Question Need advice on gaming computer chassis fan

[cold core]

Hi new to this forum. I bought on older gaming rig last year and the rear fan needs replacing. What are some suggestions for this particular rig? I'll be needing some other help with this rig as time goes by, after fan replacement then I need to configure it properly in bios but am unsure about doing this. This computer has more balls than I've ever been used to, so as far as replacing parts or tweaking the bios or even installing a uefi is something I'll need help with eventually-sooner than later. But for now, the fan replacement. I've looked at a few 3rd party softwares to try to figure out the specs on the faulty fan but can't seem to find where that info is. Any suggestions? Thank you

Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

CPU
Intel Core i7 4930K @ 3.40GHz
Ivy Bridge-E 22nm Technology

RAM
32.0GB DDR3 @ 802MHz (10-10-10-30)

Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. P9X79 WS (LGA2011)

Graphics
FPD2485W (1920x1080@59Hz)
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (MSI):
3071MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (Palit Microsystems):


Storage
931GB Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB (SATA (SSD)):
931GB Western Digital WDC WD1003FZEX-00MK2A0 (SATA (SSD)):
1863GB Western Digital WDC WD2003FZEX-00Z4SA0 (SATA (SSD)):

 

[Gam3r01]

You first need to establish what size the fan is, typically its 120mm or 140mm (measured across).
Once you figure that out, you can pretty much buy any fan you want. In this case you will want a 4 pin fan so you can control its speeds from the BIOS.
There is no need to replace it with an identical fan, if anything you want to upgrade to a better fan, which varies depending on budget.

On a side note, are you actually making use of the two GPUs in the system? More likely than not its just wasted power and heat.

 

[Paperdoc]

I agree - that mobo appears to use only the newer PWM (4-pin) fan design. Do not get a 3-pin fan. All 4-pin fans use the SAME connector to match the headers on your mobo.

Fan SIZE (in mm) is the length of ONE SIDE of the (square) fan frame - not the diagonal, and not the spacing of mounting holes.

For this application - relatively unrestricted air flow through an open grille for case ventilation - the most important item is the spec for max AIR FLOW, usually in CFM. The spec for pressure (in mm of water) is not important. Fan SPEED is not important - air flow is. You may also want to consider max noise in dBA, and likely lifetime - either from warranty length or user reports of lifetime.

You mentioned "installing a uefi". The mobo HAS a UEFI system in place already. You may be confusing this with the options for how the SATA ports and HDD's are used - IDE, AHCI, or RAID - but do NOT go trying to change those without planning carefully. ANY change of those essentially means you are wiping out all info on those HDD's and starting with a blank PC that does not even have a Windows (or other) OS. OR, you may be thinking of the difference between the older MBR type of Partition system for HDD's (limited to units no more than 2 GB) versus the newer GUID Partition system that can handle HDD's MUCH bigger than any on the market. That latter item is where the UEFI thing crosses over. Older mobos that lack the UEFI feature do not know how to deal with a HDD Partitioned in the new GUI way, and so cannot BOOT from them. But your mobo HAS UEFI support and can boot from and use drives partitioned in EITHER type. But again, changing from one to another Partition system usually means you wipe out all its data and start with a blank HDD.

 

[cold core]

Okay I've established that the fan is 120mm x 25mm and yes 4 pin --so would this:
Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000 PWM, Heavy Duty Cooling Fan, 4-Pin, 3000 RPM (120mm, Black)
make a suitable replacement? Sorry, I just want to be sure because this computer is my baby now and i 've got a lot to learn about water cooled systems(it's the first one i've owned and I didn't build it).

Gam3r01: one gpu is being used for the monitor. the monitor doesnt come on plugged into the other gpu-Idk if I have to enable it first or something-but it runs. Fans run and lights are on.

Paperdoc: yeah the problem is that when I reinstalled windows 10(which when I bought it it had UEFI installed)I used the mbr bios instead. I forget the exact reason why I did it like that but anyhow I need to reinstall it using uefi but not entirely sure how-the computer shows that the drive is uefi(indicates this in bios) so do I add gpt tables or are they still there and is there a way to check that specifically?

