View Full Version : Fans again.... and again, and again and....
Got a possible big problem now, not only has the fan on my Diamond Viper video card died but the fan on my new MOBO (Abit KG7-R) has also stopped working. Since I clean my PC with a can of air monthly dust build-up shouldn't be the cause.... (should it?) but reguardless of the cause the two fans are still dead. So far, the CPU fan on my AMD XP 1600+ is still operating as is my PC case fan and power supply fan... It just seems that the smaller the fan, the less time that it lasts. Has anyone else had trouble with fans just dieing withing months of being purchased (MOBO fan on VIA chip)? Right now my computer still runs as smoothly as ever with VERY few errors, but, I do not want to take any risks. My computer has probably been running for a good 4 or 5 days since both fans died, so, I am wondering if I even need to bother with either fan at this point. I still want to replace the Abit MOBO fan but, should I not run my PC until I do get a replacement fan for it?
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The first time I installed Windows it took only one try. When I tried re-installing Windows at a later date it took 30+ tries before I got it right... go figure. =P
One thing to note: Both the MOBO chipset fan and the video card fan are original. The video card IS older and I have been waiting for the fan to go, but the mobo fan is not old, and IS getting power (fan tries to move, but is flat out obstructed internally, or burnt out).
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Number of fans killed: 6 (4 CPU fans, 1 Vid card fan, and 1 chipset fan)
hanging_around
06-21-2002, 03:39 PM
running a high end video card with no fan is never a good idea, you will replace the fan all right. when you have to buy another video card because it over heated on you. if your dropping fans quicker then you think you should be, make sure they are plugged into the right voltage. most little fans do not last that long, seeing how hard they have to work.
The video card fan is necessary to keep its chipset cool in order to prevent crashing and lockups usually during intense graphics applications, like during gameplay with high resolutions, 32 bit color depth, and the game settings maxed out.
However, during normal applications, browsing the Internet, doing e-mail, etc., at lower resolutions and 16 bit color depth, the graphics are much less demanding on the card and the chipset should run cool enough without a fan. I once had a Voodoo card that had no fan and the system would crash only when playing a flight sim with all the settings maxed out. Otherwise, things ran smoothly(I did eventually install a fan to cool the Voodoo's heatsink since I play the flight sim nightly, and the regular crashing got to be a pain).
The MB fan probably cools down either the North or South bridge controller due to the higher bus speeds. Some say this fan is overkill and is not really necessary.
The bottom line is that these components will heat up during specific applications if they are not fan cooled. However, they do not generate the same high amount of heat as a CPU and unlike a CPU they will not instantaneously self-destruct if they do overheat. So you should be ok with running your system in the short term until you install replacement fans, especially if your system is well ventilated and runs in an air conditioned room. And if you experience crashing, lockups, and general instability before the fans are replaced, then you'll know the reason.
Anubis
06-21-2002, 09:03 PM
That is EXACTLY what hapenned to me, I had the fan over the AGP controller/VIA chipset die who knows when. Eventually the computer got very flaky. Did a re-install on windows thinkin that was issue then 40 minutes after the new install that was all she wrote.
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I can feel the wheel, but I can't steer
When my thoughts become my biggest fear
Ah, what's the difference, I'll die
In this sick world of mine
Well, right now I am actually getting warnings via the Via hardware monitor that everything is running a little too cool. But, that happened after I opened up my PC to let it ventilate more. I am planning on replacing the fan on both my chipset and video card (even the the non Ultra TNT2 card just had a heatsink). But, this is getting to be a pain. At least the main CPU fan is HUGE compared to the old (and very tiny) PentiumII CPU fans that I would burn out every 3 months or so. Any idea of a very reliable fan company that I should use and a very good distribor or retailer that I should go through? Right now NOTHING is really maxed out on my PC. I do play Quake3 and RTCW on it occasionally, but the memory modules are the only things (on the video card) that seem to be creating a lot of heat.... the Via chip (located next to the CPU) is not radiating an excessive amount of heat right now either.
Also, the BOTH fans are working again, for the time being. A can of air (yes, I paid for air!! The time has come.... AIR IS NO LONGER FREE!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif ) seems to do wonders for those annoying little fans. However, the do sometimes fail off and on.
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Number of fans killed: 6 (4 CPU fans, 1 Vid card fan, and 1 chipset fan)
I hope that when you blow out the heatsink that you are using some means of preventing the fan from moving?
If you are not then you are likely to be over-spinning the fans which could cause the problem you are describing. The smaller the fan the more likely problems will develop.
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mjc
Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)
Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.
Well, I did not start cleaning the fans with canned air until this burn-out problem started occuring. As for keeping the fans from spinning.. not usually, how does that cause fan failure?
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Number of fans killed: 6 (4 CPU fans, 1 Vid card fan, and 1 chipset fan)
Stay away from the generic fans. Go with a good brand name, like Delta or YS Tech. And make sure to get fans with ball bearings, not sleeve bearings.
Been reading into that. I found out that the type of fans that I have been buying are a ball bearing/sleeve combo. I think that I have a couple good solutions, I just hope I can find the right sized fan for this chipset... looks like it is an odd size.
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Number of fans killed: 6 (4 CPU fans, 1 Vid card fan, and 1 chipset fan)
A blast of compressed air can cause the fan to spin much higher than it normally does, which places an extra amount of stress on the bearings, shaft, etc, which on a small fan are very small themselves. It only takes a small amount of overheating to warp the shaft...especially when it is not much bigger than a wire.
Panaflo are good fans also...and a side benefit, most high quality fans are also quieter to begin with.
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mjc
Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)
Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.
Well....nuts.....
OK, seems like that makes alot of sense. When I replace these fans I am going to try NOT to get any sleve for sleve/bearing combo fans.
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Number of fans killed: 6 (4 CPU fans, 1 Vid card fan, and 1 chipset fan)
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