[SOLVED] R9 380x nitro fan concerns

silversmithy

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I have an old R9 380x nitro that I just installed for the first time in an HP Z440 workstation that is a work in progress....Still unable to install an operating system even with restore media, but that's another issue.

I installed the card and made sure it was properly seated and connected through HDMI. Screen looks good although it is utilizing onboard video as no card drivers installed yet. One thing I noticed though is that initially both fans spin for about 2 seconds, and then every few seconds one spins, and then the other. They are quiet, and spin with ease. I know that many if not all current GPU fans are set to only spin regularly when under load or at time to bring temp down, but I have never seen this personally. I am using the stock 700 watt PSU and there are only 2 PCI 6 pin connectors which is what the card requires.

My concern is that perhaps the card is not getting enough power and that is the cause for the fan issue, or is this just simply normal for this card, (and many others I suspect). Since I am still trying to figure out how to get Windows 7 64 bit reinstalled with restore media, (and then plan to upgrade to 10), I am unable to put the card under load with a game.
Any insights would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
Solution
Sounds like normal behavior. I had a pair of R9 280's that exhibited similar behavior, likely related to the temp sensor programming or some sort of cycling feature.

Side note your avatar is awesome, was a big Psygnosis fan back in the day.

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
You should reinstall the OS, as opposed to restore points or recovery drives. You should be able to fabricate your installer using Windows Media Creation Tools, if it's Windows 8 and beyond. Windows 7, you're going to need an ISO from Microsoft after using your license key. Make and model of the PSU in the prebuilt workstation? If it's the unit that came with the workstation, it's probable that the unit is incapable of delivering necessary power for the entire system.

Latest BIOS version for the workstation?
 

silversmithy

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I would prefer a better PSU, but with the z440 case I don't think you can fit any std size atx PSU in there. Also would need to get an adapter because I am fairly certain the 440's main Mobo power connection is 18 and not 24. Oh well. I would have thought the stock 700 watt would have been enough.
 

David0ne86

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I have an old R9 380x nitro that I just installed for the first time in an HP Z440 workstation that is a work in progress....Still unable to install an operating system even with restore media, but that's another issue.

I installed the card and made sure it was properly seated and connected through HDMI. Screen looks good although it is utilizing onboard video as no card drivers installed yet. One thing I noticed though is that initially both fans spin for about 2 seconds, and then every few seconds one spins, and then the other. They are quiet, and spin with ease. I know that many if not all current GPU fans are set to only spin regularly when under load or at time to bring temp down, but I have never seen this personally. I am using the stock 700 watt PSU and there are only 2 PCI 6 pin connectors which is what the card requires.

My concern is that perhaps the card is not getting enough power and that is the cause for the fan issue, or is this just simply normal for this card, (and many others I suspect). Since I am still trying to figure out how to get Windows 7 64 bit reinstalled with restore media, (and then plan to upgrade to 10), I am unable to put the card under load with a game.
Any insights would be appreciated. Thank you.

My dual fan 290x i have on my backup build has only one fan spinning until a certain level of speed % or temps. Like under 3000 rpm only one fan spins, and after a certain treshold (i think it's 3500 rpm) the second fan starts to spin too. Those cards had an insane stock operating temp (like the 290x i have only starts to spin the second fan at around 85 degrees on the dye lol) so i wouldn't be surprise that's why your card's fans are behaving that way.
 

silversmithy

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My dual fan 290x i have on my backup build has only one fan spinning until a certain level of speed % or temps. Like under 3000 rpm only one fan spins, and after a certain treshold (i think it's 3500 rpm) the second fan starts to spin too. Those cards had an insane stock operating temp (like the 290x i have only starts to spin the second fan at around 85 degrees on the dye lol) so i wouldn't be surprise that's why your card's fans are behaving that way.
Thank you so much for the info. I was hoping that maybe that was just the way they were set up. I have not had a chance to put it under load, but wanted to make sure it was not possibly faulty before doing so. Thanks again.
 

silversmithy

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Sounds like normal behavior. I had a pair of R9 280's that exhibited similar behavior, likely related to the temp sensor programming or some sort of cycling feature.

Side note your avatar is awesome, was a big Psygnosis fan back in the day.

Thanks so much!!! I am glad to hear that this behavior may just be the norm for this card. I was hoping that the 700 watt PSU was enough because I don't think just any regaular atx PSU will even fit in there. You are the first person to mention the avatar. Thanks!!!
 
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I would prefer a better PSU, but with the z440 case I don't think you can fit any std size atx PSU in there. Also would need to get an adapter because I am fairly certain the 440's main Mobo power connection is 18 and not 24. Oh well. I would have thought the stock 700 watt would have been enough.

Hey I've dealt with these z220/440 cases and psu's, you can put a standard psu but it only attaches with a few screws, so it's jenky to say the least... you'll also need an adapter, 24 pin to 18 pin to connect to the mainboard. They are safe and affordable.

BUT the psu you have is not likely the issue, I'm pretty sure it's at least bronze rated as the z440 is a workstation and HP doesn't mess around with those as they do with other desktops

The separate fan rotation on your gpu is likely a health check tbh.

Like the folks above mentioned, you should do a fresh install of your operating system. Try doing a windows 10 install using your windows 7 or 8 key, it might just let you do it, Microsoft said limited time option but I've not heard that it stopped working and it would be completely legit.
 
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Rogue Leader

It's a trap!
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Like the folks above mentioned, you should do a fresh install of your operating system. Try doing a windows 10 install using your windows 7 or 8 key, it might just let you do it, Microsoft said limited time option but I've not heard that it stopped working and it would be completely legit.

It totally works I do it all the time.
 

silversmithy

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It's funny you should mention this as I was just considering trying this with Windows 10 media creation tool I downloaded to restore Windows 10 on another computer I use. So since the 440 gas an activated Windows 7 pro 64 bit already installed, even though right now everything is messed up, I could hopefully boot from the Windows 10 thumb drive and just proceed to upgrade to 10? That would be great. Thanks very much everyone!
 

Rogue Leader

It's a trap!
Moderator
It's funny you should mention this as I was just considering trying this with Windows 10 media creation tool I downloaded to restore Windows 10 on another computer I use. So since the 440 gas an activated Windows 7 pro 64 bit already installed, even though right now everything is messed up, I could hopefully boot from the Windows 10 thumb drive and just proceed to upgrade to 10? That would be great. Thanks very much everyone!

You can.
 
It's funny you should mention this as I was just considering trying this with Windows 10 media creation tool I downloaded to restore Windows 10 on another computer I use. So since the 440 gas an activated Windows 7 pro 64 bit already installed, even though right now everything is messed up, I could hopefully boot from the Windows 10 thumb drive and just proceed to upgrade to 10? That would be great. Thanks very much everyone!
Do not upgrade, fresh installation using the windows 7 key Get what you need off of the computer and wipe it.
 

silversmithy

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Do not upgrade, fresh installation using the windows 7 key Get what you need off of the computer and wipe it.
Before doing that I wanted to double check that what I will try is correct. My plan was to boot using the Windows 10 media creation thumb drive I already have and do a full install hoping it will recognize the already activated Windows 7 professional 64 bit key.....Or in this case do I need to go to the Microsoft website and get another thumb drive to do a separate Windows 7 media creation tool to first reinstall Windows 7 professional, and later on do the Windows 10? I actually have an authentic Windows 7 professional DVD that I already tried, and it will start loading the files, but then an error message that it could not find media drivers, or something like that. The hard drives, (which are still set as RAID) were professionally wiped so a lot is missing. Thanks again for all your help!