CPU Fan and GPU Fan Acting Funny?

[madmargin14]

So my computer has had times before where it restarted randomly and I didn't think much of it. However , three days ago I would turn it on only for it to shutdown instead of restarting. I immediately believed the cause to be overheating and thoroughly cleaned my fans and case out in case of dust buildup. After this my case was running hotter than what I was used to ( I could feel warm air on my face as if I were next to a radiator when I open up the door on the front panel ) but it was working .

Fast forward to yesterday and I notice that I have my rear case fan in backwards , and I decide to just readjust it so that the air can flow properly and possibly redress the temperature issue I was having. I finish readjusting the fan , boot the computer back up , and wait to feel if the temperature in the case noticeably decreases. The only thing that ended up happening was a shutdown , and next boot I decided to watch my fans during startup. This is when I noticed that my CPU Fan never started , and my GPU fans would start but then stop. My case fans worked fine .

To try and figure out the cause , I checked if my CPU fan was properly inserted into the cpu_fan header on the mobo by plugging it out then plugging it in , with no luck . Then I tried to use the sys_fan header with no avail . The computer can boot up all the way to sign-in , so I didn't suspect anything wrong with the mobo itself besides dead headers.Also, BIOS wouldn't manually let me increase the fan speeds , but it detected it .

In the case of the GPU fans , I had no idea except that when I switched out the one with the issue for one that consumed less power , the less power consuming one managed to keep its fan on all the way through boot , leading me to suspect a power consumption issue and here to Tom's Hardware. Additionally , I quickly switched from 115v to 230v to see if my GPU fans would run all the way ; which they did.

TL;DR: Computer overheats one day , fix backwards fan , cpu fan and gpu fans don't run on boot , suspected to be a power consumption issue mainly?

I'm not home right now so I might not have some specs except these:

Specs:

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2 Rev 1.2

CPU - AMD FX-4300 Quad Core

GPU (with fan issue) - Nvidia GTX 1050 2 GB

Test GPU - AMD Radeon R7 240

RAM - 2x 8GB DDR3

PSU - 350W , don't know manufacturer or amperes amount , but do use 115v

Monitor - ASUS VG245 75hz Gaming Monitor

Hard Drive - 1TB Toshiba something

Fans- CPU one is from CoolerMaster , don't know about case fans

Case- It uses RGB lighting but I don't know the manufacturer

"https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-ultra-desktop-amd-fx-series-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black-blue/4593000.p?skuId=4593000" is the link to the original prebuilt PC in case you need more info.

Edit : Just to increase readability from a wall of text to something easier on the eyes .

 

[Paperdoc]

If your CPU cooler fan never starts up it is very likely that its bearings are badly worn. The same may the true of the GPU fan that can start, but will stall easily shortly after that.

In both cases, at start up the fans are fed full power for a few seconds to get them started, then lower voltage to let them run slower to match the lower temperatures of a machine that has not been running. But if the fan stalls as soon as its voltage is lowered, it means the fan is faulty.

There are two tests you can do to check this. Do this for each fan.
1. With power off completely, open the case. For each fan, reach in gently and try to push the fan blades with your finger so the fan rotates. On a good new fan, you can push easily and the fan will continue to rotate for a second or two. On a bad fan with really worn bearings, the rotor will be stiff to turn and will not coast - it will just stop when you stop pushing.
2. With the system plugged in and power off, get a small stick - a pencil with a rubber eraser end on it works well. Make sure you can reach each fan with that so that you can give it a gentle push to start spinning. Now, turn on power and immediately give each of those fans a "start-up" push, then see what they do. If they do start, but then stall in a few seconds, that is a symptom of a fan with worn bearings. If they start and keep running for a LONG time, that is a symptom of a fan with somewhat worn bearings.

In both cases, if the tests indicate worn bearings, the fan needs to be replaced. You cannot repair it, and you cannot add a little oil to the bearings.

 

[madmargin14]

If your CPU cooler fan never starts up it is very likely that its bearings are badly worn. The same may the true of the GPU fan that can start, but will stall easily shortly after that.

