Motherboard fan question... 4

[skwurl]

Hi there,

The other day I noticed my computer had reset itself (after an xp update) but didn't get past the BIOS screen. It told me that the Chip fan was not either not running or too slow.

I took the side of the case off and restarted the PC to see that my Asus A8N-E fan was indeed not turning. This is a brand new Motherboard (4 months old). I made sure that there was nothing obstructing the fan and gave the fan a little twirl to help start it. Sure enough, it began spinning.

What's the deal? Is it not getting enough power?

 

[carpetbelly]

could be a number of things... could have been a big bit of dust obstructing the fan. Could have just been stiff and needed a push. Usually I find dust is a main cause in my machine for anything similar even though I try to clean it out at least every 3months.

 

[paparazi]

skwurl
Just the Smart fan kicking in!
This motherboard controls the CPU fan speed depending on temperature, the fan itself has a start voltage of something like 7 volts, typically smart fan settings are stepped, when you initially start the PC the fan spins up at full speed and then very quickly slows down to it's lowest speed setting and can even stop completely until the first temp threshold is reached, basically in 3or4 increments.
If this worries you, the user can just turn off all smart fan controls to off or manual which will leave the fan at a constant full tilt.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[paparazi]

carpetbelly
Have you not experienced this alarming phenomonon before? lol
The Latest Intel and AMD boards have this feature and although a little disconcerting when you first see a completely static fan, it is completely normal.
Manufacturers are going to great lengths to quieten PC's down as much as possible.
Quiet PC's SELL!
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[skwurl]

Smart fan? I never have heard of this.

The thing is, my computer didn't move past the BIOS until I either pressed F1 to okay or entered setup to remove the idle fan warning.

You're saying that I should have just pressed F1 and continued on even though the fan wasn't spinning?

 

[ceh4702]

Look in the BIOS and see if there is a setting to disable it. Also look for the Low and high temp settings that turn on the fan or also the high temperature alarm. Sometimes even a Power supply can be controlled in this manner.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[paparazi]

skwurl
If I'm right and the fan is being controlled by the motherboard/CPU, the fan warning needs disabling so it boots without this prompt.
Obviously observe the fan and temperatures to see if my assumptions are correct.
Most manufacturers supply a Windows based hardware monitor.

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[rvnguy]

skwurl,

My understanding of the ASUS "Smart Fan" control setting is that you can set it either to enable or disabled. If set to enabled, there is a stepping choice like "11/16"
or "10/16", I am not positive but this is in reference to a Hex value of say 10 through 16 with 16 being full speed and 16th steps down to 10/16th's full speed which would equate to 7.5 volts. That as previously stated is around the start voltage for most fans. This normally provides for much quieter operation. At the lowest setting the fan should always run. Sleeve bearing fans might be balky at 7.5V and most are ball-bearing for this reason.

Fans being mechanical, can function for a long time or can fail at any time.

I think you should pay close attention to your fan, clean it and insure that it is operational using some of the monitoring apps that have been recommended.

This is from my experience, posts by others with much more experience, were just a surprise to me.

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[skwurl]

Thanks guys.

Stars for everyone.