0

I recently started to build a new computer. Everything seems to work fine, but one thing that scares me is that during testing the system out, my fan didn't start up a few times. This fan is just right out of the box and came with the Intel i7 3770K CPU.

Since then I haven't had any problems, but my concern is that one day down the road my fan wont start and all of a sudden I have a busted CPU due to overheating. There a few possibilities that have come to my mind regarding why the fan didn't work:

  1. In the beginning, the wires to the motherboard were interfering with the fan. I fixed that and then it only failed once after (Potentially because of the same problem).
  2. The fan works fine and I am an idiot (highly likely).
  3. The fan is a dud and I replacing it would fix the problem.

I'm not exactly sure which one of these problems could be affecting the fan. On a final note, there are a couple things I have considered to rectify the problem.

  1. Return the fan.
  2. Get a third party fan.

I'm just trying to figure out whether this is a problem that I should really consider getting fixed, or whether I should assume its all good and I don't have to worry. I have downloaded a temperature monitoring application to alert me whenever the CPU gets above 45 degrees (its at around 28 right now). So far, no problems.

2
  • If the fan fails, the computer will shut off. You'll need to force it to bust the CPU, don't worry. Intel HSF are pretty weak, just grab a cheap aftermarket and some thermal paste for an i7 if it will relieve your stress. Dec 27, 2013 at 10:44
  • It's not that unusual for a brand-new fan to be "stiff" on "cold" (literally) start. As the fan "breaks in" it will generally start more readily. But it does bear watching, especially if the unit has been shut off for several days. Dec 27, 2013 at 15:40

2 Answers 2

0

I'm just trying to figure out whether this is a problem that I should really consider getting fixed, or whether I should assume its all good and I don't have to worry.

Well obviously it is a serious problem if it is there.

You should try removing the cover of the cpu and then run it for a long time(because computer systems pretend to get right without doing anything) and then clarify if there is a problem. There you will observe the problem clearly(hopefully there isn't any).

Well according to me, using a third party fan is a better option if the fan was not included in the CPU warranty(I assume there was any).

Hope this solves your problem. :)

0

Should I be worried about my CPU fan?

Yes, but not becuase

my concern is that one day down the road my fan wont start and all of a sudden I have a busted CPU due to overheating.

If your CPU gets to hot it will shut it self down before it dies.

That will still seem like a crash to you, and it will throttle long before that causing temporarily performance degradation.

So if you are worried, even after making sure the fan can run freely and all wires are away from the fan blade, then do replace it. A cheap 212 cooler should work better. If you do plan on overclocking then also replace it.

But for mostly normal work, after making sure all cables are away from the fan and checking that it worked a few dozen times in a row: do not worry. NO need to spent money without good reason.

1
  • You realize this is from nearly 3 years ago right?
    – Ramhound
    Sep 8, 2016 at 22:55

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .