[SOLVED] Desktop Extremely Slow After Installing 3rd Cooling Fan

May 27, 2021
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Hello there i need a little help. My computer already has 2 fans plugged in and I installed a 3rd one but after installing it the computer runs slow... I figured the fan is the problem by uninstalling it and installing it back, once the fan is not installed the computer runs smoothly... I ll attach a picture of the plug below. It is a molex connector the 2 white top ones are from before and the black one is from the new fan. Could this be damaged plug? Or consuming to much power itself that slows down the cpu? do i need to configure something through the system? Please help...(The fan is 12v, rgb)
https://ibb.co/qLSWmPV
 
Solution
Thank you very much i think the whole issue comes from the cpu’s cooler its quite loose i am going to buy thermal paste tomorrow...again thanks for all the advices i ll repost when i try replacing the thermal paste

Not a problem at all, happy to help.

Is the actual cooling block (the entire unit) loose, or is it just the fan? Which CPU cooler is it?

If it's the entire unit, then there's every possibility that the cooler is not secured correctly onto the bracket plate, and as such is causing the CPU to overheat and thus reduce it's performance due to thermal throttling.

It's also possible that if this is the case, and there is a slight air gap between the bottom of the cooler and the top of the CPU (where the paste sits) then...

iPeekYou

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Jul 7, 2014
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Probably less about consuming so much power, and there's an issue elsewhere. Can't say I've heard of a faulty fan doing something like this, though.

It could be there's a fault somewhere between the fan and the power supply. Bad plugs can cause short, yes. But the actual practical symptoms vary a lot. If you want to verify easily, have another molex fan plugged in. See if the problem is reproduced then.

Also, PC fans are usually 12V. It's just how much amps they require that dictates the actual power consumption. That said, fans don't take much power, about 3-6W each depending on model. See the sticker on the fan hub to determine the power. Honestly, if the extra load of a single fan is the problem, you have bigger problems already.
 
May 26, 2021
94
10
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Hello there i need a little help. My computer already has 2 fans plugged in and I installed a 3rd one but after installing it the computer runs slow... I figured the fan is the problem by uninstalling it and installing it back, once the fan is not installed the computer runs smoothly... I ll attach a picture of the plug below. It is a molex connector the 2 white top ones are from before and the black one is from the new fan. Could this be damaged plug? Or consuming to much power itself that slows down the cpu? do i need to configure something through the system? Please help...(The fan is 12v, rgb)
https://ibb.co/qLSWmPV
Odd.. can't say i've ever heard of this before. Initially my thought was power delivery issue, but if it wasn't able to draw enough power then it just wouldn't spin up. As the other person has said, if it's slowing your computer down by plugging in a third fan, then it sounds like there are some serious issues somewhere.

What PSU wattage (550W, 650W, etc) and rating (80+ Bronze, Silver, Gold) do you have?

Is it a decent branded PSU?
 
May 26, 2021
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It's more likely, in my mind, that the 3rd fan is somehow interfering with the airflow through the case and thus the CPU is getting hot enough to be throttled. Try reversing the direction that the fan moves the air.

Whilst this is certainly possible, i'd think it's quite unlikely that this alone would cause such a detrimental effect that it would cause the CPU to throttle on thermal temps and slow right down. I can't really see the airflow of one single fan (that was added afterwards) being set in the wrong direction as being solely responsible for this.

I guess, to rule it out, OP could connect the fan, and if the header wire length allows, place the third fan OUTSIDE the case, just to test it. If the PC is slowing down still, then it suggests it's nothing to do with the airflow and there is clearly an issue elsewhere. If, on the other hand, by connecting the third fan and putting it outside the case, it does make a difference, then it would suggest that the issue here is airflow related.
 
May 27, 2021
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Thanks to everyone for your replies. Btw my PSU is a brand from my country so i don't think you could possibly know it.. though i didn't have any problems until now. I ll test placing the fan outside the case. I forgot to mention that i plugged the fan once while the computer was turned on could that have caused damage to the whole system?
 
May 26, 2021
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On top of that the pc is running slow without showing any high usage of cpu, ram ect in the task manager
Although we might not have heard of it, what brand is it? Certain very cheap PSU's are known to cause power issues as they are unstable and do not deliver stable, constant power.

