GPU Fan grind noise on slow spin

[VirtualDevil]

Hi All,

Hope you're well!

I've had an issue for a while whereby after a med/heavy load (gaming) the GPU fans make a grinding noise every 5 seconds or so on slow spin, this then stops assumingly when the fans stop spinning after cooldown. While it doesn't appear to be detrimental, I've come to the decision to ask the experts for advice.

I've tried gently brushing the fans with a cotton bud during a cleaning routine to see if this aids anything by way of dust obstruction but to no avail.

Thought I'd try here rather than reach out to PCS Tech support first.

Thanks all!

Edit:
Case
CORSAIR iCUE 465X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR [8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP]
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler Corsair H100x Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo

 

[steaky360]

Is it an intermittent noise ... essentially just happening as the fans 'spin up' and then they turn off again (because the card is operating at the threshold temperature for no-spin mode?

I experienced something similar, it wasn't a grinding noise per say for me though, was (as I noted above) just the noise the fans make as they spin up, it was just noticeable as it was happening every 10 seconds or so as they turned on then turned off.

I adjusted the fan curve of the card ever so slightly so they turned on at a slightly lower temperature and that rectified it for me.

Appreciate its not quite what you describe above though so might be something else you're experiencing.