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Alienware M17x R3 fans not working

Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Jim_AW1982, Dec 9, 2016.

Jim_AW1982 Notebook Enthusiast

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Hi all,

I have a 2011 M17x R3 which I was everyday for work, but that I don't game on anymore. Some time ago, I upgraded the DVD recorder to a blu-ray recorder. Unfortunately after that operation, the fans stopped working. I did the operation on an antistatic mat and I was grounded myself. The fans will power up during POST but as soon as Windows is loading, the fans stop and are not working anymore.

I am using HWiNFO since then on a manual scheme to control the fans and they are actually working. But the machine now thermal throttles when I push it even a bit. For example, I tried to make a large zip file with 7-zip and when I use all 8 threads, the CPU reaches 100 C and switches off. I have to go all the way down to 2 cores for it to actually work and then it still reaches 70 C.

Since the fans are working with HWiNFO, I know at least that they are getting power. My first question is if the fan controller is part of the motherboard, so that if I change motherboards the issue will be solved. So, does buying a new mobo even apply to my fan problem scenario? I have contacted Dell support in my region to ask on a motherboard price and they told me it's going to be around 400 Euros (430 US dollars). I found them a bit cheaper on e-bay but I don't know if I can trust buying one from there. Import taxes would probably apply too. My second question is if you think the replacement is worth it for a 6-year-old machine. Thank you.

Jim_AW1982, Dec 9, 2016

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MahmoudDewy Gaming Laptops Master Race!

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Jim_AW1982 said: ↑

Hi all,

I have a 2011 M17x R3 which I was everyday for work, but that I don't game on anymore. Some time ago, I upgraded the DVD recorder to a blu-ray recorder. Unfortunately after that operation, the fans stopped working. I did the operation on an antistatic mat and I was grounded myself. The fans will power up during POST but as soon as Windows is loading, the fans stop and are not working anymore.

I am using HWiNFO since then on a manual scheme to control the fans and they are actually working. But the machine now thermal throttles when I push it even a bit. For example, I tried to make a large zip file with 7-zip and when I use all 8 threads, the CPU reaches 100 C and switches off. I have to go all the way down to 2 cores for it to actually work and then it still reaches 70 C.

Since the fans are working with HWiNFO, I know at least that they are getting power. My first question is if the fan controller is part of the motherboard, so that if I change motherboards the issue will be solved. So, does buying a new mobo even apply to my fan problem scenario? I have contacted Dell support in my region to ask on a motherboard price and they told me it's going to be around 400 Euros (430 US dollars). I found them a bit cheaper on e-bay but I don't know if I can trust buying one from there. Import taxes would probably apply too. My second question is if you think the replacement is worth it for a 6-year-old machine. Thank you.

Click to expand...

Did you ever repaste "change the thermal paste" of CPU and GPU in the past 5 years?

MahmoudDewy, Dec 10, 2016

#2