Given this issue cropped up AFTER you added a third fan, it's unlikely that that is the issue directly, however it may suggest that as you are adding an additional load, that there is some form of issue with power delivery to the components, caused by adding the third fan.

The other option, which has already been suggested, is that the CPU cooler may have become dislodged, depending on whether you have a stock/tower cooler or a liquid cooler depends on what you need to do to check, ordinarily there's 4 screws on the cooler bracket that mount it to the board, and pass through into a plate the other side, which secures it to the board.

You may also want to consider removing the cooler, and possibly remove and re-seat the CPU before applying some more thermal compound (also known as thermal paste) and fitting the cooler back onto it.

Of course, as with everything, this depends on how technical you are, but also just be careful and make sure you ground yourself on a metal object (a door handle, a bed frame, etc) before doing this, and whilst doing this to remove any static build up in your body, small components such as CPU and RAM specifically are very sensitive to this and you could quite easily break it by not discharging any static in your body first.
 
May 27, 2021
6
0
10
Although we might not have heard of it, what brand is it? Certain very cheap PSU's are known to cause power issues as they are unstable and do not deliver stable, constant power.

Given this issue cropped up AFTER you added a third fan, it's unlikely that that is the issue directly, however it may suggest that as you are adding an additional load, that there is some form of issue with power delivery to the components, caused by adding the third fan.

The other option, which has already been suggested, is that the CPU cooler may have become dislodged, depending on whether you have a stock/tower cooler or a liquid cooler depends on what you need to do to check, ordinarily there's 4 screws on the cooler bracket that mount it to the board, and pass through into a plate the other side, which secures it to the board.

You may also want to consider removing the cooler, and possibly remove and re-seat the CPU before applying some more thermal compound (also known as thermal paste) and fitting the cooler back onto it.

Of course, as with everything, this depends on how technical you are, but also just be careful and make sure you ground yourself on a metal object (a door handle, a bed frame, etc) before doing this, and whilst doing this to remove any static build up in your body, small components such as CPU and RAM specifically are very sensitive to this and you could quite easily break it by not discharging any static in your body first.
Thank you very much i think the whole issue comes from the cpu’s cooler its quite loose i am going to buy thermal paste tomorrow...again thanks for all the advices i ll repost when i try replacing the thermal paste
 
May 26, 2021
94
10
45
Thank you very much i think the whole issue comes from the cpu’s cooler its quite loose i am going to buy thermal paste tomorrow...again thanks for all the advices i ll repost when i try replacing the thermal paste

Not a problem at all, happy to help.

Is the actual cooling block (the entire unit) loose, or is it just the fan? Which CPU cooler is it?

If it's the entire unit, then there's every possibility that the cooler is not secured correctly onto the bracket plate, and as such is causing the CPU to overheat and thus reduce it's performance due to thermal throttling.

It's also possible that if this is the case, and there is a slight air gap between the bottom of the cooler and the top of the CPU (where the paste sits) then air can get into the paste and form a slight "air bubble".

The best thing to do in my opinion, would be to firstly buy some more thermal compound/paste, go for a decent brand if you can, something along the lines of Artic MX-4 brand, or some other decent brand if you can get it. They're not too expensive, some years ago I bought a pack of 4 tubes of it for about £15.

Firstly, turn off the computer and switch off the power supply at the back, then disconnect the IEC/power lead.

Ground yourself on anything metal, in my case, I use my bed which has a metal frame as it's right next to my desk where my PC is.

Open the side of the case, remove the CPU cooler using a screwdriver, most coolers will use a typical "cross head" Philips screw design, some use flat (horizontal) designs and some have their own proprietary designs.

Remove the screws, or in some cases, thumbscrews from the cooler unit and put them aside.

Next remove the cooler unit itself, and put it to the side, preferably on some old newspaper or tissue so you don't get thermal compound all over the floor/carpet, in case you haven't seen it before, thermal compound is basically a grey sticky paste, grey is the most common colour i've seen, but i'm sure you can get other colours out there, so yours may be different.

Clean the bottom of the cooler, the plate that actually sits on the CPU, using a wet wipe or slightly wet cloth, then once all the compound has been wiped off, dry it.

