Solved Problem with Fans

[Ian]

Hi all, I have the following custom-built PC which I bought online in April last year:

Intel Haswell

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included) - FREE Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE - USB 50 Megapixel HD Webcam
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 (PCI)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 - Low Noise
FREE - Bullguard Internet Security 2015 (1 Year - 1 PC License) - FREE FOR ORDERS PLACED BEFORE 11:59 PM ON 30/04/15
2 TB Seagate (2000 GB) SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB
Samsung 24x DVD/CD Re-Writer/Reader - Black - (SATA)
FREE - Nero V12 - NEW
Cooler Master HAF-X V2
Corsair 750W PSU - Low Noise
16 GB 1600MHz (2x8GB) - (DDR3)
120GB Kingston SSD SATA-III, Read 450MB/s, Write 450MB/s - Silent
Gigabyte Z97P-D3 (Intel Z97)
Intel i7 4790K - (4 x 4.0 GHZ) - Haswell
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Twin Frozr V - 4 GB - (MSI) - (PCI-E) (FREE - Witcher Hunt 3 Game Included)
1 x 1 Metre UK Mains Power Cable
E-Mail/Live Help/Online/Phone Support
3 Year Standard Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return)

Just recently though I've been having an issue with the fans. Most times when I boot up the PC it appears that the fan at the top of the PC is making quite a loud noise. I think it might be that something is loose, because if I give the top of the PC a bang then it sometimes stops. And it seems to stop by itself anyway after a few minutes, but it's still annoying.

So I removed the side panel, and when I did that it disconnected the fan in the side panel. So I tried to work out where the cable needed to be re-attached, and I did what shows in the photo attached. But I'm not sure if the fan is actually running or not. I've considered powering up the PC with the side panel resting against the PC so that I can see the fan from the inside, but I don't know if I'm ok to do that or not.

Would anyone have any suggestions for getting the fans sorted? As you can see above the PC has a 2-year collect and return policy, but I'm really not keen to post the PC back to the seller for something which surely must be an easy fix.

 

[veeg]

Hello

Should not have any problem powering up the pc with the side panel off..At least you can get a good view on what's going on..

 

[Ian]

I powered up the PC with the panel off. The top fan is working ok (as I know because of the occasional noise), but the side panel fan is not working.

So I'm wondering if I might have re-connected the side fan to the wrong socket (although I wasn't able to see where else it could connect)? It may not be needed because the CPU is rarely tested, but I'd like to get it working again.

Also, regarding the top fan, does anyone know what I can do to prevent the occasional noise?

 

[veeg]

If you have the fan plugged into a system fan port on the mobo that should work.. You can test that side fan using a 9 volt battery.

 

[Lord Chance]

Hello Ian,
Is there a removable filter on the top of your computer case? If so then it may need cleaning. Usually when you switch on your PC the fans will startup in full power. If there is a bit of room so the filter can move the force of the fan coming on can make it bang against something. If there is no filter then check the blades of the fan carefully looking for any damage to the blades or blade path. Any damage may be slight but if the blade is loose and hitting on startup there will be noticeable damage. Now to address the side fan. If you have the manual for the motherboard in your computer it will have a diagram of the motherboard showing the location of the available fan connections. If you don't have a manual for the motherboard then find the model and revision of the motherboard and go to the motherboard manufacturer website to see if they have one you can get online or you can post the model number here and we may be able to help you in your search.

 

[Ian]

Thanks for the replies, sorry I've been very busy with work, Christmas etc.

I can't see a removable filter (see photo of the top of the PC attached). There is only about 6 inches of space between the top of the PC and the table which it is under (because it is a huge box), but hopefully that is enough room. I've had a look at the blades but I can't see any damage so far. I don't think it's hitting anything though, it doesn't sound that extreme. It sounds more like an airplane engine or something, like something is vibrating. And like I say, it certainly doesn't do it all the time (it's not doing it now for example), it's very intermittent. And even when it does do it, after a few minutes the noise usually stops.

I'm still trying to find out the motherboard details regarding the side fan. I'm not sure how I'd test it with a 9V battery.

 

[veeg]

" I'm not sure how I'd test it with a 9V battery."
Your fans run off a DC current so it would be just a positive and negative setup,easy to rig up. Saying that it sounds like to me your fan is just throttling up and then slowing down as it meets it's temperature setting ...That airplane sound some times comes from dust on the edge of the fan blades..

 

[bassfisher6522]

Have you looked at your case manual to for the actual fan port?

http://us.coolermaster.com/product/Detail/case/atx-mobo/haf-x.html

 

[Lord Chance]

Vger may be right if the sound is like a turbine spooling up then slows down to normal. My i7 based PC does that on startup. If the sound is a squeal then gets quiet then the fan will need replacing soon. As for the case having filters. It does not but there is a fine mesh screen under the grills on top. I would suggest that you get some canned air and clean those grills because you are not getting the air flow that you should. I have marked the location of the fan connections for you.

