CPU Heatsink Fan/Connector Issues (Help!)

[Mass2009]

Hello, Toms Hardware!

This site seems to be very helpful, and I'm a little clueless. I've done a few searches using a few choice key-words, but I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer to - so I thought I would ask in hopes of receiving some help!

I have a custom-built machine my friend did for me (who is all the way in Washington, and I in Florida). I have an issue with the CPU Heatsink fan.

Here are my specifications:
IntelCore2Duo @ 3.00ghz, E8400 - a thermal specification at 72.4C
Asus P5N-D Motherboard
Arctic Cooling Heatsink: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

I have the Asus Suite installed to help monitor temperatures (along w/the probe), as well as the RealTemp application.

Basically, the fan on the heatsink is 'dead' - and I have received temperature readings into 90'C - that's hot! So, in order for it to not overheat, I have to change the way the cpu performs using the Asus Suite, forcing it into 'power saving' mode. I receive readings of around ~60'C on Asus' thermal monitor, and about 50'c for each core on RealTemp's monitor, and this stays pretty consistent regardless of what programs I use - but I think this is very unhealthy for the system, so I'm not using it as much as I would like to.

I think there is an issue with the heatsink's fan, or the cpu connector for the fan. I hope it's just the fan and not the connector, because I can't afford a new motherboard - in fact, I can't even afford a new fan at the moment, so I'm trying to get a work-around.

I have three fan connectors unused on my motherboard; CHA_FAN1 and 2, and PWR_FAN. I am wondering if I could plug in the cpu's fan (which is 4-prong) into any of the other fan connectors, which are three prong. I don't know if this is a bad thing or not, so I would love to know.

Sometimes the fan will kick back on and head up to 2,200Rpm, then it will slowly die down to 300rpm, and stall out at 100rpm before stopping all-together. This goes on at sporadic times, and seems to be completely random.

I don't know what to do short of having to replace the thing, and I can't afford to take it to a computer place just yet (I can hardly even afford groceries and gas!). Money is really tight on me at the moment, so trying to work with what I have is what I am hoping to do...

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you in advance, community members.

 

[hot74rod2003]

i have the same fan and it rocks,, i have an e8500 overclocked to 4.0. either the fan is bad or you need to go into bios and manually set it to a higher speed. you might want to make sure the heat sink is seated right to. sometimes when your messing with those four pins( which suck!) you can lift the cpu and fresh thermal paste and get air pockets from it lifting and seating again,,, air is bad!!! i would guess on air pockets because even if the fan isnt spinning at 40% you should be cooler then what you are. if you were overclocked it would be different. try to reset the heatsink with fresh thermal paste and set it down again putting the pins in carefully!!! let me know if it worked?????

 

[hot74rod2003]

oh yeah,,, overclocked at 4.0 ,,i idle at 52'c and full load at 63 so you should be below that

 

[stumpystumped]

if you really can't afford a fan, just take off the cpu fan & side cover. get your household 30cm desktop fan and blow on it. it'll be noisy but it'll keep it very cool due to the huge amount of flowing air.

 

[Mass2009]

@ Hotrod,

Those temperatures sound crazy low. I don't think I bumped the heatsink too much apart from moving the fan, but I'll see how much thermal paste costs and try to re-seat it to see if it helps. The heatsink is huge!

@ Stumpy,

I was actually thinking of something like that, hehe - unfortunately I do not have a 30 cm fan. I have a small 30mm fan that I attached to one of the heatsinks in my motherboard earlier in the day after failing to get the CPU's fan off. It's attached by these little rubber 'latches' and I was afraid I was going to break it if I kept fiddling with it.