Help! My motherboard fan died...

[ThetaOrionis01]

I've been suspicious of a grinding noises coming from the computer for a few weeks now, but any time I've opened the case to check everything seemed to be working fine.... So I installed some monitoring software that was supplied with my motherboard yesterday, and this afternoon I got a couple of warnings - the system fan was at 0 rpm, and the CPU fan at 2960 rpm, and the CPU at a temperature of 70 degrees.

 

I've opened the case, and sure enough, the fan on the motherboard which isn't the CPU fan wasn't moving at all (and guees what? the grinding noise stopped too).

 

 

My question is - how easy is the motherboard fan to replace, and how can I check what the CPU fan speed and the CPU temperature should be?

 

The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro 2 (as far as I can tell), and the dead fan is the one sitting on top of the Nforce chip (it has a sticker on it saying 'Gigabyte 8 x AGP')

 

The CPU is an AMD Athlon 2600.

 

I can do some computer maintenance such as changing over drives and installing cards, but I've never tried replacing or maintaining fans, let alone install CPUs....

 

Unfortunately the Gigabyte manual doesn't have much information on replacing fans and CPU temperatures.... and I haven't been able to find any more information online.

 

 

Meanwhile I'm using a backup computer (ie one I repossessed from the kids), which is a bit of a hassle since it doesn't have either the TESCS nor the files I've been working with of late on it....

 

 

I'd appreciate some help and advice!

[Abramul]

Thanks for reminding me, Theta, I need to put a case fan in. I'll post as soon as I get my comp back up!

 

EDIT: Forgot that my new fan didn't have the right connector. Now to ask my roommate for some electrical tape...

 

2nd EDIT: Duct tape. It fixes erverything. Wired the two leads from the fan to the 12V and GND of an LP4 power terminator, now my fan is good.

 

Θ, can't you just make Suz do it for you?

[Dark0ne]

70oC is VERY high for CPU temp and you shouldn't run your PC for fear of blowing out your CPU.

 

In the past I've had to replace the default CPU fan that came with the retail package with a new cooler. Lots of people go for these ultra-queit £40 a pop ones, but I like my computer sounding like a Boeing 747 (not) so I go for the cheaper £15 ones which keep my CPU around 42oC, which is average I guess.

 

As for replacing the mobo fan, I really have no clue, I've never had to do it.

[Abramul]

I only worry once it's around 75C, but I'm running an ACPI\AUTHENTICAMD_-_X86_FAMILY_6_MODEL_6\_0. Don't know what the heat tolerance is on it.

So long as the case is cool to the touch, you should be ok to keep running your box. It's good to have your cooling running at full capability, though. Some systems will shut down if they get too hot, and mine won't start without approval when my CPU fan isn't running.

 

Try tapping the center of the fan when it's powered, that sometimes works.

 

EDIT: Dark, my CPU is at 67◦C right now, and tends to be stable there.

[Dark0ne]

Just a a comparison, Theta, Aida32 reports my CPU fan is running at 3516 RPM and my North Bridge is running at 5000 RPM. But as I've already told you different fans can run at different speeds depending on the amount of air pressure they can consume per square inch.

 

My motherboard runs at 37oC and my inside case temp. is 29oC.

 

Do not take "if your case is cool to the touch you're fine" to be a test of your system's heat durability :rolleyes:

 

67oC is HIGH in terms of CPU temperature. You're reducing your CPU's life-span if it is put in that sustained temperature.

[Dunedain]

yeh 67 degrees is very very high since most dell computers shut down automatically if they go above 50 or 55 degrees. I dont have a dell but thats what i read somewhere, its a pretty good safety measure for people with no experience or knowledge on computers.

[Zmid]

67oC is HIGH in terms of CPU temperature. You're reducing your CPU's life-span if it is put in that sustained temperature.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Actually, for an Athlon XP, that is a bit on the high side, but comfortably within the maximum safe temperature (85 degrees C from AMDs tech sheet), so it shouldn't do any damage to the CPU.

 

Anyway, Theta, if you've got your model right, your motherboard should look something like this:

 

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/13-128-199-07.JPG

 

If it is that one, doing a search around on Google, some people seem to reckon that this motherboard reports temperatures 10-20 degrees higher than they actually are. I would definately recommend getting some sort of replacement cooling sytem, whether that be a fan or a passive heatsink. As to how to install it, it really depends on your motherboard (not familiar with it myself), but, generally, it's a case of taking out your motherboard, turning it over, pushing out the clips holding the old one in, cleaning the old thermal grease off, ideally with isopropyl alcohol, then applying new thermal grease and clipping in the new one.

[ThetaOrionis01]

Nope, mine doesn't quite look like that one - more like this:

 

http://www.pcmegastore.nl/catalog/images/Gigabyte_7N400Pro2.jpg

 

 

 

I've decided that the easiest (and safest!) way to get my computer fixed is to take it back to place I bought it from, and get both the chipset fan and the CPU fan replaced. I'm also thinking about getting an additional cooling fan for the case - at the moment there is only one at the back, and I don't think airflow through the case is all that great. Given that my two hard drives are right next to each other, some additional cooling there might not be a bad idea.

Plus, the store only charges for upgrade/replacement parts on systems they've built.

 

I've read somewhere that the Gigabyte chipset fans are not the most reliable.. can anyone recommend some good fans to replace the existing ones with? I'm not too bothered about having ultra-silent ones... I'd rather have good airflow through the case, and as long as the fan doesn't sound like a 747 taking off a bit of noise doesn't bother me.

[ZoFreX]

Don't bother with an active chipset fan, get a decent copper heatsink (probably around the £10 mark). CPU fan, I can highly recommend the Coolermaster 3d cooler (the old half copper half aluminium one, not the all copper variants).

[Zmid]

Nope, mine doesn't quite look like that one - more like this:

 

Yeah, that's the same board, it's just your one has an actual fan on the motherboard chip, whereas the one I posted has a heatsink instead.

 

I've decided that the easiest (and safest!) way to get my computer fixed is to take it back to place I bought it from, and get both the chipset fan and the CPU fan replaced.

 

If you don't do a lot of tinkering around inside the case, you're probably right there.

 

I'm also thinking about getting an additional cooling fan for the case - at the moment there is only one at the back, and I don't think airflow through the case is all that great. Given that my two hard drives are right next to each other, some additional cooling there might not be a bad idea.

 

That would probably help get your PCs temperature down a bit, but what would probably make the biggest difference is if you got the guys at the shop to replace the CPU fan for a fan that was a bit meatier than the stock AMD one (I'm assuming that's what's on there at the moment).

 

I've read somewhere that the Gigabyte chipset fans are not the most reliable.. can anyone recommend some good fans to replace the existing ones with? I'm not too bothered about having ultra-silent ones... I'd rather have good airflow through the case, and as long as the fan doesn't sound like a 747 taking off a bit of noise doesn't bother me.

 

Well, I've heard good things about Zalman fans and heatsinks, so I'd have a look and see what the guys in the shop have or can get for your motherboard chipset and CPU.