Dell gx280 + Bios Flashing Issue

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Da Mail Man

Da Mail Man

Active Member
Greetings all,

Running a Dell GX280, 3.4ghz, (not the steam-lined one but the typical large desktop model) plenty of hd space and ram, win xp pro...

.....I have a fan problem, This fan is a large one mounted to the case with an internal fan shroud that directs the air flow over the heat sink. The heat sink is MASSIVE with 6 copper cooling tubes running through the fins of the heat sink.

....The issue is that the fan speeds up like an F-18 fighter jet. Physical exam of the processor and heat sink found no problems or defects. I have removed all the heat sink compound, applied new, and reseated heat sink and made sure the fan plug which plugs into the MB is clean and secure. I am fully aware that with heavy use, the fan may speed up a bit but, not like a rail dragster when slight to moderate use is applied.

**ADDITIONAL: The is not setting or adjustment in the bios for the fan(s)

....My research pretty much leads me no farther ahead then when i started in that, alleged findings have said:

1) that it is a faulty fan,
2) loose processor, (NA)
3) older style heat sink with just 2 cooling tubes (which have been "recalled or "discontinued"), (NA)
4) bad mother board. (DON'T THINK IT APPLIES)

...I have used a program called Speedfan but, found it to be junk - conflicting with my computer system. I have also used a program called 18kfangui which was also conflicting with same.

*************VOID BELOW THIS LINE**********************

...I thought at one point that the bios could possibly become corrupted so, I went to the dell site and downloaded the most recent bios which happens to be the same as what is currently present.

....taking an empty flash drive, I copied the bios from the dell site to the flash drive and made sure that the 1st boot device was the usb flash device. Shutting the computer down and plugging in the flash drive and turning it on, i get a drive error as to if it cannot find the flash drive at all.

...Here is where i am at present. Having flashed bios' in the past, this has worked however, i am not sure if the bios program copied from dell (.exe) needs to be clicked on in the flash drive to open it prior to booting into it.

**********VOID ABOVE THIS LINE**************

...So, anyone have any idea as to the fan speed problem?...THANKS.
 
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The only thing I can say is that I know of 2 dell systems that do this, both older models with XP. Not sure if its a motherboard issue or what. Maybe a faulty temp sensor. Speedfan does suck as far as reading the correct temps. Use core temp or real temp.
 
.....Thanks for the reply...On it's face and a cursory reading of both these programs, neither will allow me to limit fan speed which, as i type, is "justa crankin away".
 
Have you looked in the bios to see if it has a CPU fan setting. If it does it could be set to manual instead of auto.
 
Replace thermal paste.
I ALREADY DID THIS AS STATED IN MY 1ST POST!

Ensure no dust.
I DID THIS AND IS A "GIVEN" ALTHOUGH, I DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY STATE THIS. THIS IS USUALLY DONE WHEN REMOVING HEAT SINK, RE-PASTING, ETC!

Ensure you have Qfan enabled
WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT "Q-FAN"? I DO NOT HAVE IT.

Update motherboard bios
I DID THIS AS ALREADY STATED/INDICATED IN MY 1ST POST!
 
You said disregard the bios bit.
You may have not done the thermal paste correctly - worth retrying
You haven't mentioned one way or other qfan, so are you sure you don't have it
And you didn't mention dust.

pull your head in im just trying to help.

One last thing to try is to turn of any HT you may have enabled and update all intel software including chipsets.

If the above is successfully completed then you should replace the cheap and nasty dell cooler with something better, or failing that the thermal sensor, motherboard or CPU is toast.
 
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You said disregard the bios bit.
YES, BECAUSE NOT THE ISSUE ANY MORE HOWEVER, ME MENTIONING IT SHOULD TELL THE AVERAGE READER THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY LOOKED INTO AND DONE.

You may have not done the thermal paste correctly - worth retrying
HAVING DONE MANY OF THESE IN THE PAST, THERE IS/WAS NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE INCORRECTLY BY MYSELF.

You haven't mentioned one way or other qfan, so are you sure you don't have it
THIS IS CORRECT AS I DON'T HAVE IT, NEVER HEARD OF IT, DON'T KNOW WHAT IT DOES, SO, NO RELATIVE NEED TO MENTION SOMETHING I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT.

And you didn't mention dust.
IS AN OBVIOUS THING TO DO WHEN OPENING CASE AND REMOVING HEAT SINK AND FAN. NOVICES KNOW THIS SO, I FELT THAT EVEN A BEGINNER WOULD KNOW WHY IT WAS NOT MENTIONED AND, THAT IT WAS DONE.

pull your head in im just trying to help.
I APPRECIATE THAT BUT, CONSIDER THE OBVIOUS HERE.

