With the gaming PCs being the quick go-to’ right now, there are certain problems that we come across while using them. The GPU, as we all know is what makes or breaks the gaming. Until it is safe and secure, we are good to play any number of games, but if it undergoes any damage, it is the gaming that is highly affected. The most common problem that gamers usually face is GPU Fans Not Spinning. If you switched on your computer just to notice that the GPU fan is not working, you must be worried already. There is nothing to fret as it is not a serious problem to start with and we can do some quick fixes just by sitting at home. We shall be talking about the fixes here for you so that you can mend the problem by yourself.
How to Fix GPU Fan Not Spinning?
If the GPU fan stops spinning, there are various reasons for it. It can even create further problems for serious gamers that sit on the computer for hours playing. Sometimes we may notice the fan spinning problem early by observing the sound, but sometimes we fail to notice it until the graphics card performance degrades and the gaming is not as effective as it used to be previously. There is no need to replace the entire GPU for the sake of the fan not spinning problem. Some easy fixes can help you save a lot of money. Just because your GPU fan doesn’t spin, it is not that the fan is damaged. There are various reasons for a fan not to spin. It is advised to look into the reasons before going for a replacement, which will be quite burdensome.
So Do GPU Fans Always Spin? This is the first and foremost thing that you need to know. The primary purpose of the fan is to cool the graphics card. Sometimes they may stop working due to various unknown reasons. But there are high chances that the fan has stopped due to reasons that can be resolved by yourself. Here we shall talk about the causes and solutions to make the GPU fan spin again.
Gone are the days when the GPU fans are designed to spin all the time. Now the latest GPU fans don’t spin just because the system is functioning. The fan starts spinning only when the graphics card hits a definite temperature or if the GPU is allotted with heavy tasks. Well, check out the reasons as well as effective solutions to get the fan back to spinning.
GPU in Idle Mode
The GPU gets into an idle state when the output display is ON on the monitor. In the idle state, graphics cards use passive cooling hardware like heatsink to halt the temperatures from rising whilst executing simple tasks like web browsing. Nevertheless, this doesn’t always translate that your fans are in working condition. To see if they are in working, you have to run a high-end game that requires more of GPU. So once you start the game, if there is nothing wrong with the fan other than the GPU sitting in the idle state, the fan starts spinning as the GPU core temperatures rise.
Even after half an hour into the game, if you haven’t noticed any fan spinning, that means there is a problem with it. If you continue playing the game and the temperatures keep on rising, the graphics card may shut down.
Install Drivers
If your GPU fan stops spinning there are chances that the drivers in your system are outdated. Make sure to install the latest drivers to address the issue. If you already have the drivers installed, reinstall them for the sake of fan spinning. Even the outdated drivers may cause the problem to the GPU fan.
Restart the PC
The very best trick that everyone does from ages when a system faces an issue is, press the restart button. Though it may sound silly, it works on most of the cases. As the problem is with the GPU fan, restarting the system may resolve the issue. If you ever face the GPU fan spinning problem, restart the system or turn off and on the system to see the magic.
Check Power Connectors
For your question How To Fix GPU Fan Not Spinning, we have another helpful trick. If you have just built your PC and you are new to doing it, you might encounter certain issues while turning on the system. The most common problem would be with the power cable connections. For the GPU fan not spinning problem, forgetting to plug in the power cable could be the reason. For the GPU’s to work effectively, the power cables to be plugged in perfectly as they require a lot of power. If the power cable is not connected tightly, the fan may not operate as usual. So check the connections if you face the fan spinning problem. If you still fail to fix the fan problem, proceed to the next solution.
Clean the Fan
The dust accumulated inside the fan may also cause the fan to halt spinning. So cleaning the dust can dress the issue quickly. If you haven’t cleaned your CPU and its components in a while, your fan may suffer the spinning problem. Take out the card and clean it to solve the fan problem.
Oil the Bearings
If your graphics card is old and you haven’t oiled it in a while, your fan may stop working. You can go oil the bearings to see if the fan runs normally. To perform the oiling, you have to remove the GPU from the system. Also, remove the fan and apply oil onto the bearings carefully.
Try Testing On Another PC
If you have tried all the aforementioned solutions and still couldn’t manage to make the fan spin, the same question Why is My GPU Fan Not Spinning will pop up. Then you have take out the GPU from the current PC and install it on another PC to see if it is working. If your GPU is working just fine, it means that your computers’ motherboard is faulty and needs to be displaced. Try to get the best gaming motherboard if such is the case for you.
Replace the Fan
If your graphics card is old, your fan may stop working. If you tested your fan by playing high-end games on your system and still the fan failed to rotate, you can use dedicated software to take control over the fan. Using the software, try and spin the fan at utmost speed through which you can test the working of it.
Conclusion
Surely GPU Fans Not Spinning is a big headache for the diehard gamers. If performing any of these tricks didn’t yield expected results, simply go for a replacement of the GPU. Some of the solutions we have listed out here may not offer you permanent results. You have to look further for the solutions that can work in the long run. Replacing is however not the only choice as above tricks may work wonders for at least few of you.