Probably a dumb question...

[Entity]

I just tore apart my comp to put in some more memory and some other things, and after putting it all back together, I noticed that my fan often seems to be stopped. If I nudge it, it'll begin moving again. It's an Antec 3-speed fan, currently set to high, that I got with my Antec Sonata II. The PC is an AMD X2 4400+ with one of the better Zalman coolers and the little Antec "vent" set so that it tries to vent the air directly away from it -- I'm actually honestly not sure whether or not it's really necessary to have the vent setup, but I have it.

Anyway, I've noticed that the fan doesn't seem to be running all the time, especially after I restart/shutdown/etc. Is this a sign of a dying fan that I should replace, or is it more likely some sort of fan power management that I don't know how to properly setup? Running a DFI Lanparty SLI-DR if it matters.

Rob

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Entity
I just tore apart my comp to put in some more memory and some other things, and after putting it all back together, I noticed that my fan often seems to be stopped. If I nudge it, it'll begin moving again. It's an Antec 3-speed fan, currently set to high, that I got with my Antec Sonata II. The PC is an AMD X2 4400+ with one of the better Zalman coolers and the little Antec "vent" set so that it tries to vent the air directly away from it -- I'm actually honestly not sure whether or not it's really necessary to have the vent setup, but I have it.

Anyway, I've noticed that the fan doesn't seem to be running all the time, especially after I restart/shutdown/etc. Is this a sign of a dying fan that I should replace, or is it more likely some sort of fan power management that I don't know how to properly setup? Running a DFI Lanparty SLI-DR if it matters.

Rob

Replace the fan. Something like a Panaflow or Yate loon or maybe a Scythe S-Flex would be good.

 

[letdown427]

If when you prod it it begines running again, it's most likely that the fan is set up to run at very low voltage (in the BIOS) under certain temperature conditions. The fan is most probably fine.

Go into the BIOS, and raise the lower threshold for that fan.

The reason it seems to be happening most after you restart/shutdown, is because obviously then it's going to be coolest, and it has to wait for the temp to rise enough for the voltage to increase to a level to get the fan turning.

It takes more voltage to get the fan turning than to keep it turning, that's why it's happening. The fan is most probably fine.

 

[Navid]

Are you sure the fan is set to max speed? Is the fan powered through a motherboard connector? Try it on a connector directly from the PSU or another motherboard connector, which is not thermally controlled.
If the fan is connected to a 12V rail and still behaves that way, you need to replace it.

 

[letdown427]

As it's your exhaust fan, I'm going to presume you have it ounted at the back of the case, below the PSU. I will also presume you used the closest ocnnector to where the fan is, which'll be fan 2 (as 1 is for the CPU fan)

Just find the temp thresholds for fan 2 in the bios, and up the bottom one (or lower the top one if you must be difficult ) If you want it to just be on high the whole time, then connect it up to either a fixed 12v supply, or one of the other fan headers (3,4,5) which aren't thermally controlled.

I've got an ultraD, so I presume your layout will be fairly similar to mine and same goes for the bios. I can stop my fans and they won't spin up again, just by turning own the voltage to them enough, so I'm pretty convinced the fan isn't at fault.

Feel free to prove me wrong though

 

[Bobthelost]

The antec tricools aren't (or at least mine aren't) controlled by the motherboard. They connect to a molex and have a 3 setting selector switch.

If it's not spinning up while on high you've either killed the fan or for some reason it's not getting the voltage it needs.

 

[lenjack]

Probably NOT a dumb question.

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

Antec's Tricools are crap. I just lost one to a bad ball bearing, a slow, clacking death. At the lowest setting they push almost no air. At the middle setting they're too loud. 4 Yate Loons on order - $3.99 each.