Legit Reviews

So I have a relatively new computer (~6 months) I built for myself, it runs like a dream, it's perfect, etc. I decide to upgrade the 3 stock 120mm case fans to get it to run cooler. I buy 3 silverstone FM121 fans and swap them out for the 3 stock fans. Now my computer won't post. It simply spins the fans up and all the pretty lights come on (very technical term, I know). I have them all connected via 4-pin molex connectors using a 2-pin connector to the fan controller. It is exactly the same setup as my old fans, only now the machine won't post. I've checked all other connections and tried moving the connections around so they're spread across different cables coming from the PSU . . . no luck. Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? I've never heard of a case fan upgrade breaking a computer.

The Guts:
Corsair HX620 PSU
Asus P5K Premium
Intel Q6600 w/Zalman 9700
3x1 GB Corsair DDR2 1066
2x Seagate 500GB SATAII HD
1x DVD/CD combo drive
1x Sound blaster x-fi fatality sound card
1x Geforce 8800 GTS 320MB
NZXT Adamas Case

the only thing i can think of is that you fried your board via ESD

have you tried booting without the new fans connected? Could be a short in one of the fans causing the PSU to not work properly.

DaIceMan wrote:have you tried booting without the new fans connected? Could be a short in one of the fans causing the PSU to not work properly.

Thats my thought also. Or maybe the new fans are drawing too much power from the PS ( I know, its OUT there, but it could possibly happen :p )

Mike

If the computer reboots without the fans connected, connect 1 at a time till it doesnt reboot.

Try going back to the old fans temporarily, if you get a post go into bios and check to see if there's a shut down level if a fan goes below a certain RPM.

If going back to your original fans lets it post, then try replacing one fan at a time. If not, then the fans probably have nothing to do with your issue.

Unfortunately I think I managed to fry something, which sucks because I'm very careful when I work inside my computer and I didn't even touch anything deep down in the case (just swapping some power connections in the vicinity of my HD rack). I put the stock fans back in and it still won't post so I can only assume that it's somewhere else. Thanks for all your help, if this thing has an exciting or especially interesting conclusion I'll let you know.

Make sure you didn't disconnect something when swapping out the fans. Pay special attention to the very small power switch connector. If you accidently knock that off, nothing happens when you press the power button.

if you fried it, then well im sorry. no offense to you, but i feel that way to many people do not take proper precautions when working with computers. ESD safe mats are not expensive and all you have to do is just run one to a ground. to get an ESD safe workspace like the one i have, with a mat and a wristband, may cost at most 30-40 dollars, but theres no telling how much money it may have saved me

That is definitely a good idea, so far the only precautions I take against static is touching the metal frame of the case before working. If this ends up costing me a fairly expensive motherboard I am going to seriously consider further protection in the future.

The only precaution I take is grounding myself on the computer frame. I have done it that way for the past 10 years without incident...knock on wood!