Thanks for replying guys-this is a big help

 

[Paperdoc]

That is a very high-performance fan that can deliver a lot of air flow, but to do so it can also generate more noise that most. Assuming you will plug it into a mobo CHA_FAN header for automatic speed control (there's a suitable one named CHA_FAN1 near the rear next to some RAM slots), you may find it runs at minimum speed a lot of the time. Even min speed with that fan can deliver a lot of air flow. The automatic system adjusts the fan to deliver whatever air flow is needed to keep the temperature as measured by a mobo sensor on target, so low workloads need only modest cooling.

You have not told us what other fans you may have also. I hope there is at least one (preferably more) near the front as intake fans for fresh outside air. Ideally, you need fans such that the intake capacity rating slightly exceeds the exhaust capacity rating, because intakes normally have dust filters in front of them and those reduce their fans' air flow slightly. I thought of this in considering the substantial air flow rating of the new fan you are considering.

That also triggered me to look more closely at the mobo manual and I found an unusual item there. These days, virtually all fan headers on mobos have 4 pins, BUT the actual electrical signals they send out can be configured for each header individually in BIOS Setup. The choices are Voltage Control Mode for 3-pin fans, or PWM Mode for 4-pin fans. Each fan design needs a different setting, and this arrangement ensures you can configure each header for the fan you have connected. BUT your mobo has a simpler system used on earlier mobos. See your manual, p 2-22. It has a 3-pin jumper set you must set to configure ALL of the mobo CHA_FAN headers as one group to either of these choices. That means you need to ensure that ALL of your case ventilation fans are of the same design (3-pin or 4-pin (PWM)) since they all will receive the same types of signals. It is not clear in the manual whether the setting here also impacts the bevaviour of the CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT headers. So, assuming you DO have other fans for the case (and you certainly have a CPU cooler of some type), survey carefully which design they are, and ensure that the rear fan you buy is of that type.

You probably have NO need to change anything in how the HDD's are used. These days the PARTITION style can be either the older MBR type or the new GUID type. The MBR type is just fine, but is limited to HDD's of no more than 2 GB. The newer GUID system MUST be used for HDD's over 2 GB in order to access all of their space, and MAY be used on smaller HDD's if you choose. If your HDD's are NOT larger than 2GB, you do NOT need to change them. If you ever add more HDD's larger than 2 GB, the NEW one must be set up in the GUID system, but that still does not require that you change the older ones. Windows 10 has the device drivers required for BOTH types and can use them properly. You do not need to make any changes to Windows nor to install anything.

IF you want to check those details for your HDD, you can. In the search window at bottom left, type in Disk Management and hit Enter. That tool window pops up and shows you the HDD units in the bottom part, and some info in each panel. In the BOTTOM panel, RIGHT-click on a HDD ID block at the far left and ask for Properties. In the new pop-up click on the Volumes tab at the top. Half way down the list is the Partition Style info. Just Cancel out of that screen and app when done.

Support for UEFI is a feature of the mobo BIOS. More specifically in this context, it provides the mobo the ability to find the Partition Table on an HDD that already is in the newer GUID Partition style, read its info, find Windows and load it. Older mobos that lack this feature cannot BOOT from such a HDD. But yours has this feature AND that means it ALSO knows all about how to BOOT from HDD's with the older MBR type of Partition system, so your mobo has both possibilities covered and needs nothing added. By the way, once it HAS booted into Windows, then WINDOWS with its device drivers loaded is what CAN access both HDD types, also. So even if your current system has only MBR-Partitioned HDD's that CAN be booted into Windows, and LATER you add a large HDD that uses a new GUID style of Partition, Windows still CAN access that.

If you find your HDD's are Partitioned in the older MBR system and you do not NEED to change but WANT to convert them to GUID anyway, there is a way to do that. BUT this operation will wipe out everything on that HDD. So you MUST back it up completely before starting, so you can restore all its data. IF the disk is your BOOT drive, then you will need to re-Install Windows AND all of your application software on the wiped and re-Partitioned drive!

