows as 0 rpm. Second fan is reporting the speed of the left/right fans.

 

[qubit]

Return that card and get a decent brand as there's likely not much you can do about it. Are you able to return it?

Personally, I've bought two generations of MSI Gaming X cards for their extreme quietness (check TPU reviews) and they've both been superb. Even when pushing the card hard with Furmark, it's whisper quiet, hence I recommend that brand. The only time those fans make a significant noise is when I manually set them to 100% in Afterburner. The cards have been reliable, too.

 

[vawgr]

I can't return it and RMA is going to be expensive. So I'd rather exhaust all other options first.

 

[lightning70]

First fan is not reporting anything in afterburner or gpu-z. Always shows as 0 rpm. Second fan is reporting the speed of the left/right fans.

There is a problem with the fan sensor, if you bought it new, return it.

 

[qubit]

I can't return it and RMA is going to be expensive. So I'd rather exhaust all other options first.

Oh, that's a shame, especially as it's a high end card. MSI Gaming X (or Z if you wanna spend more for a slight overclock) is one to remember for the next card at least.

There is a problem with the fan sensor, if you bought it new, return it.

This ^^

Presumably you can return it as faulty? But you say RMA is expensive. Let's hope someone can find a way for you, but it's not looking very good, unfortunately.

Unlikely, but see if there's an official VBIOS update from PNY for this issue or any other issue with this model. Don't do any other flashing or you're likely to brick it.

@eidairaman1 got any suggestions about what to do with this card?

 

[vawgr]

I doubt I can return it as faulty. I bought it wholesale (as a business) and they don't necessarily accept returns.

RMA is presumably very expensive - the card is big, heavy, and I have to ship it to another country, probably at my expense. Would have to ask as well.

At first I thought it was software-related but the things that you two have said make sense. It's likely to be a hardware problem.

Thanks for your input.

 

[qubit]

Really sorry to hear that, I can see the problem.

Might be worth contacting PNY and explaining the situation. If they want to give good customer service, they might actually offer you a replacement with free shipping. You've got nothing to lose at this point.

if that doesn't work out, would it be possible / practical perhaps to eBay it and buy another one from a different brand? You'll lose money, obviously, but might be your only option now.

 

[nomdeplume]

I doubt I can return it as faulty. I bought it wholesale (as a business) and they don't necessarily accept returns.

I'd open a dialogue with manufacturer tech support through any direct business route you can establish. Maybe they could sort out the problem through having you run a test and email the logs or quietly offer a workaround to flaws they are well aware of.

At the very least you might gain some clarity on whether RMA

a) would be advisable
b) would correct a nuisance having low impact on card functionality

 

[vawgr]

"low impact on card functionality" is understating the issue. The noise is literally unbearable. Another option would be to unplug the fan altogether but that seems a bad idea.

 

[qubit]

I've just had a thought: if all attempts at getting this resolved fail, you could try disconnecting that fan and seeing how well the GPU temperature is controlled with just the other two fans. They'll obviously spin faster, but might still be quieter and with decent cooling.

 

[vawgr]

I have opened a ticket with PNY. Will tell you guys how it goes.

 

[eidairaman1]

Oh, that's a shame, especially as it's a high end card. MSI Gaming X (or Z if you wanna spend more for a slight overclock) is one to remember for the next card at least.


This ^^

Presumably you can return it as faulty? But you say RMA is expensive. Let's hope someone can find a way for you, but it's not looking very good, unfortunately.

Unlikely, but see if there's an official VBIOS update from PNY for this issue or any other issue with this model. Don't do any other flashing or you're likely to brick it.

@eidairaman1 got any suggestions about what to do with this card?

PNY is a well known brand but get overlooked because most go with mobo maker models. It is possible the fan speed sensor is out in the middle fan, in that case I would contact PNY about it, give model, serial and proof of purchase when you are asked to do so.

"low impact on card functionality" is understating the issue. The noise is literally unbearable. Another option would be to unplug the fan altogether but that seems a bad idea.

Put the noise on video

 

[vawgr]

This is the video. The fans are off at the beginning because of low temps. Then I set them to minimum speed using afterburner. You can hear the noise ramping up. Then I set the fans as "auto" which turns them off again. All this noise is caused by the middle fan only.

