Fan Overworking...Please help

[jena_blondie]

My desktop boots up fine and stays cool. That is until I start playing DVD or watch something on Youtube. The main fan on the back side starts to kick in and after about 10 minutes it sounds like I have a garden blower on. I am not sure what is causing this. Is it the video card working too hard or is it the motherboard or CPU overworking? Could it be that the power supply is too weak (300watts)?
I can't stand the noise anymore. It was never this loud. I did change the video card about a year ago but it was all within spec requirements.
I am thinking about changing the power supply since the video card does require a little more juice. Please let me know if this is a great idea. Thanks.

 

[WR2]

Overheating could be one reason the PSU fan would run a lot faster than it previously did.
Have you checked to see if there is a heavy build up of dust, etc on the inside?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZ8j46GB2w

 

[WR2]

You can download the free HWMonitor utility program to check the temps in your system as its running a DVD or YouTube video.

 

[jena_blondie]

Overheating could be one reason the PSU fan would run a lot faster than it previously did.
Have you checked to see if there is a heavy build up of dust, etc on the inside?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZ8j46GB2w

hi,

it is not the power supply fan that's making the noise. It is the main blower fan located right below the PSU.

 

[jena_blondie]

You can download the free HWMonitor utility program to check the temps in your system as its running a DVD or YouTube video.

I wonder how this program can measure the temperature without a thermometer embedded..
I guess i m asking how reliable the data is and how to translate the data to fix the fan problem.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Your cpu (at least) has a sensor to indicate temperatures, no thermometer gluing needed

 

[WR2]

Overheating could be one reason the rear case fan would run a lot faster than it previously did.

HWMonitor is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fans speed.
In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature.

If you tell us the make and model of your computer, or the CPU and motherboard details we can look up the normal operating temps and see if your CPU is overheating.

If you're not sure of your hardware details you can use the CPU-Z program to get CPU and mainboard details.

 

[jena_blondie]

Overheating could be one reason the rear case fan would run a lot faster than it previously did.

HWMonitor is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fans speed.
In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature.

If you tell us the make and model of your computer, or the CPU and motherboard details we can look up the normal operating temps and see if your CPU is overheating.

If you're not sure of your hardware details you can use the CPU-Z program to get CPU and mainboard details.

I have Dell Dimension 8250. I know..I know..it is an antique but it still works pretty good for watching DVD and surfing on the web. It is the main fan, not the CPU fan, that starts making a loud noise only a few minutes into usage. I am not sure what to replace or troubleshoot.

 

[WR2]

The 'main fan' is the rear case fan.
The rear case fan is usually fairly easy to replace if that's what is needed. But if the reason the fan is running faster is something in the case is overheating a new rear case fan is also going to run fast.

 

[WR2]

Replacement case fan and green shroud

When was the last time you cleaned the inside of your case - especially the CPU area under the green shroud?

 

[shovenose]

well afaik that case fan also acts as the cpu fan, so it will spin up if the cpu is getting hotter. i would say that the most likely reason is that there is lots of dust in the cpu heatsink. if you clean that out, (and while ur at it the rest of the case), it will most likely operated more slowly/quietly

 

[jena_blondie]

Replacement case fan and green shroud
http://www.be-deals.com/media/00/a20791512574f6a3b731cb_m.jpg

When was the last time you cleaned the inside of your case - especially the CPU area under the green shroud?

Well, I cleaned it out about a year ago with a can of air blower. How often should I clean it?

 

[jena_blondie]

well afaik that case fan also acts as the cpu fan, so it will spin up if the cpu is getting hotter. i would say that the most likely reason is that there is lots of dust in the cpu heatsink. if you clean that out, (and while ur at it the rest of the case), it will most likely operated more slowly/quietly

I will try it out.....Btw, I was wondering if a video card can make this main fan to run on high. I did change my video card a few months ago but it was all within requirement specs. I asked around and this video card was the best there is for this model (desktop) and they didn't seem to run into any fan issue.

This is the video card I have on right now: XFX PVT73AUDF3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150233&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

I know that it needs a little more juice than what my PSU offers, but it has been tested and approved by other Dell Dimension 8250 users.

 

[shovenose]

dont worry about the graphics-just clean out every piece of dust in the whole case. that may solve ur problem. if not, reseat the cpu heatsink, and use some arctic silver 5 as thermal paste.

 

[saaiello]

Can you please download HWMonitior from www.CPUID.com and post all the readings it is giving when the fans are at full this will help us pinpoint what is causeing the fans to ramp up to full speed. Most likely your heatsinks are clogged up with dust and if you have a dog or a cat their hair can get into everything and really choke the heatsinks cooling effectiveness. I recommend cleaning out your computer atleast every 6 months and to make things easier get dust filters for all the intake fans it will make cleaning next time a breeze.

 

[WR2]

^ +1

You can download the free HWMonitor utility program to check the temps in your system as its running a DVD or YouTube video.

 

[shovenose]

or speedfan works too, and its a smaller quicker download. but hwmonitor is more in-depth

 

[jena_blondie]

Here is what I did...

I took the fan out and the CPU heat sinker. Used a can of air blower to blow off every piece of dust inside of all cracks and fins. Not much came out flying but at least I know now that they are clean.


Here is what I discovered....

On the bottom of the CPU heat sinker, I saw a thin layer of green chalky stuff. I noticed that some of it got peeled off to the top of the CPU. Where it got peeled off, I can see the metal surface behind it. I don't know if this is good or bad. Do I need to repaint it to cover up the metal surface of the heat sinker? If yes, what is the name of the paint and where can I purchase it?


Btw, I didn't get to install the temperature program recommended and the noise is still there after all this.
Please advise.

 

[jena_blondie]

^ +1

Then what? I guess what I am asking is if the CPU is running hot but the fan and the sinker are still working, what can I do? I am not sure how this program will correct the problem...

 

[shovenose]

sinker? its a heat sink...
the wierd stuff is called thermal paste, or TIM,
and its neccessary. if i were you i would go out and buy some high-quality TIM, like arctic silver 5, and install it according to their website (but not while its on of course...

 

[WR2]

It would not correct the problem - only identify the possible cause of the high speed/noisy fan. Which might be the CPU running hotter than it should.

That paint is actually thermal compound or thermal interface material (or sometimes thermal grease). It helps transfer heat into the heat sink. You should clean off the old compound and re-apply new.

 

[WR2]

Thermal Paste and How To Use It

 

[WR2]

I took the fan out and the CPU heat sinker.

Had you taken the heat sink off the CPU at any time previously?

 

[jena_blondie]

Had you taken the heat sink off the CPU at any time previously?

hi, I may have...I am not 100% sure.
What if I did or didn't..?

 

[WR2]

Taking the heat sink off and replacing with out cleaning and applying fresh thermal compound could have started your CPU overheating.
The CPU overheating is probably what caused the fan to run faster/louder trying (and probably failing) to keep the CPU at normal operating temps.