There is an older quirk thing that might be causing you confusion. This goes back to when SATA drives first were introduced at roughly the same time as Windows XP was released. SATA drives are best used as AHCI devices, which adds a few features that older IDE drives never had. The problem was that Windows XP did NOT have any "built-in" device driver for an AHCI device, although there was a process for adding it so that OS could boot from an AHCI drive. But many found that hard to do, so mobo makers included in their BIOS a simple "work-around". They included an option in the configuration of the mobo new SATA ports to have all the SATA drives Emulate older IDE drives (by limiting the mobo to using only the command set for older drives). If you set your mobo this way from the beginning, Windows XP was fooled into believing that it WAS dealing only with IDE HDD's and was happy to work that way. The only long-term problem then was that you could not change your mind and switch to using that HDD as an AHCI drive type later, because there were a few differences in the way the data was organized (particularly in the Partition Table, I think) so that the AHCI drivers could not read a SATA drive that had been set up originally as an "IDE Emulation" unit. Making such a change required wiping the drive clean to lose everything and re-Partitioning. All Windows versions after XP did include proper AHCI device drivers, so this IDE Emulation option is no longer needed. Thus, in most modern mobos, that IDE Emulation option no longer exists. Your mobo DOES have that old option. Look in the manual on p. 3-34 at the top for SATA Mode. Ideally for modern uses this should be set to AHCI Mode. In fact, it MUST be set that way for SSD units connected to a SATA port. IF your mobo is set to IDE Mode there, changing that is a big problem because you're back to restoring everything from a back up AND re-Installing Windows and all your application software.

 

[cold core]

Wow Thank you for looking into this and explaining it to me albeit is a lot to take in, my own brain's processor is slow and gets easily overloaded so I'm taking in the information in bits. Yeah there's is one huge intake fan(about a foot in length and 6 inches across, yes the case/computer is humongous) at the front of the computer and two on top and each graphics card has 2 fans and then of course the fan in the back that I need to replace. They(one that needs replaced and the two on top) are all Nanoxia Deep Silence 120mm PWM 1500 rpm so that's what I will get for it.

So my next issue that I need to be sure about is the one gpu(#1), it's fans used to spin all the time as far as I know from checking from time to time. After I reinstalled windows the fans don't spin at all or one will spin sometimes. The other gpu(#2) is fine- fans spinning all the time. The thing is is that gpu #1 has the monitor plugged into it, the monitor doesn't work in gpu #2.

Now I understand that these gpus fans don't necessarily need to spin constantly but they always did when it was functioning normally in uefi. I need to reinstall windows once again with uefi.

I had taken this computer to the shop about 2 weeks ago to be repaired for these things + what I thought was a major rootkit and the guy wouldn't work on it but ran it for malware(there was none) and told me the settings in the bios for the cooling was probably not configured correctly. I'm sure he's right to an extent but the back fan was on it's way out anyway.

Turns out there was no malware on windows 10 because windows 10/microsft is the malware-or spyware rather. I had heard that years ago but to experience it firsthand to be trying to find the source of what I could swear was like being hacked...

Thanks again Paperdoc for explaining all of this about the drives and stuff. I don't think I'm confusing the mbr bios vs. uefi with the sata configuration although my confusion is in those things separately and by themselves. There are settings in bios that let you boot in uefi only or in legacy or either . The secure boot thing and the csm options are there too. When I reinstalled I set it to either or legacy only(there's a couple of different places to set legacy and/or uefi and/or either).

I'll get this fan situation squared away and come back to get assistance in reinstalling with uefi.

The 2t hdd was set to be backup for the ssd drive(C), it still is but it's full. I don't ever wipe the disks completely. Learned years ago the hard way not to do that one again.

-Jen

 

[Paperdoc]

So you have a plan for the fans. I don't know how easy it will be to find exactly that same fan for the rear. If you need to look for another comparable unit, this Noctua model is a good one

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-s12a-pwm/specification

It has slightly more air flow at max speed (63 CFM vs 55 for the fan you're replacing) and may generate slightly more noise at max speed, but in fact it will be running slower because its air flow capacity is greater. It has a good pressure rating for the rear exhaust fan placement. It IS of the new PWM design (4-pin) like your old one. This fan includes a little device they call a LNA that you can insert into the connections of the fan to its header to reduce its speed and make it quieter. BUT it limits the max speed and air pressure you can get. It is ONLY useful if you have the fan connected directly to the PSU with NO ability to control speed. Since you will plug yours into a mobo header that DOES do speed control, do NOT use that LNA thing. Generally Noctua fans have a very good reputation for high air flow, low noise, and long life - better than the 6 year warranty.

You are still worried about UEFI. That is a feature of the MOBO BIOS, NOT part of Windows. Your mobo AND Windows both have this built in, so you do NOT have to re-Install anything. I see you have configured your BIOS options to use the UEFI feature - and yes, they should be set as you have them.

