Are case fans supposed to run all the time?

winston

winston

Member
Hi, I was wondering if the fan in the back of my case is supposed to run all the time? My psu and cpu fans work with no problem but the case fan is not. Is this normal? The case fan only starts when cooling is necessary?

Thank you
 
Case fan should be operating at all times, unless it is controlled by a PWM controller either from a separate pwm controller, or if the fan is connected to the mobo and the bios has the ability to control it.
 
You can usually tell by manually spinning the fan either direction with your finger while it's off. If it doesn't "wiggle" as it comes to a stop then the bearing is bad. Spin a fan you know is good and watch it as it comes to a stop and you'll see what I mean. Hard to explain.
 
Intel_man said:
Case fan should be operating at all times, unless it is controlled by a PWM controller either from a separate pwm controller, or if the fan is connected to the mobo and the bios has the ability to control it.
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The fan is connected to the motherboard in my case but I am not sure if the bios is able to control it.

beers said:
If it isn't spinning the bearing likely died and the fan needs to be replaced.
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okay, thank you

Darren said:
You can usually tell by manually spinning the fan either direction with your finger while it's off. If it doesn't "wiggle" as it comes to a stop then the bearing is bad. Spin a fan you know is good and watch it as it comes to a stop and you'll see what I mean. Hard to explain.
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I understand, thank you for the tip :P!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I changed the exhaust fan and it now works. I also added a new intake fan in the front for extra airflow.
 
Glad it worked out for ya.
I have all my fans working in relation to my CPU temps. That way my system is quiet when the CPU isn't stressed out.
For best result you will need a motherboard that can monitor and adjust the PWM fans connected to it.
This is why you buy quality motherboards.
 
If anyone knows about dying fan bearings, it's me. I've had 4 case fans burn bearings and get replaced over the years lol.
 
The VCR King said:
If anyone knows about dying fan bearings, it's me. I've had 4 case fans burn bearings and get replaced over the years lol.
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Most of us around here actually work in the IT field so we've probably got ya beat on how many bad bearings we've seen. :)
 
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