If the above is successfully completed then your thermal sensor, motherboard or CPU is toast.
CPU WORKS FINE, THERMO SENSOR (AS YOU HAVE STATED IT) IS UNKNOWN IF BAD OR GOOD SO, HAVING NO WAY TO TEST IT WILL ASSUME IT IS GOOD. I HAVE YET TO DETERMINE WHERE THE SENSORS ARE IN MY UNIT BUT, IN THE MEAN TIME, WILL LOOK FOR A COMPONENT APPLICATION IN MY PARTS DRAWER AS A VOLTAGE "STOP" TO REGULATE MAX VOLTAGE CEILING TO FAN ONLY WHICH WILL NOT AFFECT THE CPU. WILL SET SO RUNS FANS NORMALLY BUT, WILL NOT ALLOW FAN TO RACE AS IT IS DOING...

PS - CAPS ARE NOT AND HAVE NEVER BEEN "YELLING". IT IS SIMPLY A WAY TO SEGREGATE PORTIONS OF THE CONVERSATION.
 
Whatever champ.

As I read it you unsuccessfully flashed the bios. So the average reader would think that you haven't in fact updated the bios.

The thermal paste can easily be incorrectly applied, but since you're infallible, i apologise.

Qfan is an Intel cpu fan controller that is in the bios. So ok, next time you haven't heard of something, we will remember not to bring it up ;) ok.

Dust is the most common, most unattended issue when people have thermal issues. We would be incompetent if we didn't mention it.

The thermal sensor is in the CPU. It can provide an incorrect voltage/signal to the CPU fan. You don't need to change any components, just hook the fan up to the case header or a 5V line.

You didn't respond to the Intel chipset suggestion (which can fix and recalibrate the thermal sensor) or the hyper threading.

After that you may want to ensure you have the latest Dell Desktop System Software Utility as this may have some thermal monitoring software isolated from the OS, thus your issue.

But of course, it would be obvious that you have done all of that. :confused:

Finally, caps are and always have been (on forums) yelling. Especially in bold. We can read. There is no need for it whatsoever. And since you managed to refrain in your first post, may be you could do it in future.
 
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Whatever champ.
INTELLECTUAL ANSWER/REPLY - ARE YOU A "HONEY BOO-BOO FAN"?

As I read it you unsuccessfully flashed the bios. So the average reader would think that you haven't in fact updated the bios.
THAT IS WHAT YOU UNDERSTOOD AND SINCE IT IS OFF THE TABLE, THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE EVEN BEEN ADDRESSED "CHAMP".

The thermal paste can easily be incorrectly applied, but since you're infallible, i apologise.
WHEN IT COMES TO APPLYING THERMAL PASTE, YES, I AM INFALLIBLE.

Qfan is an Intel cpu fan controller that is in the bios. So ok, next time you haven't heard of something, we will remember not to bring it up ok.
WHEN YOU MENTION SOMETHING LIKE A PROGRAM, ONE SHOULD START OUT BY ASKING IF THE ORIGINAL POSTER HAS 1ST HEARD OF THE PROGRAM THEN, GIVE THE POSTER A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT DOES. YES, DON'T BRING UP PROGRAMS AND TELL OTHERS TO RUN THEM W/OUT FIRST ASKING IF THAT PERSON HAS THE PROGRAMS! THAT IS LIKE TELLING SOMEONE TO START THE CORVETTE IN THEIR DRIVEWAY WHEN THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE ONE.

Dust is the most common, most unattended issue when people have thermal issues. We would be incompetent if we didn't mention it.
WE?...I SEE ONLY YOU AND FOR ADDITIONAL INFO, READ MY PREVIOUS POSTS ON THIS.

The thermal sensor is in the CPU.
I HAVE ALSO HEARD OF THEM BEING IN/ON THE BOARD ITSELF ALTHOUGH, I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONES.

It can provide an incorrect voltage/signal to the CPU fan.
YES, IT CAN, BOTH LOCATED ON-BOARD AND CPU.

You don't need to change any components, just hook the fan up to the case header or a 5V line.
THEN, FAN WILL/COULD RUN AT FULL BORE/SPEED! I MAY NOT CHANGE COMPONENTS BUT, CAN ADD 2 COMPONENTS TO MAKE A "LIMIT". IT HAS BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE ELECTRONICS IN SCHOOL SO, HAVE TO HIT THE REFERENCE BOOKS.

You didn't respond to the Intel chipset suggestion (which can fix and recalibrate the thermal sensor) or the hyper threading.
FUNNY, I DON'T RECALL SEEING ANYTHING SPECIFIC ABOUT THAT IN ANYTHING YOU POSTED.