Regarding those graphics cards, I can suggest a couple of things. To start, understand that the mobo has no impact on cooling systems on a graphics card. The card does that job all by itself. But many cards have tools you can use to monitor and adjust how that is done. These tools are normally a small utility supplied with the card and installed on your machine when the card is first installed. You can try to use the utility for configuring the graphics card - the tool you might use to set its resolution and frame rate, etc. - to find the places to set up its cooling system and show you the GPU chip temperature. I note that you believe that this system has somehow changed since you re-Installed Windows 10. That suggests to me that the proper DEVICE DRIVERS supplied by the card maker for those cards has NOT been installed, and Windows MAY be using some generic driver that fails to include these utility features. I suggest that, for EACH of those two graphics cards, see if you have a CD from the card maker that offers to install its drivers and utilities. If you can't find that, try going to the maker's website and seeking the latest driver package for that exact graphics card model, and for Win 10 (32-bit or 64-bit, depending on which you have). If you cannot find that, go into Device Manager to find the card, right-click on it, and choose to UPDATE the Driver. In the choices available, look for a driver particular to that card, and not some plain basic driver. That MAY give you the tools you need to examine and configure the graphics cards. Then you can decide whether the fan on Card #1 needs adjustment.

Regarding card #2 that appears not to work, maybe it is faulty. Also check that it does have a power supply cable plugged into it - many higher-performance cards do not get enough power from the PCIe slot and require a separate cable from the PSU to be plugged into a socket on the card edge. Maybe the card is loose in its PCIe slot: you could shut down the system, open the case, and gently remove the card from its slot, then re-install it. But BEFORE doing any of these, try using the graphics card configuration utility to check how its display resolution and frame rate are set. This machine was originally used with two cards which I suspect were feeding two DIFFERENT monitors, so they may have been set to different output characteristics. In that case card #2 may simply be set to a display your monitor cannot handle, and re-adjusting the output resolution and frame rate from card #2 to be the same as how card #1 is configured MAY let it work with your monitor.

I am intrigued by your statement that the HDD is set to be the "backup" of the SSD. Setting up an automatic backup system is not common. BUT many people mistakenly call a RAID0 system a "automatic backup". Actually such a system is a POOR way to do backups. So, maybe check some details to let me understand. In Window Explorer, look at the storage devices you have. If there is only ONE "drive" called "C:" for storage (not including any optical drive), your units are very likely in a RAID0 array. On the other hand, if the SSD is your C: drive and the HDD unit is shown separately as the D: unit, then they are NOT in RAID0 array. So, what do you see there? If they are separate, can you tell me why you believe the HDD is a backup for the SSD?

I assume, but you should check: have you emptied the Recycle Bin? Leaving junk in there you are sure you do NOT need any more takes up space on your drives.

 

[cold core]

Hi I already got the exact fan and put it in last night but the rpm is still very low as if I didn't change it out. There are settings for the fans in bios but I am insecure about going in and messing with the bios but I need asisstance from someone who can walk me through it. I have the motherboard manual and the mb cd but don't want to initiate until I'm sure of what I'm doing.

When I bought the computer the guy told me I'd be needing to replace the back fan-could it be that it's in the wrong chassis fan slot on the motherboard? Maybe the slot is bad? Or is it merely that I need to configure fan settings in bios?

About the GPUs, there is software cd for the 780 which actually has 3 fans running in it, I have not run the cd software for it yet wanted to get the back fan problem fixed first .
It's strange because after reinstalling windows, I went to geforce to get drivers and they offer the exactly drivers for both cards. I'll go ahead and run the disk for the one card but as the for the card that only has running one fan or neither fan, has no software cd provided for me.

This whole thing started with(besides the fan, which I was told was a problem and it says that in bios) what I thought was a virus or rootkit, then thought it was microsoft and win 10 now seems to just hang in the background invasively, taking up processes, changing services that are now and more and more triggered and/or greyed out, not letting me protect my ram in microsoft(those drivers they say are an issue, were not before this invasive.. whatever it is.) be protected

I don't know if it's microsoft or if there is some weird vulnerability on the computer(ActiveDir?) that I'm unaware..services accounts are created that seem to be able to do more than they should? Am I imagining all this because whatever is happening it's crazy making <Mod Edit>. It seems to have full administrative permissions and seems to hide under various aliases.
That is the main reason why I wanted to restore the uefi, because the problem seems to start between the bios and the startup of loading windows. And because the computer was better protected with uefi.

