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So about a week ago, when trying to fix an issue with an old computer, I started having an issue with the new computer I've been using primarily). One morning I started the computer up, and it was noisier than it normally was, as well as vibrating slightly. I was able to 'fix' it by shutting the computer down and starting it back up again. However, the same thing happened the next morning, and I had to shut it down twice before it stopped. I was worried that maybe the GPU was failing, but I realized that the vibrating seemed to be coming from the top, where the radiator for the CPU cooler is located. I tried booting the computer up one morning and observing it, I realized that the issue is that one of the fans on the underside of the radiator was spinning very slowly (thus causing the noise), and it would eventually stop outright. A while later, I took a look at it, and I saw that it was running like normal. What I've been doing is that whenever I start the computer up and it starts making the noise, I go into iCue and looking at the Cooling tab. The fan in question is running at only about 70 RPM, so what I do is click the drop-down for fan performance, and set it to 'Zero RPM'. Once I the fan stops, I set it back to 'Balanced' and the fan spins as normal. Looking at iCue as I'm writing this, the wonky fan is running at 750 RPM (a low of 734, a high of 783). The other fan, which hasn't had any issues, is running at around 700 RPM ( a low of 681, a high of 724). I'm wondering what might have caused this, whether I'm safe to put the computer under any strain while it's happening, and if there's a permanent fix for it. I think it first started on Feb 1st, because the previous day, I had been playing Baldur's Gate 3. I started playing BG3 a couple of months ago, and at the time, there was no issue, but when playing, I noticed that the fans would get a lot louder (though I think it does that with other games as well). I'm just wondering if maybe it was wearing out the fans faster because of that, and that one last session caused the fan to start acting up. Would I need to replace the fan, or is there maybe some other issue at play? I asked up at the computer shop, and the one of the things the clerk said is that it might be a loose bearing or something. Computer Specs Case: Origin PC 4000D Airflow CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K Motherboard: MSI Pro Z790-A WiFi DDR5 Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 (2x16GB) 5600MT/s System Cooling: iCUE H100i Elite Capellix XT Liquid CPU Cooler GPU: NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB OS: Windows 11 Home OS Drive: 2TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus PCIe NVMe PSU: Corsair RM850e I looked online, and I found that the H100i Elite Capellix XT use the ML120 RGB PWM fan (https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/case-fans/co-9050039-ww/ml120-120mm-pwm-premium-magnetic-levitation-fan-twin-pack-co-9050039-ww). However, it seems like Corsair doesn't sell those directly anymore, and the new model is the AF120 Elite (https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/case-fans/co-9050140-ww/af120-elite-high-performance-120mm-pwm-fluid-dynamic-bearing-fan-co-9050140-ww)
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Feb 9, 2024 23:46
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 20:44 |
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Do you know which specific fan it is? Like point it out in a case? If so give the screws that hold it in a little loosening.
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Feb 10, 2024 07:08
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Max Wilco posted:I'm just wondering if maybe it was wearing out the fans faster because of that, and that one last session caused the fan to start acting up. Yes, higher RPMs and increased heat will wear things out faster. Max Wilco posted:Would I need to replace the fan, or is there maybe some other issue at play? As was mentioned you can tinker with it a little. You could also try blowing compressed air into the fan blades. Sometimes fan issues resolve themselves with no intervention.
