Ive got heat issues with my vid card. Got a new case and the fans I installed in the back run way to slow. They arent smart fans or anytihng, just power and return. Any ideas how to juice tem up a little?

10/20/2006 12:32:47 AM

I fully understand you about the fans. I had a heated debate with a couple of peeps up here about them. So im going to look into this for you, and if there isn't anybody else up here that can help you, it's me.

10/20/2006 12:35:54 AM

you need to upgrade to fans that move more air

measure them and get the highest CFM that you can

realize that there will be a noise tradeoff for more air flow

10/20/2006 1:04:36 AM

What's determining the speeds of your case fans.... Are the just pulling voltage from one of your power supply rails or are they getting speed instructions from your motherboard? If they're connected to the motherboard, you can find some utilities that will allow you to adjust the speed. If they're aren't being controlled by the motherboard, you just need higher CFM fans or you need to find someway to get them more voltage.

10/20/2006 1:09:44 AM

you also should look at the airflow in your case ... it doesn't matter how much air you can move if it's moving -around- the critical spots and not -over/through- them. along the same note, cords/wires can restrict proper airflow, so it's important to keep them out of the way to maintain as low a profile as possible.

10/20/2006 1:12:31 AM

Check your heat sinks too. You might have a little dust on them, around or near the fans. Ive witnessed dozens of cases like this at work. If you want expert advice, ill send you a pm if your problems continue.

10/20/2006 1:46:43 AM

red wire - any yellow molex(12V)

black wire - Atx header pin 12 (-12V)


That will get your shit moving .

10/20/2006 8:45:42 AM

^yea, that sounds like it. I need to check my PS for voltages. I feel the wiring is only providing 5V right now. I'm a mechanical engineer at a telecom company, and not used to PC wiring. I now all about airflow issues, just little about circuitry.

So I'm gonna change the wiring. I've got two 12V rated fans in series. Should I give hook it to +12V/common, or +12V/-12V? maybe I need a pic. too bad I'm at work all day.

10/20/2006 10:28:18 AM

this is a terrible idea.

if you have heat issues, it's more than a problem with underpowered fans.

10/20/2006 10:48:05 AM

well see the fans werent operating correctly, so I figured "hey, theres no air coming out the back of my case. maybe fixing this will help considering they are positioned directly above my GPU." The card is reporting "ambient" temps nearing 60C (Tcase I guess since its the GPU reporting this), and its internal temp regulates itself aroun 120C. I was suprised to see it get that hot before having problems, but I guess that's ok.

The card performs well until it self-regulates due to temp. I'm guessing the previous owner may have overclocked it, but I have no idea how to access those kind of settings for a video card.

10/20/2006 11:58:58 AM

1. what kind of card.

2. the fan on the card is probably broken.

10/20/2006 12:20:09 PM

As Noen said, with temperatures that high, there are other issues going on that need to be addressed. If you want a cheap temporary solution, buy a $10 oscillating fan, open your case, and let it blow in there. Otherwise, do some research as to what's going on. We may be able to help you out a bit if you can find out the manufacturer and model of the video card you have.

10/20/2006 12:21:37 PM

you have no air exiting your case? is the fan even on? it's not neccesary, but make sure you also have air being pushed into your case for improved cooling. as far as the power for the fan is concerned, what does the power cord look like that the fan is plugged into?

if you feel like you need to underclock an overclocked card, which graphics card do you own?
ati: http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/
nvidia: http://articles.networktechs.com/39-p1.php

10/20/2006 12:26:46 PM

Its an nvidia card ge6800 (GS?) from MSI I believe. I'm pretty sure I can get the case airflow situation under control.

^Yeah they're on, and I'm gonna flip the side fans around so they will be intake. That should help overall with the back fans working properly. I cant get that link to open, but probably cuz I'm at work.

Quote :

"2. the fan on the card is probably broken."

I didnt even think of that. Will check as soon as I'm home. If so, am I screwed?

10/20/2006 2:22:03 PM

no, you're hardly screwed if the fan on your gfx card is failing, buy yourself one that will solve the problem for good:

"Zalman VF700-CU VGA Cooler"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118117
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373041

there are specific instructions for mounting it, so make sure you follow those or get a tech friend (or ask someone here nicely) to assist you with installation. it's fairly quick and simple, but you should know what you're doing.

10/20/2006 2:48:49 PM

Just let me know how everything is going (especially with the wiring). I can provide the best installation instructions for you. No need to ask around. Just send me a Pm.


Earl.

10/20/2006 8:57:48 PM

Quote :

"I can provide the best installation instructions for you."

good try Earl ... that made me laugh.

10/21/2006 2:11:39 AM

you could hook them up to a car battery

[Edited on October 21, 2006 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

10/21/2006 11:08:34 AM

Did you say you have two fans in series? I hope that doesn't mean two fans on top of each other over one slot. If so, take one fan off because it's not doing anything.

They are right about the other problems being more critical. If your card is overheating it's more than likely dust in the card's heatsink or really bad airflow. No air coming out the back of the case is odd to me unless you were just exaggerating. You can try increasing the voltage, but you may burn out the fan i would guess. Did you take these fans from a Dell or something that their full voltage is 5V?

10/21/2006 11:38:09 AM

I think he means in series electrically, but they should be in parallel so both fans receive +12V, assuming they are 12V fans

the -12V rail is usually not rated for much more than 1A on an ATX PSU and should be avoided

[Edited on October 21, 2006 at 11:57 AM. Reason : *]

10/21/2006 11:52:30 AM

^^ bahahaha

10/21/2006 3:34:19 PM

Just to make it clear, the 4-pin molex connectors go like this:

yellow === +12v
black === gnd
black === gnd
red === +5v

Just make sure each fan is getting 12V. If you have them wired in series, undo that and wire them in parallel like someone else had mentioned already. If you need new fans or any type of wiring adapters (such as 4-pin molex to fan headers) hit me up. I have tons of that stuff.

And do whatever Earl tells you because with that type of arrogance I guess he MUST be the best... apparently he knows more than anyone else here since he's wired up a couple fans before. Sounds WAY complicated, plus he's already "going to look into this for you." Can't wait to read his findings.

10/22/2006 10:35:03 AM