Lots of problems --my lan connections to the computer(s) not green and orange but red and orange constantly and have been this way for awhile as it seems as this computer is slowly being taken over. This computer has two lans ports and either one(both are) is constantly orange/red Can that even happen like that? I hope to hell I'm just being paranoid. Of course I'm not basing my reasoning off these things alone
I'm compiling any logs that look extra odd to me from the system right now and after I'm through I'll come back here and provide a link to have them viewed. Either something really is messed up, like mere computer misconfiguration(i kinda hope over the alts) or it's a super rootkit(can't find it by conventional means)or being hacked(no reason) or (I'm reaching) transition to ipv6(new spectrum hardware and I'm ignorantly resisting) or network misconfig --thing seems to ride in on rpc among other oddball clues or it's microsoft/win10(which both I'm very new to using, just since this computer) and that's just the way ms and/or win 10 are.. I 'm exhausted by it.

The thing has changed account passwords, shut down (temporarily) my usb win install drives, changed one straight up that I'd dled and they previously had worked as win 7 and win 10 on same drive changed both to windows 8, which I also had on the drive, maybe that was temporary too, I haven't tried using the drive since.
This started in dec. I was shut down abruptly on the 21 of dec , I had been noticing little things up to that time that didn't seem right...I'd dual booted it several months prior(which in retrospect, would not do that to an ssd again) and was having no issues..

Anyway don't quite know what my next move should be..besides compiling those logs and submitting. I'll run the GPU software cd. Maybe try a different chassis fan plug on the motherboard? Poke around the bios ?tho I'm terrified to make anymore changes to it without explicit instructions. The computer stays cool for right now anyway, it never gets warm and I've never even played any hardware taxing games on it yet, I actually got the computer to make videos with so gaming was never the focus-in part why I went with the ws edition of asus mb. But I guess I bit off my than I can chew. It didn't occur to me that duh! the guys that even own these kinds of rigs 9 times out of 10(I assume) build them themselves or know how to anyway. I came into this blind but I wanted a liquid cooled system with some balls after nothing but bottom rung hp's with not even a gpu & just 32 bits for as long as I've been online...So in other words I know I went from top ramen to a decent steak and I am clueless as to how to prepare(maintain) it, so I appreciate the research, know-how and input.
Thank you Paperdoc!

 

[Paperdoc]

I think I can help with a few things, but this won't get all of them.

Rear Fan
Mechanically installing the fan, and plugging it into the mobo fan header, is straightforward. It's the fan header configuration you are concerned about. It's done in BIOS Setup, so let's review that. You have the mobo manual, you say. Start on p. 3-1. To get into BIOS Setup you push the "Del" button immediately after pushing the on/off front button. I find it is not enough to push and release. I always push and h9old it in until the opening screen of BIOS Setup shows - see p.3-2. It may come up in EZ Mode, or in Advanced Mode (p. 3-3), depending on how an item has been set before. In either case, after making adjustments you will come back to this screen. Then you click on the upper right "EXIT" item to get to the Exit Screen (p. 3-48.).

From EZ Mode, click on that upper right item to get to Advanced Mode4. Then c;lick on the Monitor tab at the top - see p.3-40. Your mobo has four CHA_FAN headers, so scroll down to click on the line For "Chassis n Q-Fan Control", where "n" is the particular header your rear fan uses, and ensure that this is enabled (p.3-42). Next you can adjust the Low Speed Limit for that fan. This is just the low speed limit that will trigger a warning on your screen that this fan has stopped or failed, so set this to whatever your fan's specs suggest is its lowest reliable speed, or maybe a bit higher if necessary. Next item is the Chassis Fan n Profile, and this is the setting of what will be the fan min speed at a certain low temperature on the mobo, and of the max speed at some high temp. I suggest you use the Standard setting (a generally-good pre-set Profile) for this at first. IF you find that the fan is running too slow for your liking, OR that the fan actually stops because the mobo temp is quite low already, you can come back here and change to the Manual Profile Option. If you do that, you will find your settings you can make for that (outlined on that page) and set the fan's minimum speed somewhat higher than "normal" when the measured temp is low. When you have made your fan settings, use Esc to return to the Monitor Menu, then Exit at upper right to Advanced Menu, then Exit again to get to the Exit Menu (p. 3-48). There click on Save Changes and Reset and the machine will reboot.

