Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

PC fan running.

Options
  • 05-10-2017 11:47am
    #1
    muffler
    Registered Users Posts: 45,879 ✭✭✭✭


    I have an old(ish) Dell Optiplex 780 that I bought a few months back and just recently I noticed the fan is running most if not all the time even a few minutes after bootup when everything has loaded and there's nothing in use as such apart from the browser. Maybe its been doing that since I got it and I just haven't noticed.

    Its fairly quiet but I can feel the air movement just in front of it. CPU usage is showing at 0% - 3% and a wee temperature programme I have is showing the 4 cores at 30, 30, 39/40 and 39/40.

    Would this be normal for the fan to run all the time?

    Also is there anything that I can download to monitor the fan's usage or show when it comes on or off?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Metric Tensor
    Registered Users Posts: 3,724 ✭✭✭Metric Tensor


    Depends on which fan you mean muffler.


    The CPU fan will run all the time and speed up / slow down depending on the temperature of the processor. At 30-40 degrees it should be almost at idle.

    The case fans may also increase/reduce speed based on a temperature or they may be set to fun full whack all the time. This varies from computer to computer.

    Thirdly there is a fan in the PSU which does it's own speed selection based on the temperature of the power supply unit.


    Having said all of the above the usual cause of a fan running to loudly or often is dust - open the whole thing up and see is it in a need of a cleaning inside!


  • Options
    #3
    muffler
    Registered Users Posts: 45,879 ✭✭✭✭muffler


    Thanks MT. I forgot that there was more than one fan :o

    Its reasonably quiet but its just that I havent noticed it before and your suggestion re dust is probably the cause. Its sitting on the floor just beside the room door through which there is always a draft blowing...well a lot of times anyhow.

    I'll get at it later on and give it a good blow job out. :)


  • Options
    #4
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    The fan(s) will never stop running afaik, it may run very slowly when the system realises there is little or no heat to dissipate but it will never stop altogether.

    If you want to see whats going on and check the fan is reacting to the load on the system then download prime95 and load up the system and see how the fans react and use something like open hardware monitor from openhardwaremonitor.org/ to see what speed the fans are running at.


  • Options
    #5
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    The only thing that would indicate an issue is the sound. If it's quiet, there's no issue - those fans always spin all of the time, just at different levels depending on the internal temperatures. The Optiplex may only have one fan - a dual fan design that pulls in air over the cpu heatsink and into the case.

    Either the CPU fan or a case fan going at anything near top speed would sound like more a hairdryer :)


  • Options
    #6
    Johnboy1951
    Registered Users Posts: 14,000 ✭✭✭✭Johnboy1951


    muffler wrote: »
    I have an old(ish) Dell Optiplex 780 that I bought a few months back and just recently I noticed the fan is running most if not all the time even a few minutes after bootup when everything has loaded and there's nothing in use as such apart from the browser. Maybe its been doing that since I got it and I just haven't noticed.

    Its fairly quiet but I can feel the air movement just in front of it. CPU usage is showing at 0% - 3% and a wee temperature programme I have is showing the 4 cores at 30, 30, 39/40 and 39/40.

    Would this be normal for the fan to run all the time?

    Also is there anything that I can download to monitor the fan's usage or show when it comes on or off?

    Yes it is normal.
    There should be a constant air flow through the case.
    Your core temperatures are low ....... wish mine were as low!


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    muffler
    Registered Users Posts: 45,879 ✭✭✭✭muffler


    Johnboy1951 wrote: »
    Your core temperatures are low ....... wish mine were as low!
    In fairness the readings were taken just about 10 months after boot and apart from the booting up and logging in here there wasnt anything else running at the time.

    The next night I have shot at COD I'll post up the temps then and Id imagine they will be a good bit higher.


  • Options
    #8
    Metric Tensor
    Registered Users Posts: 3,724 ✭✭✭Metric Tensor


    muffler wrote: »
    In fairness the readings were taken just about 10 months after boot

    I think if your computer is taking 10 months to boot you have more serious problems than fan noise!! ;-)


  • Options
    #9
    muffler
    Registered Users Posts: 45,879 ✭✭✭✭muffler


    Metric Tensor wrote: »
    I think if your computer is taking 10 months to boot you have more serious problems than fan noise!! ;-)
    The word I intended to use begins with "M" so I was close :pac:


Advertisement