After that you may want to ensure you have the latest Dell Desktop System Software Utility as this may have some thermal monitoring software isolated from the OS, thus your issue.
I DID. I KNOW THAT THE TEMPS ARE OK AND I DON'T NEED TO MONITOR THEM AS I HAD INSTALLED SOFTWARE TO DO THIS YESTERDAY. IT SEEMS THE WRONG "SIGNAL" IS BEING SENT TO INITIALIZE THE FAN.

But of course, it would be obvious that you have done all of that.
SEE ABOVE COMMENTS!

Finally, caps are and always have been (on forums) yelling.
WELL, I PARTICULARLY DON'T GIVE A DAMN. I HAVE PLAINLY STATED THAT FOR MY PURPOSES AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, IS NOT NOT NOT YELLING - I SAID IT AND THAT SETTLES IT FOR ME.

Especially in bold.
SEE ABOVE COMMENT

We can read.
HUMNNNN...THERE IS THAT "WE" AGAIN.

There is no need for it whatsoever.
SEE ABOVE COMMENT

And since you managed to refrain in your first post, may be you could do it in future.
THAT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST POST AND NOTHING TO SEGREGATE SINCE NO REPLIES WERE TAKING PLACE UNTIL THE FIRST REPLY! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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Da Mail Man said:
Qfan is an Intel cpu fan controller that is in the bios. So ok, next time you haven't heard of something, we will remember not to bring it up ok.
WHEN YOU MENTION SOMETHING LIKE A PROGRAM, ONE SHOULD START OUT BY ASKING IF THE ORIGINAL POSTER HAS 1ST HEARD OF THE PROGRAM THEN, GIVE THE POSTER A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT DOES. YES, DON'T BRING UP PROGRAMS AND TELL OTHERS TO RUN THEM W/OUT FIRST ASKING IF THAT PERSON HAS THE PROGRAMS! THAT IS LIKE TELLING SOMEONE TO START THE CORVETTE IN THEIR DRIVEWAY WHEN THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE ONE.
Click to expand...

its not a program mate, its a bios setting common to intel chipsets, but can be called multiple things.

Da Mail Man said:
Dust is the most common, most unattended issue when people have thermal issues. We would be incompetent if we didn't mention it.
WE?...I SEE ONLY YOU AND FOR ADDITIONAL INFO, READ MY PREVIOUS POSTS ON THIS.
Click to expand...

We as in plural; as in more than one; as in there are thousands of people on this forum; as in collective we; as an common question by many. As in the common question that regulars and people who have been here for ages ask.

Da Mail Man said:
You don't need to change any components, just hook the fan up to the case header or a 5V line.
THEN, FAN WILL/COULD RUN AT FULL BORE/SPEED! I MAY NOT CHANGE COMPONENTS BUT, CAN ADD 2 COMPONENTS TO MAKE A "LIMIT". IT HAS BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE ELECTRONICS IN SCHOOL SO, HAVE TO HIT THE REFERENCE BOOKS.
Click to expand...

Not at 5V which is why i suggested it. Much easier than making your own variable resistance circuit. Full speed will be 12V btw. And to be honest, much cheaper and effective to go and spend 20 or 30 bucks on a new aftermarket cooler. Will solve the issue 99% of the time.


Da Mail Man said:
You didn't respond to the Intel chipset suggestion (which can fix and recalibrate the thermal sensor) or the hyper threading.
FUNNY, I DON'T RECALL SEEING ANYTHING SPECIFIC ABOUT THAT IN ANYTHING YOU POSTED.
Click to expand...

Okedokey said:
One last thing to try is to turn of any HT you may have enabled and update all intel software including chipsets.
Click to expand...

Post #8.

Da Mail Man said:
After that you may want to ensure you have the latest Dell Desktop System Software Utility as this may have some thermal monitoring software isolated from the OS, thus your issue.
I DID. I KNOW THAT THE TEMPS ARE OK AND I DON'T NEED TO MONITOR THEM AS I HAD INSTALLED SOFTWARE TO DO THIS YESTERDAY. IT SEEMS THE WRONG "SIGNAL" IS BEING SENT TO INITIALIZE THE FAN.
Click to expand...

The Desktop System Software Utility isnt a monitoring application. Its essentially a KB that allows Windows to 'see' voltages etc. You may want to double check that given that you have referred to the wrong functionality and it may fix your issue. This is also why speedfan wont work on your dell.
 
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Da Mail Man said:
******************

Thanks for the reply. what specifically are you looking for, remembering that i have a dell desktop?
Click to expand...