Video Cards
I suspect that your system is fitted with two video cards from the same GPU family (although different models from different makers) that are actually "joined" by a connecting strip across their top edges into a 2-card NVIDIA SLI configuration. The two work together, and only ONE of them furnishes the output from that "team" of cards. I expect that "boss" is the MSI Gforce 980 one with two fans (one of them with red trim). That one, by the way, has a fan control system that runs the second fan only when it is needed because the card is hot from working hard - otherwise it stays shut off. You have a CD of utilities for the 3-fan Palit 780 model, and using it you may be able to see and adjust IF you need to) the fan system on it. For the MSI 980 card you can find help here

https://ca.msi.com/Graphics-Card/GTX-980-GAMING-4G/Overview

Click on the Support item at top and you can find the Quick Guide and Utilities for it to download. Regarding display modes etc., I expect BOTH cards will be adjusted using the video driver software you have, because they are treated as one video system.

After you get these settled, we can discuss how to clean up the rest of your issues.

 

[Paperdoc]

I'd like to understand your storage devices better. You have one SSD and two HDD's, I believe.

Look in Windows Explorer, accessed via the "This PC" icon on your screen. How many drives do you see there? Do not bother with the optical drive if it shows. For EACH of those, RIGHT-click on the drive and choose Properties. Tell me what it says for the "name" - that is, the letter like "C:" - the capacity of the drive, and the current Used Space and Free Space.

What I'm looking for is clear info on how these units are organized, because I did not understand how one HDD is a "backup" for the SSD.

Also, as I suggested earlier, have you emptied the Recycle Bin?

Another tool you can try, although it may or may not make a difference, is this. For EACH drive, from that Properties window (above) on the General tab, click on Disk Cleanup. It will show you a list of items that it can clear out IF you wish, and you must check or un-check items you know you do not need. When you heve those set, tell it to go ahead. This can free up some space that holds things you no longer need.

 

[cold core]

I think I can help with a few things, but this won't get all of them.

Rear Fan
Mechanically installing the fan, and plugging it into the mobo fan header, is straightforward. It's the fan header configuration you are concerned about. It's done in BIOS Setup, so let's review that. You have the mobo manual, you say. Start on p. 3-1. To get into BIOS Setup you push the "Del" button immediately after pushing the on/off front button. I find it is not enough to push and release. I always push and h9old it in until the opening screen of BIOS Setup shows - see p.3-2. It may come up in EZ Mode, or in Advanced Mode (p. 3-3), depending on how an item has been set before. In either case, after making adjustments you will come back to this screen. Then you click on the upper right "EXIT" item to get to the Exit Screen (p. 3-48.).

From EZ Mode, click on that upper right item to get to Advanced Mode4. Then c;lick on the Monitor tab at the top - see p.3-40. Your mobo has four CHA_FAN headers, so scroll down to click on the line For "Chassis n Q-Fan Control", where "n" is the particular header your rear fan uses, and ensure that this is enabled (p.3-42). Next you can adjust the Low Speed Limit for that fan. This is just the low speed limit that will trigger a warning on your screen that this fan has stopped or failed, so set this to whatever your fan's specs suggest is its lowest reliable speed, or maybe a bit higher if necessary. Next item is the Chassis Fan n Profile, and this is the setting of what will be the fan min speed at a certain low temperature on the mobo, and of the max speed at some high temp. I suggest you use the Standard setting (a generally-good pre-set Profile) for this at first. IF you find that the fan is running too slow for your liking, OR that the fan actually stops because the mobo temp is quite low already, you can come back here and change to the Manual Profile Option. If you do that, you will find your settings you can make for that (outlined on that page) and set the fan's minimum speed somewhat higher than "normal" when the measured temp is low. When you have made your fan settings, use Esc to return to the Monitor Menu, then Exit at upper right to Advanced Menu, then Exit again to get to the Exit Menu (p. 3-48). There click on Save Changes and Reset and the machine will reboot.