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Feb 10, 2024 23:00
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Yes, very simple devices. If there is sound it comes from the rotor/shaft (you replace), the blades striking something (move the thing), or the case has picked up resonance and is vibrating making sound (touch the case, is it vibrating?) Vibrating can be solved by either replacing the fan for a more balanced unit, or choosing a lower/higher "idle" speed. Sometimes rubber standoffs are used to absorb vibration, it's pretty hit and miss even tough it sounds obvious and "it should work, duh" Loosening screws a smidge accomplishes the same thing, in my experience
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Feb 11, 2024 01:44
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I decided to boot up Baldur's Gate 3 again to see what happened, and after a few minutes, it really started rattling. So I quit out and shut the computer down to stop it. Took a screenshot of iCUE when it was happening.  Zogo posted:Yes, higher RPMs and increased heat will wear things out faster. I thought maybe it was a dust issue, so I'll have to give it a cleaning and see if that helps. From there, I can try adjusting the screws. Is it possible it's not an issue with the screws, but with the radiator? down1nit posted:Vibrating can be solved by either replacing the fan for a more balanced unit, or choosing a lower/higher "idle" speed. Sometimes rubber standoffs are used to absorb vibration, it's pretty hit and miss even tough it sounds obvious and "it should work, duh" By replacing it with a more balanced unit, do you mean a fan that can perform equally with the other fan, or a fan that's internally more balanced?
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Feb 11, 2024 18:09
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The second. If there is noise it'll be from a moving part. The pump definitely moves and it could be that. You need to get in there (if you can, take a full rest irl) between sessions and pinpoint where the sound is coming from first. Cast light or daylight somehow and touch the center of each fan lightly (while it's making noise, launch bg3 if you have to, resist playing) to find the culprit(s). If you can not touch the center rotating part, your fans are on upside down (generally) If it's none of the fans here, stop them both to see if the sound goes away Any other case fans? Those are harder to get at but the concept is the same. Approach from the "front" rotating part. down1nit fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Feb 11, 2024 |
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Feb 11, 2024 18:37
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down1nit posted:The second. So I tried dusting out the computer, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference. I tried adjusting a couple of the screws, but it seems like they are loose (or at least not tightened down as far as they could be. I tried updating iCUE, thinking maybe there was some firmware update that it needed, and then I tried starting BG3 again and progressing a bit to see how it fared.     After I ran into an encounter, that's when the fan started malfunctioning. It started rattling pretty loud, but I found if I tapped on the top of the case (where the radiator is) and kept my hand there, the rattling would stop. However, the fan was still spinning slowly, so I don't think the radiator is faulty, but maybe not secured as tightly as it could be, and when the fan starts malfunctioning, it causes the radiator to vibrate. I'm pretty sure it's Fan #2 that's the issue. I can take a video or something to demonstrate it, but when the RPM drops, I can see in the case that it's not spinning as fast as the other cooler fan. I'm pretty sure it's not upside down (I can see the Corsair logo, and it looks identical to how the other fan is installed). It seems like when the fan is under heavy load (either when the computer starts, or during a game when there's a lot going on) is when the problem occurs, which makes me think I need to replace the fan. Incidentally, when I opened up the case, I saw that the fans installed are AF Elite, so it's not using the ML120 like I thought.
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Feb 11, 2024 21:03
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I feel like you're doing everything but getting inside the case lol. If you're not sure about futzing about in there we can do a little video call? Just saw the graph, it didn't load on mobile I think, yeah it looks like it hits a certain RPM and then bogs itself down. Probably need a new one. I don't quite know why it happens, but sometimes the stator shaft gets VERY VERY SLIGHTLY bent during manufacturing. That's probably a warranty thing if you wanna bother, otherwise just swap it out. I'd really want you to confirm it visually/by watching the RPMS rise until it resonates, and then stop it to pinpoint for sure it's the one if you can. down1nit fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Feb 11, 2024 |
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Feb 11, 2024 22:17
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 20:44 |
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So I booted up the computer this morning and strangely, there was no noise, and so I didn't have to go into iCUE to tweak the fan speed to stop it. Once I got home from work, I tried stress-testing it with Baldur's Gate 3, and the fan didn't go on the fritz while playing.     Don't know if the issue is resolved, or if it's just a fluke, so I'll have to monitor it for a few days. If it is fixed, then I think maybe the issue was that while I updated iCUE yesterday, I didn't think to restart the computer once it was done, so it hadn't properly/fully updated. Now that it has, maybe it took care of whatever oddity there was with how iCUE was interacting with the fan.
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Feb 12, 2024 23:08
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