Brian Matthews wrote:
> On Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:17:34 -0500, Paul <> wrote:
>
>> Brian Matthews wrote:
>>> I just discovered how good Windows 7 works when going into sleep mode
>>> and then waking up.
>>>
>>> But I have a question. The first time I tried the sleep mode, all my
>>> fans stayed on. I can go into the BIOS and have them shut down during
>>> sleep mode but I'm not sure if this is safe or not. Does heat build up
>>> while the PC is in sleep mode? There is an option in my BIOS that
>>> allows me to have an alarm when the CPU gets too hot. Will the fan
>>> come on in sleep mode if heat builds up? As you can see, the sleep
>>> mode is all new to me. But I LOVE the way the PC wakes up so quickly,
>>> a matter of 2 or 3 seconds! Thanks in advance for any/all help.
>>>
>>> Brian
>> There are two kinds of sleep.
>>
>> * Standby S1
>> * S3 Suspend To RAM
>>
>> If you hear fans, you might still be in S1.
>>
>> In S3 state, the computer shuts off the main rails of the
>> ATX supply output. The 3.3V, 5V, 12V are turned off. The
>> +5VSB remains running and helps maintain the RAM contents.
>> But the fans, the CPU, the hard drives on a desktop, they
>> use +12V, and once the power goes off, you hear the fans
>> go off at the same time. Even the ATX cooling fan goes
>> off, when the main rails are turned off. The ATX cooling
>> fan is not needed, to cool the supply when it makes +5VSB
>> (10W to 15W total output, typically 5W to 10W used).
>>
>> *******
>>
>> Modern Intel and AMD processors, have overheat protection in the
>> form of the THERMTRIP signal. That allows the ATX supply to be
>> turned off, if the CPU gets too hot. So you do have some level
>> of protection.
>>
>> Paul
>
> So....no fans are needed for the dedicated Video Card or other
> components? My AMD chip should have the signal but I never saw it in
> the BIOS. Does it need to be turned on? And hopefully, it shuts the PC
> down. I was told once that if a fan fails on your chipset, it would
> fry in under a minute. That's why it gets me nervous to be letting
> fans stop.
>
> I'm going to do a study with SIW (System Information for Windows).
> It gives a ton of specs on your system, even the vendor names of
> installed components. They also have temperatures for just about
> everything in your system.
>
> Brian
>
The overheat protection is specifically for the CPU. If the
CPU gets hot enough, there is a signal from the CPU to the
chipset. And the chipset controls PS_ON#. THERMTRIP turns off
PS_ON# which turns off the ATX power supply (soft off). That
stops the CPU from overheating.
Generally, other heat sources are not protected in a similar way.
You're right, in that the motherboard chipset fan can fail, without
any warning (some of them, don't have RPM measurement, they're
too cheap for that). Or a video card fan can fail, stop turning,
and then the fan body melts when the heat from the GPU gets it.
I'm not sure what settings you have in the BIOS. Some pre-built
computers (like an HP), have PWM speed control on up to three
fan channels. Which allows the motherboard and appropriate software,
to turn down any fan if things are cool enough. Some SuperI/O chips
even have a "cruise control" for their fans, such that the SuperI/O
checks the temps, and sets the fan itself. And that can be configured
by the BIOS at power up, leaving Windows totally oblivious to what
is going on.
But turning down a fan, should not intentionally leave it off for
long periods of time. Eventually, heat buildup requires the fan to
come back on, as the fan and heatsink tend to insulate things if there
is no moving air.
*******
If you want to fool around with "S" states, you should get a copy of "dumppo"
for Windows. It's a command line tool. Instructions on usage are here.
http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.p...8&postcount=31
The dumppo program is only around 12KB, so it's a small download.
And that's because it doesn't have a GUI, and presents things
with text. Still, it's better than nothing (like visiting 200 different
registry settings yourself).
Specifically, you'd want S3 to be enabled in the BIOS, and make sure
dumppo is indicating your system can do S3 as well.
Of my systems here, only one had trouble with S3 sleep. About one time in four,
on restoring from sleep, the system would crash. I run that one in hibernate (S4)
if I need to save the session, and hibernate works 100% on that system. It doesn't
seem to be bad RAM, because under all the tests I can devise, the memory
is excellent (it has a lower error rate than my previous PC3200 systems).
That one seems to be a VIA chipset issue of some sort.
Paul