Next, ground yourself again, as you are about to touch the CPU - just briefly touch anything metal nearby, preferably something metal that is actually on the ground.

If you can, without removing the CPU, wipe it clean with a cloth, clear off all of the thermal compound, and then make sure the CPU is dry. I say to use a wet cloth as that removes the existing thermal compound more easily than a dry cloth, make sure the cloth is slightly wet and not soaking wet, and also don't touch the underside of the CPU where the contacts or pins are with the wet cloth. If you need to remove the CPU to do this, that's fine, but just be careful handling it, and if you're sat on a carpet don't shuffle around on the floor as this increases your chance of building up static in the body which could kill the CPU.

Now, take your new thermal compound, and squeeze a small amount onto the CPU, a small amount about the size of a garden pea, just a small ball in the centre, there's no need to smear it all over the CPU, the cooler will do that for you when you re-seat it.

If you needed to remove the CPU to clean it, then reseat it, and close the bracket, if you didn't need to remove it, even better.

Next, take your CPU cooler, and place it back ontop of the CPU, try to align the cooler bracket (where the holes are) with the holes in the plate on the board itself before you press it down onto the CPU, so that you don't have to move the cooler around too much when seating it, any excessive movement could cause small air bubbles to get into the paste which reduces it's effectiveness.

Next, reinstall the CPU cooler screws, do opposite corners first, for instance, do the top left one, and then the bottom right corner one next, or bottom left and top right one first, this spreads the paste across the chip and also helps secure it in place more evenly.

Do both of these screws up, but just "finger tight" so to hold it in place, next put in the remaining two screws into the other two holes, and finger tighten them.

Then tighten them fully one by one, in opposite corners, until it's secure and the CPU cooler doesn't move around, it should sit solid and not slide about or be able to move slightly from side to side if it's securely fastened down.

Now, depending on what cooler you have, if you had to disconnect any wires from it, to remove it, re-attach those, most stock coolers or cheaper coolers won't have anything connected other than the standard CPU COOLER header which usually goes to the fan header on the motherboard which is usually labelled "CPU_COOLER" or "CPU_COOLER_1", connect the cable from the cooler back to this header on the board, if you have a liquid or water cooled system, then you may have a wire going to the CPU cooler block for software monitoring and control purposes as well as a cpu cooler header.

Now you can plug your PC back in, turn the PSU switch on, and power it up, I would personally leave the side case off at this point just to make sure it works, otherwise you'll have to take the side cover off again.

If it works as expected, and doesn't keep slowing down, then re-attach the side panel.

Job done!

This video should help a lot - it's easier to see on a video than it is to explain it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sog0M9OrlME


Hope this helps.

- Will.
 
Last edited:
Solution
May 27, 2021
6
0
10
Not a problem at all, happy to help.

Is the actual cooling block (the entire unit) loose, or is it just the fan? Which CPU cooler is it?

If it's the entire unit, then there's every possibility that the cooler is not secured correctly onto the bracket plate, and as such is causing the CPU to overheat and thus reduce it's performance due to thermal throttling.

It's also possible that if this is the case, and there is a slight air gap between the bottom of the cooler and the top of the CPU (where the paste sits) then air can get into the paste and form a slight "air bubble".

The best thing to do in my opinion, would be to firstly buy some more thermal compound/paste, go for a decent brand if you can, something along the lines of Artic MX-4 brand, or some other decent brand if you can get it. They're not too expensive, some years ago I bought a pack of 4 tubes of it for about £15.

Firstly, turn off the computer and switch off the power supply at the back, then disconnect the IEC/power lead.

Ground yourself on anything metal, in my case, I use my bed which has a metal frame as it's right next to my desk where my PC is.

Open the side of the case, remove the CPU cooler using a screwdriver, most coolers will use a typical "cross head" Philips screw design, some use flat (horizontal) designs and some have their own proprietary designs.

Remove the screws, or in some cases, thumbscrews from the cooler unit and put them aside.

Next remove the cooler unit itself, and put it to the side, preferably on some old newspaper or tissue so you don't get thermal compound all over the floor/carpet, in case you haven't seen it before, thermal compound is basically a grey sticky paste, grey is the most common colour i've seen, but i'm sure you can get other colours out there, so yours may be different.

