CPU Fan Problems (still)...

Cubicle Warrior · 05-05-2005, 02:45 AM

Is it possible to increase the voltage to the CPU fan in order to increase its speed? Hell, is that even how I would go about increasing its speed if ya can even do that?

I've had 2 mainboards (A8N-SLI Deluxe), 2 heatsinks and fans for my cpu (stock HSF for FX55, then I got an XP90C and a Panaflo). In all instances BIOS and PC Probe tell me that my CPU fan is off or below threshhold, but I can see it running and my temps are OK as well.

All I can think of is that the Panaflo (and the stock fan) were just not getting enough juice, although Asus Tech support said my PSU should be sufficient. I've also updated my BIOS to 1007. I just have no idea what to try next, and when I get to Asus Tech support they send me to 2nd level support and it's some guy with a very heavy accent and I can hardly understand him... makes the whole process even more frustrating than it already is.

Anybody have any clues for me as for what to check/adjust/tweak?

**Sarkast** · 05-05-2005, 06:48 AM

Have you looked under the fan settings in BIOS ? I dont remember exactly what its called on your board but i think they have some kind of "Smart" fan control that controls fan speed according to CPU temperature - maybe thats your problem.
Other than that you could have a bad fan header - if thats the problem you could get a 3-4 pin converter so you can plug your CPU fan into a molex plug (like the ones used on HDDs) - these converters even come with the extra wire and plug you can plug into your motherboard header so the RPMs can still be monitored - but the fan gets the full 12V from the PSU.

Cubicle Warrior · 05-05-2005, 10:20 AM

Ayuh. I have 2 settings in BIOS: Q Fan and K8 cool n quiet. I've tried disabling both, enabling both, and then having one on and the other off. The best I can do is make it so booting doesn't report the error. But when I get to my desktop and PC Probe, the same error is still there.

I just got done talking to tech support again. He had me plug the chassis fan in chas2 power plug into the cpu power plug, and the cpu power plug into the chas2 plug. No difference, same error. SO then he told me to try running the motherboard with it uninstalled from the case, thinking that maybe I had a grounding issue with one of the motherboard stand-off screws. However even outside of the case I got the same error.

He told me if I did get the same error to contact RMA and have my replacement board replaced. I suppose it's possible that I had 2 boards, both with bad power connectors. I just never heard of that happening. In fact, i've owned 3 other Asus boards before this one and all of them performed perfectly out-of-the-box. To top it all off, when I removed the original motherboard I broke the plastic "lock" for the pcie slot. I sent em an email asking if they'd still take it, but I got a feeling I just bought another motherboard... :(

Right now i'm just waiting for them to reply to my email about the second board. On the one hand it's no big deal really. I can disable the error in BIOS and unchek it in PC Probe. On the other hand, it's kinda nice to know that if a fan does go bad, i'd have a little alarm go off and maybe buy a few extra seconds to shut down (if needed) and avoid damaging the board or possible even other components.

Oh well, I guess i've been living a charmed life when it comes to Asus boards, but the charm has worn off and now i'm gettin my fair share of probs... :(

**Sarkast** · 05-05-2005, 11:14 AM

Sounds like one of those problems indeed. But my suggestion from earlier still works for the situation you described - fans dying and you want to shut down quickly.
If you use the right adapter you still have monitoring capabilities - so the warning incase the fan dies/ shuts off - but the fans get the full 12V from a molex connector instead of whatever they get now through the motherboard fan header.

Cubicle Warrior · 05-05-2005, 12:16 PM

I'm gonna keep that in mind. They just told me that they'll be sending me another board. If this one doesn't work, I think i'll do what you're suggesting. I don't want to keep playing the RMA game. The more times I have to pull stuff out of the case, then put it back in, the more the odds increase of me doing a homer and dropping something or breaking something. Thanks for the tip Sarkast! :)

05-05-2005, 02:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
Cubicle Warrior Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5 OS: XP Pro	CPU Fan Problems (still)... Is it possible to increase the voltage to the CPU fan in order to increase its speed? Hell, is that even how I would go about increasing its speed if ya can even do that? I've had 2 mainboards (A8N-SLI Deluxe), 2 heatsinks and fans for my cpu (stock HSF for FX55, then I got an XP90C and a Panaflo). In all instances BIOS and PC Probe tell me that my CPU fan is off or below threshhold, but I can see it running and my temps are OK as well. All I can think of is that the Panaflo (and the stock fan) were just not getting enough juice, although Asus Tech support said my PSU should be sufficient. I've also updated my BIOS to 1007. I just have no idea what to try next, and when I get to Asus Tech support they send me to 2nd level support and it's some guy with a very heavy accent and I can hardly understand him... makes the whole process even more frustrating than it already is. Anybody have any clues for me as for what to check/adjust/tweak?

05-05-2005, 06:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Have you looked under the fan settings in BIOS ? I dont remember exactly what its called on your board but i think they have some kind of "Smart" fan control that controls fan speed according to CPU temperature - maybe thats your problem. Other than that you could have a bad fan header - if thats the problem you could get a 3-4 pin converter so you can plug your CPU fan into a molex plug (like the ones used on HDDs) - these converters even come with the extra wire and plug you can plug into your motherboard header so the RPMs can still be monitored - but the fan gets the full 12V from the PSU. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-05-2005, 11:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Sounds like one of those problems indeed. But my suggestion from earlier still works for the situation you described - fans dying and you want to shut down quickly. If you use the right adapter you still have monitoring capabilities - so the warning incase the fan dies/ shuts off - but the fans get the full 12V from a molex connector instead of whatever they get now through the motherboard fan header. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-05-2005, 10:20 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cubicle Warrior Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5 OS: XP Pro	Ayuh. I have 2 settings in BIOS: Q Fan and K8 cool n quiet. I've tried disabling both, enabling both, and then having one on and the other off. The best I can do is make it so booting doesn't report the error. But when I get to my desktop and PC Probe, the same error is still there. I just got done talking to tech support again. He had me plug the chassis fan in chas2 power plug into the cpu power plug, and the cpu power plug into the chas2 plug. No difference, same error. SO then he told me to try running the motherboard with it uninstalled from the case, thinking that maybe I had a grounding issue with one of the motherboard stand-off screws. However even outside of the case I got the same error. He told me if I did get the same error to contact RMA and have my replacement board replaced. I suppose it's possible that I had 2 boards, both with bad power connectors. I just never heard of that happening. In fact, i've owned 3 other Asus boards before this one and all of them performed perfectly out-of-the-box. To top it all off, when I removed the original motherboard I broke the plastic "lock" for the pcie slot. I sent em an email asking if they'd still take it, but I got a feeling I just bought another motherboard... :( Right now i'm just waiting for them to reply to my email about the second board. On the one hand it's no big deal really. I can disable the error in BIOS and unchek it in PC Probe. On the other hand, it's kinda nice to know that if a fan does go bad, i'd have a little alarm go off and maybe buy a few extra seconds to shut down (if needed) and avoid damaging the board or possible even other components. Oh well, I guess i've been living a charmed life when it comes to Asus boards, but the charm has worn off and now i'm gettin my fair share of probs... :(

05-05-2005, 12:16 PM	#5 (permalink)
Cubicle Warrior Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5 OS: XP Pro	I'm gonna keep that in mind. They just told me that they'll be sending me another board. If this one doesn't work, I think i'll do what you're suggesting. I don't want to keep playing the RMA game. The more times I have to pull stuff out of the case, then put it back in, the more the odds increase of me doing a homer and dropping something or breaking something. Thanks for the tip Sarkast! :)