 

[Ian]

I'm convinced that the noise is not something that the fan should be doing because it's very intermittent. Unless the setup is advanced enough to know that if there is some dust inhibiting the airflow then it does that automatically to compensate. But if that is the case then I'd rather it didn't do that, because I often stream subscription TV to my TV from the PC, and the noise is very off-putting.

Thanks for the manual, it looks like I can remove the top (and all the other bits too). Although I wonder if I might be able to get away with not having to do that if I can get some canned air inside the PC, just aimed at the fans? Also I can't tell from the manual which port the side fan should be plugged into. I believe at the moment it is plugged into SYS_FAN1 or SYS_FAN2, but only because that was the only port I could see at the time.

 

[veeg]

Yes can air would help.. If the fan noise is putting you off...you can replace that fan..a newer fan ought to less noisy ..

 

[Lord Chance]

You have four fans if I am not mistaken. Sys_Fan 0 is the front fan in front of the hard drives. That is a three pin connection and is connected properly. Sys_Fan 1 has 4 pins and the rear fan is connected with three wires Black/Red/Yellow on the top three pins. Sys_Fan 2 should be the side fan. The connection should also have 4 pins so the three wire plug should be connected to the top three pins. The CPU fan at the top of the motherboard is connected correctly.

 

[Ian]

Ok, I'll try making sure that the side fan is connected to Sys_Fan 2. And I'll try to de-dust the top fan.

I'll also buy some canned air. Will I need to remove the top of the case to use the canned air do you think? Or can I just do it with the roof on? And should the canned air remove the dust from the fans? Also, is there a particular way to use canned air? I'm guessing I won't want to be spraying it straight at the motherboard?

 

[Lord Chance]

Ok, I'll try making sure that the side fan is connected to Sys_Fan 2. And I'll try to de-dust the top fan.

I'll also buy some canned air. Will I need to remove the top of the case to use the canned air do you think? Or can I just do it with the roof on? And should the canned air remove the dust from the fans? Also, is there a particular way to use canned air? I'm guessing I won't want to be spraying it straight at the motherboard?

If you plan to remove the top then just give it a good dusting. That goes for the fans as well. The canned air is needed to blow out the fins of the CPU cooler. Just hold the can upright and direct the spray into the fins. You guess correctly. While it should not harm your motherboard, it is just good practice to never direct any jet of air directly at your motherboard. As I caution anyone who works inside their computers always disconnect the power not just turn the computer off.

 

[Ian]

Thanks. Am I ok to vacuum the dust from inside the PC and from the case fans? I went to the local PC shop to buy canned air but he started talking about vacuuming inside the case, and removing the CPU fan to clean it (but I don't think I'm up to that).

 

[veeg]

Thanks. Am I ok to vacuum the dust from inside the PC and from the case fans? I went to the local PC shop to buy canned air but he started talking about vacuuming inside the case, and removing the CPU fan to clean it (but I don't think I'm up to that).

Unless you have a proper vacuum i would not use it..just can air..

 

[Ian]

I've given it a bit of a clean, including removing the top panel, and actually it looked fairly dust-free. So hopefully it'll be ok now.

However, I checked which port the side fan was plugged into, and I did reconnect it to the correct one (Sys_fan2, via an extension cable), as the port next to it was already in use by the front fan. So I'm not sure why it's not running. If I'm honest it may have never been running for all I know because I've never had a reason to open the case, and it's hard to tell from outside whether the fan is spinning. So maybe it's time to test the fan with a battery. Would anyone happen to have any links to guides for doing this?

 

[veeg]

You do not have to take the fan off the side panel to test it..

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[Rustys]

Thanks. Am I ok to vacuum the dust from inside the PC and from the case fans? I went to the local PC shop to buy canned air but he started talking about vacuuming inside the case, and removing the CPU fan to clean it (but I don't think I'm up to that).

There are some places on the net that state that it is ok to vacuum out a system.

Others stated no since they can possibly suck jumpers off the motherboard, cause a static discharge, you can hit something with the hose and do damage...

Now when you use the compressed air to clean the system do it in a well ventilated are. DO NOT allow the fans to spin they are set to only spin at certain speeds and in one direction. Can also cause them to become wobbly.

 

[Ian]

Ok I've ordered a 9v battery connector to test the side fan, so hopefully that'll arrive soon. If it turns out that the side fan isn't working then I may be able to get a replacement under the warranty and hopefully I'll be able to replace it myself. And if not then I'm guessing a new one won't cost much. And seeing as the top fan now seems to be behaving itself, I think it's probably best to close this thread.

Thanks for the help everyone, much appreciated!