Video Cards
I suspect that your system is fitted with two video cards from the same GPU family (although different models from different makers) that are actually "joined" by a connecting strip across their top edges into a 2-card NVIDIA SLI configuration. The two work together, and only ONE of them furnishes the output from that "team" of cards. I expect that "boss" is the MSI Gforce 980 one with two fans (one of them with red trim). That one, by the way, has a fan control system that runs the second fan only when it is needed because the card is hot from working hard - otherwise it stays shut off. You have a CD of utilities for the 3-fan Palit 780 model, and using it you may be able to see and adjust IF you need to) the fan system on it. For the MSI 980 card you can find help here

https://ca.msi.com/Graphics-Card/GTX-980-GAMING-4G/Overview

Click on the Support item at top and you can find the Quick Guide and Utilities for it to download. Regarding display modes etc., I expect BOTH cards will be adjusted using the video driver software you have, because they are treated as one video system.

After you get these settled, we can discuss how to clean up the rest of your issues.

It's as if I didn't even put a fan in the back there. Here's a link to pictures I've taken in the bios of the fan control section. Nothing's changed after changing settings. Bios fan control .

The gpu 's have SLI disabled, so then do they work independently when not SLI? It has the capability to run SLI style as I was given extra parts for that purpose. I ran the Palit sw for 780 TI and it's the same, just fine except I have tried plugging the monitor into it and no go.

The other gpu still no fans running but if that's normal unless under stress, that's okay. They are updated.

 

[Paperdoc]

You have bought a system that was built originally for gaming use. That certainly explains the presence of two video cards. For heavy gaming use, it is very common to install two related video cards and connect them via SLI so they can co-operate and make the video rendering much faster and in great detail. The other common reason for two cards is if you plan to use at least two monitors simultaneously for different displays, often devoting each to a different application. Some even use more than one monitor per card to increase the total number of screens. This kind of system typically is NOT done using an SLI bridge. Instead, Windows has to be told which card is to be used for what. And don't forget, each card must be configured (using its display utility) for the resolution and frame rate that the connected monitor will require. If the monitors are different, the card configurations must also be different. You say the system now is NOT connected and configured for SLI mode. At the very least that means that each card must have its configuration set for the monitor you are trying to use. I expect also that Windows needs some setting for what output signals to render through which card and monitor. I do NOT do these things, so I cannot really provide much guidance. Maybe you could start another thread specifically asking for how to set up your two-card system. BEFORE doing that, though, you need to decide what you plan to do with this machine. Are you planning heavy gaming that needs an SLI-linked pair of cards with a single monitor? Or are you planning two or more monitors dedicated to different applications? At the moment your posts indicate you have only one monitor. If you are not doing either kind of heavy video work, maybe you don't need both cards installed.

Now to the fans. You speak of a huge "fan" on the front 6" x 12", and mention "water cooled". I checked back on that because your last post with screen images shows the CPU_FAN running at 2307 RPM (that's pretty much full speed) even though the CPU temperature is a low 37C. But with many AIO liquid-cooled systems the PUMP (mounted on top of the CPU chip) of the system is connected to the CPU_FAN header and is designed and wired so that it DOES always run full speed. There are two hoses running between the pump and the radiator. Then the RAD FANS of that system are connected to another place (depends on the system) and their speeds are manipulated to keep the CPU temperature under control. So, to help me understand that liquid-cooled system, can you tell me the maker's name? Then look for any indication of model name or number. And finally, look at the wires coming out of each of the rad fans (probably two of them) and trace them back to where they are plugged in somewhere. Tell me where that is. Is it on the pump, or to cables from the pump? Or, do they go to some box or printed circuit board? Or. to some mobo header?

Next, you spoke of two top-mounted fans. Trace their wires and tell me where they are plugged in. They do not seem to appear in those screen shots you posted.

Lastly, that new fan you have installed. I presume (but please verify or correct) you have that on the mobo CHA_FAN1 header, since it is the only CHA_FAN header that shows any fan speed. Note that it is shown in Red, indicating an alarm situation. The screen shoots are fuzzy and hard to read, but I think the right-hand image shows the CHA-FAN1 Low Speed Limit is set to 600 RPM, and the fan is running at 266 RPM. So everything appears to be working (the fan SHOULD be running at a minimum speed but not stalled, since the MB Temp is 36C, very cool). The only thing that needs attention there is that the Low Speed Limit set in BIOS Setup for that header should be reduced to about 200 RPM so it no longer considers that speed to be alarm-worthy. (See my earlier post, the second paragraph on Fans.)

It's hard to read the details of the Disk Management screen as posted, but a few things do seem odd. First, clearly you do have three storage drives operating independently - no RAID array. Disks 0 and 1 each have about 931 GB space, and Disk 2 has about 1863 GB. Not clear from there which is the SSD.

