Question What is my HSF doing?

[jugdish]

This is a Thermalright AXP-200 MUSCLE that is 1 year 8 months old. It's in an always-on Intel Linux HTPC. Today, it started doing this...

https://imgur.com/a/54kttlk

View: https://imgur.com/a/54kttlk


I ran "sensors" and the CPU temp was 85C which seems to me dangerously high?

Please don't tell me this thing is dying already!

 

[drivinfast247]

Check the fan connection to the motherboard.

Replace the fan.

 

[jugdish]

Is it normal for a fan to need replacing after 1 year 8 months?

 

[Paperdoc]

HOW have you set up control of the fan speed on that cooler? In particular, for the mobo header where it is connected (SHOULD be the CPU_FAN header), how is the MINIMUM speed set? The video you posted shows a fan that keeps stalling and re-starting at very slow speeds.

The NORMAL sequence for such fans at start-up is that it starts at full speed and, a few seconds later when POST completes, it slows down to quite slow for a cold system. At that point the fan control system will determine what that slow speed is. From then on the header checks the fan speed for FAILURE. If it sees NO speed (or, in some mobos, a speed slower than some set limit) is tells the fan to run full speed to re-start. If that works, then the control system returns to what it was doing before, but that may cause it to stall again! And repeat!

In configuration options for the fan header in use here, the MODE should be set to PWM for this 4-pin fan. I recommend you do not set it to Voltage or DC or Auto Mode. Next check whether there is a setting for the Minimum speed (there may not be). IF there is, set that higher so the fan never stalls. Then look at the PROFILE setting, with options like Standard or Normal, Turbo, Quiet, or Manual (Custom). If you have it set to Quiet or Custom, you may have a place to adjust the lowest speed for the lowest temperatures. Raise that min speed so the fan cannot stall. Even if you are using the Standard (default) fan Profile, you may be able to adjust the lowest speed of the "fan curve" it is using.