Mac Pro :: How To Fix EVGA 8800 GT Fan Annoying Noise?

I have an early 2008 Mac Pro with an EVGA 8800 GT installed. When I bought the computer the EVGA 8800 GT was almost silent even when under max load.

Now 15 months later the EVGA 8800 GT fan is making so much high pitch noise under load that I try not to use it for heavy 3d. The noises started after about 6 months after purchasing.

Monitoring the fan speed under Rivatuner shows that it goes to 100% performance under almost any load in order to keep it at a steady 80 degrees celcius.

I concluded that the fan was becomming less efficient over time and that it had to spin more and more in order to keep the temperature down.

Dust Cleaning

I try to clean the computer for dust every 4 month, blowing air backwards into the components of the computer to remove all the dust.

I normally use my mouth (trying not to spit) and a hairdryer. This seem to work okay for the most part, but not much for the EVGA 8800 GT.

After cleaning the fan is still quite audible and hovers at 85-90% under loading producing the annoying high pitch noise.

After only a few weeks its back at 100% under load. I tryed getting Apple to replace the video card, but they refuse to since it is still working. ( I hate this kind of deffinitions. )

- Would buying a can of compressed air and blowing it backwards into the EVGA 8800 GT remove more dust than the method I normally use?

- Would anyone recommend taking of the fan in order to clean it better or should the can clean enough? - trying to compare the risk of not being able to assemble the card again.

- Has anyone had any luck reducing the high pitch noise of the EVGA 8800 GT fan, and if so how?

Aftermarket Cooling

I did buy an aftermarket cooling system called Accelero S2 without the turbo module (fan) which recieves top reviews.

Despite having build some computers in the past I am a bit reluctant to install it by removing the fan completely because I am affraid that I will somehow break the video card in the process or accidently install it in a way that fries it when temperature rises under heavy load.

It sure is tempting to try the Accelero S2, but with the EVGA 8800 GT Mac going out of market I would have to dig deep in my pockets to get a replacement if something happends to the video card.

I think I also read somewhere that the instant you take of the EVGA 8800 GT fan you cannot put it back again. Which also makes me a bit nervous if the aftermarket cooler is not able to keep the card cool.

- Has anyone had luck installing the Accelero S2 without the turbo module (fan) and if so is it easy?

- Would anyone recommend installing the Accelero S2 without the turbo module? - I am not familiar with the success rate of aftermarket cooling and how skilled you need to be to be successfull.

- Has anyone had any problems not being able to keep the video card cool with the Accelero S2 and in that case was force to reinstall the default fan again?

I really wish I could reduce the noise of the fan so I can stand using it for 3d heavy stuff again.