Clean the bottom of the cooler, the plate that actually sits on the CPU, using a wet wipe or slightly wet cloth, then once all the compound has been wiped off, dry it.

Next, ground yourself again, as you are about to touch the CPU - just briefly touch anything metal nearby, preferably something metal that is actually on the ground.

If you can, without removing the CPU, wipe it clean with a cloth, clear off all of the thermal compound, and then make sure the CPU is dry. I say to use a wet cloth as that removes the existing thermal compound more easily than a dry cloth, make sure the cloth is slightly wet and not soaking wet, and also don't touch the underside of the CPU where the contacts or pins are with the wet cloth. If you need to remove the CPU to do this, that's fine, but just be careful handling it, and if you're sat on a carpet don't shuffle around on the floor as this increases your chance of building up static in the body which could kill the CPU.

Now, take your new thermal compound, and squeeze a small amount onto the CPU, a small amount about the size of a garden pea, just a small ball in the centre, there's no need to smear it all over the CPU, the cooler will do that for you when you re-seat it.

If you needed to remove the CPU to clean it, then reseat it, and close the bracket, if you didn't need to remove it, even better.

Next, take your CPU cooler, and place it back ontop of the CPU, try to align the cooler bracket (where the holes are) with the holes in the plate on the board itself before you press it down onto the CPU, so that you don't have to move the cooler around too much when seating it, any excessive movement could cause small air bubbles to get into the paste which reduces it's effectiveness.

Next, reinstall the CPU cooler screws, do opposite corners first, for instance, do the top left one, and then the bottom right corner one next, or bottom left and top right one first, this spreads the paste across the chip and also helps secure it in place more evenly.

Do both of these screws up, but just "finger tight" so to hold it in place, next put in the remaining two screws into the other two holes, and finger tighten them.

Then tighten them fully one by one, in opposite corners, until it's secure and the CPU cooler doesn't move around, it should sit solid and not slide about or be able to move slightly from side to side if it's securely fastened down.

Now, depending on what cooler you have, if you had to disconnect any wires from it, to remove it, re-attach those, most stock coolers or cheaper coolers won't have anything connected other than the standard CPU COOLER header which usually goes to the fan header on the motherboard which is usually labelled "CPU_COOLER" or "CPU_COOLER_1", connect the cable from the cooler back to this header on the board, if you have a liquid or water cooled system, then you may have a wire going to the CPU cooler block for software monitoring and control purposes as well as a cpu cooler header.

Now you can plug your PC back in, turn the PSU switch on, and power it up, I would personally leave the side case off at this point just to make sure it works, otherwise you'll have to take the side cover off again.

If it works as expected, and doesn't keep slowing down, then re-attach the side panel.

Job done!

This video should help a lot - it's easier to see on a video than it is to explain it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sog0M9OrlME


Hope this helps.

- Will.
Thank youuu for the tips I already bought the arctic MX-4 and applied it... It seems like the whole problem started when I tried to route the fan's wires and i accidentally moved the cpu cooler a bit and as the paste haven't been changed for 6-7 years (since i bought this desktop) it went loose.. Anyways my fan is working without any problems, CPU is not overheating (it was operating at 100+ Celsius degrees thankfully no damage was done) now its operating at 30-60... For your information it was LGA1150 with i5 4xxx. Problem solved thanks a lot.
 
May 26, 2021
94
10
45
Thank youuu for the tips I already bought the arctic MX-4 and applied it... It seems like the whole problem started when I tried to route the fan's wires and i accidentally moved the cpu cooler a bit and as the paste haven't been changed for 6-7 years (since i bought this desktop) it went loose.. Anyways my fan is working without any problems, CPU is not overheating (it was operating at 100+ Celsius degrees thankfully no damage was done) now its operating at 30-60... For your information it was LGA1150 with i5 4xxx. Problem solved thanks a lot.

Yes, so it was definitely a thermal throttling issue. 100C is way too high for a CPU, most people say above 80 is not really advisable, I personally don't like to see mine going above 70 Celsius. The higher the heat, the quicker it will fail, the same with voltage, if you ever get into overclocking.

Glad it's sorted.