Disk 0 has TWO Partitions available for use with letter names, of about 490 and 435 GB each, and two "hidden" Partitions for special system uses.

Disk 1 has one accessible Partition of about 490 GB size with a letter name and a label "New Win 10 ???...", plus another area of 440 GB that is NOT being used at all - it is noted as Unallocated.

Disk 2 has one Partition of 1863 GB that uses all of the space available in that unit.

I cannot read the letter names on most of the active Partitions, nor can I read the details in the upper part of that screen. Overall, that is a confusing way to use those storage devices, and there is one chunk not being used at all.

You have talked about re-installing Windows 10, and/or installing UEFI. I'd like to get clear what you plan to do with this machine so we can underestand the best way it should be organized. SOME of the quirks and difficulties you mention almost appear to be either malware or just a confusion of installations and organization. And I just learned from my son that in many case when you attempt a simple "re-install" of Windows over top of a Windows that already exists, the process may NOT replace Windows. Instead, it may simply try to analyze what Windows stuff is already there, and tweak anything it thinks is odd. Doing that may NOT find and improve old troublesome details.

The really thorough and drastic method of getting rid of lots of old outdated and conflicting items (and malware, if there is any) is to do a complete re-Install of Windows. This actually requires completely wiping out all your old Windows OS AND all of your applications software. It certainly involves destroying all of the data or whatever type in the storage device (HDD or SSD) that you will put the new Windows on. So at very minimum you need to ensure that you have a COMPLETE copy stored elsewhere on a different device of ALL of your user-created files from the drive unit to be used for the new C: drive where the new Windows goes. You ALSO will need to re-Install ALL of the application software you have and want to keep using. You cannot simply copy these because of the way Windows uses its Registry to track them - the apps MUST be Installed after the new Windows is installed. This means you need to find out BEFORE doing anything how to get those apps re-installed AND authorized for use. Normally you would have to consult Tech Support at the maker of EACH application for instructions on where to get the Install files and how to get your existing License Number entered to authorize them.

To do a complete re-Install of Windows, you'd need to be prepared to do this wipe-clean of ONE drive unit after saving ALL of its user files elsewhere, AND to ensure you know how to re-install and authorize ALL of the application software you need. After all that is done, you can then simply COPY all your older user files to whatever place you want to put them. In your case, though, I would suggest re-organizing the way your two other drives are set up to make them simpler to manage and get more efficient use of their space. Basically that would mean copying ALL the stuff you want to save off one drive onto another, re-Partitioning the HDD, then copying things back. And repeat for the other drive. This can be done, but it takes time and care. AND it is ALL dependent on whether you really DO want to "wipe clean" your system and do all that re-Install and copy work. That is your decision. I'm not going to tell you you should or should not. I can advise on how to do it IF you want to.

 

[cold core]

Hi I'm not able to find out who makes the cooling system but I'm assuming it's the same as the fan brand which is Nanoxia Deep Silence. And affirmative on the new fan in cha1 . I've added more pictures of the insides in that previous link. I followed the wires from the two fans on the top of computer and they appear to plug straight into the CPU. I'm not sure about the big fan in front, but I think it plugs into the CPU as well. But I'm not positive of this, hopefully the pictures will provide additional information.
MSi afterburner states that the 980 gpu is at 0 voltage. I don't think that's okay. I'm not sure how to tweak the program for the card but what I do know is that the computer is starting to get warm. Windows updated last night so this morning I've been having to reinstall a bunch of programs. The computer started getting warm a couple days ago. A whole ton of processes are being used that I'm not using and the system is getting weaker and weaker from whatever that malware is.

When I got down on the floor to really look at things inside , I noticed that a button on the bottom of mb is red. It's the button right next to the reset button . I'm looking in the manual but i'm not seeing what it is.
I also noticed a switch along the bottom of mb for the fan expert capability but again I'm not touching anything until I'm directed to do so.

I'll add more things in awhile, just had to get this posted right now. Thank you for your help.

 

[cold core]

help someone! This computer is starting to warm up too much, I replaced the fan but it made no difference, I am at a loss.

 

[Paperdoc]

How do you know it is warming too much? What info do you base this on? If it's a temperature reading from somewhere, tell us what it is and what label is on that temp reading. Also tell us what your fans are doing at this time.