Case Fan Spins Less Faster

[MazeMatik]

Ok, so here's my story:

I bought a NZXT case model Lexa (silver edition) something like 4 years ago (link). The case in the link is black but that's the only difference because the specs are the same. If I remember correctly, the side fan (120mm Blue Led Fan) spinned at full speed for about 2 years and then it started to slow slowly for a couple of months and after that it just stopped spinning at full speed for good. It looks like it's on idle mode or something and I can tell because the fan led is not as bright as it was before when it was spinning at full speed and making more noise also.

I want to add that I don't have any control over my case fans like a control panel or something. The fans are independent. I do have a temperature display at the front of my case so I thought that maybe the case would start making the fans spin faster whenever some temperature would reach some kind of critical state and if I'm correct, I remember my fans would spin very fast all together for short periods of time during the for 2 years I had the case. It seemed like the whole thing wanted to cool down and when it was achieved, it would simply go back to normal by spinning the fans less faster. Further more, the overall temperature of the case is higher than it was in general 2 years ago so if the case as the ability to detect high temperature and has control over the fans to cool down the whole thing well now would be the time to decrease the temperature right?

I haven't change anything in my case except for the hardware a couple of months ago but I doubt the problem might be related to that change because it showed itself way before I upgraded my computer. Here are some reasons I was thinking about for causing the problem:

• fans are dying slowly so they spin less faster
• power supply isn't powerful enough to hold everything in the case (I doubt this because according to the Thermaltake power supply calculator, I need at least 434 W and I have a 600 W Thermaltake power supply)
• "IF" the case as the ability to control the fans when the temperature is somehow critical well maybe it's broken so therefore the fans speed remains the same whatever the temperature is, critical or not

If some of you have any ideas, solutions, tips and suggestions to share, I would appreciate them a lot!

I also enabled the forum feature to make my system specs viewable to anyone so you can check it out if you think that the problem might reside there.


Thanks in advance.

[Lothair]

Disconnect everything that isn't needed to run the PC. That will test to see if it's a power consumption problem.

Otherwise, try replacing the fan.

[x88x]

Well, your power supply should be fine (assuming the config in your 'My System'). I would say dying bearings, but what puzzles me is the dimming LEDs....also, even cheap sleeve bearings should last much longer than 2 years. How are they powered? Hooked up to fan headers on the motherboard or adapters to molex?

[Drum Thumper]

Dimming LEDs indicates that this is a power issue. How beefy is your PSU? What are your system specs? More information please.

[SXRguyinMA]

not with the NZXT fans, and a lot of others actually. the LEDs are tied into the fan motor and uses it as a generator of sorts, so when you slow the fan the LEDs will dim

[dr.walrus]

Dying fans innit