In both cases, at start up the fans are fed full power for a few seconds to get them started, then lower voltage to let them run slower to match the lower temperatures of a machine that has not been running. But if the fan stalls as soon as its voltage is lowered, it means the fan is faulty.

There are two tests you can do to check this. Do this for each fan.
1. With power off completely, open the case. For each fan, reach in gently and try to push the fan blades with your finger so the fan rotates. On a good new fan, you can push easily and the fan will continue to rotate for a second or two. On a bad fan with really worn bearings, the rotor will be stiff to turn and will not coast - it will just stop when you stop pushing.
2. With the system plugged in and power off, get a small stick - a pencil with a rubber eraser end on it works well. Make sure you can reach each fan with that so that you can give it a gentle push to start spinning. Now, turn on power and immediately give each of those fans a "start-up" push, then see what they do. If they do start, but then stall in a few seconds, that is a symptom of a fan with worn bearings. If they start and keep running for a LONG time, that is a symptom of a fan with somewhat worn bearings.

In both cases, if the tests indicate worn bearings, the fan needs to be replaced. You cannot repair it, and you cannot add a little oil to the bearings.

Thank you for responding , and what you said about the fan not rotating easily when it has worn bearings most definitely applies to the CPU fan ( VERY hard to get to rotate and feels very stiff ) .

However for the GPU , which is only around 2 months old , the fans easily rotate and when I just wanted to see if the GPU would work when I plugged it into a laptop via HDMI the fans immediately started to rotate and kept on until I plugged it out . When I did your second step to the GPU , the fans easily rotate , but nothing after .

 

[Paperdoc]

So you need to replace the fan in your CPU cooling system. That does NOT mean you have to replace the entire CPU cooler. Most such systems (IF you have a fan-only system and not a liquid cooler system) consist of a heatsink with fins mounted firmly on top of the CPU chip, and a fan attached to the heatsink to blow air though the gaps between fins. For most of these the fan is a "standard" computer fan (often 80mm or 120 mm size), and you can replace the fan only. To do that you need to take these steps
1. Examine the fan label and identify it. You need to know especially its maker and model number. Look that up on the web and find its air flow rating and its pressure rating. Fans for CPU heatsinks are usually labeled as "high pressure" units because they must blow the air through more backpressure than a case fan. IF you can get an exact replacement (either though a store or from the CPU cooler maker) that is ideal. Otherwise look for a fan of the same size with airflow and pressure ratings close to the old one, or slightly higher. Also take note of the number of wires from the fan, and thus of the number of holes in the connector on the end of the wires (3 or 4). Try to get a replacement with the same.
2. Examine closely how the fan is fastened to the heatsink. Some use metal wire clips to hold it on. Others simply fit screws through the fan chassis' corner holes and into the spaces between fins of the heatsink. Use that as a guide to how to un-attach the fan and then re-attach its replacement.
3. You do NOT need to remove the heatsink part from the CPU. Just remove the fan from the heatsink, then replace it. Try hard NOT to put any stain on the heatsink and CPU.
4. When you are doing the replacement and while the old one is off, examine the slots between the fins of the heatsink. Often they have an accumulation of dust in them that stopes air flow. If yours does, clean them out. You may need to use a small thin stick to loosen the dust so it can be blown out. After they are clean, install the new fan.
5. Warning: When cleaning dust, do NOT use a vacuum to pull air and dust through a fan without holding the fan blades stationary. A big flow of air through a free fan can cause it to turn MUCH faster than it is designed for and damage the fan's bearings.

Now on to the GPU fan. The spec you gave, "Nvidia GTX 1050" is not enough. Nvidia makes GPU major components but sells few video cards directly. Most such cards actually are designed and made by others like ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte, etc. So tell us more about the card's markings. What I suspect - and that's why I need more info, to check this idea - is that the video card controls its own fan speed and is set up to NOT use the fan when the GPU chip on it is still very cool from not being in use. In that system, the fan might start briefly to ensure it works, then stop while the card is cold. Later it will start up slowly, then speed up more as you use it. But in your current situation with a CPU that has NO cooling and thus shuts down the whole system, you never get to run it long enough for the video card to heat up and require fan cooling. In other works, the GPU card fan may be just fine, and will work perfectly well once you solve the CPU chip fan problem.