Okay, I am more than a little reluctant to physically touch the fan while it is working. Couldn't I damage it??
By the way I have just made these next little interesting experiments which might also help to rule out the software issue:
I have opened the computer case. The temperature started dropping.
Next thing, I plugged an external fan into the power next to the computer, turned it on, and pointed it into the case, specifically at the AGP slot carrying the card. The temperature started dropping, although not too-quickly (1 degree per 40 seconds, more or less).
Next, I tried running some 3D games for a while, while in this situation: case open, external fan working, pointed to the card. Then I would quickly shut the games down after a few minutes and look the the SmartDoctor temperatures. They were ~10-15 degrees lower than they were before.
Next I turned off the fan and played a game. The temperatures were slightly higher (~4 degrees).
As I proceeded to close the case and try the same thing, the temperatures were back to "normal", idling at the end of the games at ~62 celcius.
I also tried stopping the fan through the software, and this works just find. I can hear the fan stopping altogether, and the software (naturally) shows 0 RPM.
|