As in something like- Fan Power & Performance management. If it has it and its set to Max it might be having the CPU Fan running at full speed.
 
okedokey said:
its not a program mate, its a bios setting.
i apparently mis-spoke, either way i should have been alerted to it's nature when mentioned.


we as in plural; as in more than one; as in there are thousands of people on this forum; as in collective we; as an common question by many. As in the common question that regulars and people who have been here for ages ask.
funny, as i know what the meaning of the word/phrase is,i am amiss as to you being "elected" to speak for the alleged thousands you speak of...guess i missed that meeting.



Not at 5v which is why i suggested it. Full speed will be 12v.
yes, i know that. May also be too slow to maintain sufficient cooling in case you didn't realize that. Further, if i disconnect the fan wire and source it out some other place, i will get a cpu fan error when booting up.






post #8.



The desktop system software utility isnt a monitoring application. Its essentially a kb that allows windows to 'see' voltages etc. You may want to double check that given that you have referred to the wrong functionality and it may fix your issue. This is also why speedfan wont work on your dell.
Click to expand...
i can monitor all i like but, if i cannot change any fan settings through a program or bios (which i cannot), none of this matters much.
 
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Yes you can, you can change it with this http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html

Or you can update the chipset drivers and utility so it reads correctly, therefore doesn't run full speed. Thats the point.

If the motherboard HAL allows the OS to 'see' voltages and temps correctly (ie. chipset drivers, motherboard bios, dell utility software) it will adapt properly by ramping up the voltage, ie speed as required. If not, it will default to 100% for a safety measure. thats probably your problem having covered the basics such as dust, thermal paste etc. This is a very common problem with this dell.

If not, you're stuck with either replacing the cooler, or modding it to include a potentiometer.
 
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Yes you can, you can change it with this http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html
I BELIEVE I MENTIONED THIS AND IT DID NOT WORK AND LOCKED UP THE SCREEN MULTIPLE TIMES.

Or you can update the chipset drivers and utility so it reads correctly, therefore doesn't run full speed. Thats the point.
AND MY POINT IS I AM USING ALL THE DRIVERS/BIOS/ETC I CAN FINED

If the motherboard HAL allows the OS to 'see' voltages and temps correctly (ie. chipset drivers, motherboard bios, dell utility software) it will adapt properly by ramping up the voltage, ie speed as required. If not, it will default to 100% for a safety measure. thats probably your problem having covered the basics such as dust, thermal paste etc. This is a very common problem with this dell.
I HAVE READ A LOT ON THIS DELL AND YES, IT SEEMS TO BE A SOMEWHAT COMMON PROBLEM. NOT SURE WHAT "HAL" IS. I HAVE ALSO LISTED IN MY 1ST POST WHAT I HAVE READ/FOUND SO FAR.

If not, you're stuck with either replacing the cooler, or modding it to include a potentiometer.
NO POTENTIOMETER...COULD USE A FEW DIODES OR SIMILAR TO DO A LIMIT CEILING THEN, I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANY COOLING ISSUES.
 
stranglehold said:
as in something like- fan power & performance management. If it has it and its set to max it might be having the cpu fan running at full speed.
Click to expand...

*************************


if this is in the bios, i surely didn't see anything "adjustable" for it.
 
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Da Mail Man said:
Yes you can, you can change it with this http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html
I BELIEVE I MENTIONED THIS AND IT DID NOT WORK AND LOCKED UP THE SCREEN MULTIPLE TIMES.

Or you can update the chipset drivers and utility so it reads correctly, therefore doesn't run full speed. Thats the point.
AND MY POINT IS I AM USING ALL THE DRIVERS/BIOS/ETC I CAN FINED

If the motherboard HAL allows the OS to 'see' voltages and temps correctly (ie. chipset drivers, motherboard bios, dell utility software) it will adapt properly by ramping up the voltage, ie speed as required. If not, it will default to 100% for a safety measure. thats probably your problem having covered the basics such as dust, thermal paste etc. This is a very common problem with this dell.
I HAVE READ A LOT ON THIS DELL AND YES, IT SEEMS TO BE A SOMEWHAT COMMON PROBLEM. NOT SURE WHAT "HAL" IS. I HAVE ALSO LISTED IN MY 1ST POST WHAT I HAVE READ/FOUND SO FAR.

If not, you're stuck with either replacing the cooler, or modding it to include a potentiometer.
NO POTENTIOMETER...COULD USE A FEW DIODES OR SIMILAR TO DO A LIMIT CEILING THEN, I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANY COOLING ISSUES.
Click to expand...

A diode wont make any difference whatsoever (apart from a very small voltage drop). Beacuse you haven't got any logic sensing the speed (as would be required by a clamp diode). You need to modify the resistance more signifcantly for a speed controller, which is what a potentiometer does.

Also just to confirm, you have gone to intel and updated everything there? because your screen lockups sound very much like chipset issues to me.
 
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