Sorry about the high background noise. I have several HDDs connected because this is a new computer and I'm shuffling data around.

 

[qubit]

PNY is a well known brand but get overlooked because most go with mobo maker models. It is possible the fan speed sensor is out in the middle fan, in that case I would contact PNY about it, give model, serial and proof of purchase when you are asked to do so.

Yeah, he's logged a ticket with PNY.

I know PNY is well known and I've known about them for over 20 years, but are they a good brand? I'm not sure.

 

[nomdeplume]

"low impact on card functionality" is understating the issue. The noise is literally unbearable. Another option would be to unplug the fan altogether but that seems a bad idea.

I did not appreciate this to the extent I understood your complaint about downtime and added expense. I hope your ticket brings about a positive resolution.

 

[eidairaman1]

This is the video. The fans are off at the beginning because of low temps. Then I set them to minimum speed using afterburner. You can hear the noise ramping up. Then I set the fans as "auto" which turns them off again. All this noise is caused by the middle fan only.

Sorry about the high background noise. I have several HDDs connected because this is a new computer and I'm shuffling data around.

So lets isolate by having the HDs unplugged.

Anyways Yeah sounds like a fanstop function error because i noticed the fan stopped reving.

Yeah, he's logged a ticket with PNY.

I know PNY is well known and I've known about them for over 20 years, but are they a good brand? I'm not sure.

They are Sold on Store Shelves like Visiontek were

Yeah, he's logged a ticket with PNY.

I know PNY is well known and I've known about them for over 20 years, but are they a good brand? I'm not sure.

They are Sold on Store Shelves like XFX is and Visiontek was

I bought a PNY GeForce RTX™ 4080 16GB VERTO™ Triple Fan DLSS 3 and since the first day the middle fan is much faster and louder than the other two. It's absurd how loud it is, and no it doesn't sound broken, it's just working too fast. Usually all fans are off but once the card reaches 50 degrees or so the fans begin to work and man does it show. Then they don't turn off until the GPU is at around 25 degrees. The fan is so loud that it's headache-inducing after a few minutes.

Using afterburner or such to change curves wouldn't do anything since it already sounds like that at minimum speed (30%). If I use afterburner to force the fan speed to the maximum, the three fans sound more or less the same. So it seems like, at minimum speed, the middle fan decides to spin at maximum speed anyway. Doesn't this sound like a VBIOS or driver bug? I can't imagine a hardware defect doing this, but I'm not experienced.

Please Get a GPU-Z Screenshot

 

[vawgr]

PNY told me to contact the retailer for an exchange because I'm in the first year of the three year warranty - I suppose they don't want to deal with an end customer unless they are forced to by law! I was kinda hoping that this was a known VBIOS bug or something like that, but no, it's bad hardware.

Seems like the retailer is going to take responsibility and exchange my card or at least RMA it. Happy ending I hope.

 

[qubit]

Fingers crossed for you. Try and get a refund rather than exchange if possible, as you have more rights that way.

 

[Space Lynx]

Fingers crossed for you. Try and get a refund rather than exchange if possible, as you have more rights that way.

and then get a MSI variant. I agree with qubit on this one. MSI has been top tier even for budget gamers in the last 3-4 years.

if you can only get a replacement, maybe ask them to test it in front of them before you leave the store?

 

[Bomby569]

I like PNY but their fans are not that great, had the exact same problem on a old 1060 card, was solved in the warranty.

 

[vawgr]

It took the wholesale retailer a lot of time to let me send the card to them (paraphrasing what they kept saying, they simply could not believe such an expensive card could be faulty and thought it was PEBCAK). Then they took their sweet time with it, recognised the defect, and sent it to PNY, which also took their sweet time with it, but eventually PNY admitted the card is defective and I'm getting a full refund.

Now to choose a replacement...

 

[pavle]

Just buy a founders edition RTX 4080, that one is whisper quiet due to it having the 4090 cooler.

 

[Chomiq]

Just buy a founders edition RTX 4080, that one is whisper quiet due to it having the 4090 cooler.

They aren't widely available.