Asus Strix 1080 ti - fans not working

Thunderhead

Thunderhead

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Hi guys, I've just joined here.

I have a Strix 1080 ti, the card boots to Windows, plays games fine (no artifacts) although the GPU fans just do not work, no matter how hot the card gets....

I initially purchased the x3 new gpu fans and installed them, but still the fans do not turn on. I've looked at the board and don't see any connection problems (dry joints) on the 6 pin connector.

I have some soldering skills, so I can replace a component if needed or use hot air. I can also check gpu-z (but I have no idea what im looking at). Any help would be greatly appreciated as to why gpu fans will not work.

Kind regards
 
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You could try installing MSI Afterburner and setting a fan percentage just to see if they turn on. Just set it to some percentage and see if anything happens. If nothing, double check that a wire didn't get pinched or something.
 
^^ that and then worst case ontario get an adapter and hook them to the mobo header
 
CruisD64 said:
You could try installing MSI Afterburner and setting a fan percentage just to see if they turn on. Just set it to some percentage and see if anything happens. If nothing, double check that a wire didn't get pinched or something.
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Thanks for reply, I forgot to mention in my forst post that I tried MSI Afterburner and still no gpu fan power.

I also tried the 1080 ti in another pc and still no gpu fan power. Can't see any pinched wires either, same results with the new gpu fans. Just no power to them...
 
Thunderhead said:
Thanks for reply, I forgot to mention in my forst post that I tried MSI Afterburner and still no gpu fan power.

I also tried the 1080 ti in another pc and still no gpu fan power. Can't see any pinched wires either, same results with the new gpu fans. Just no power to them...
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could see if you can get a bios update for it. otherwise, as i suggested above
 
pendragon1 said:
could see if you can get a bios update for it. otherwise, as i suggested above
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Thank you for suggestion, where abouts would I have to go for the Asus 1080 ti bios? Never done it before, but might be worth a try for sure.

The 1080 ti strix fans use a small 6 pin connector, I'm not sure what type of adapter that I'd need to plug this into the motherboard connector.

Thanks
 
Thunderhead said:
Thank you for suggestion, where abouts would I have to go for the Asus 1080 ti bios? Never done it before, but might be worth a try for sure.

The 1080 ti strix fans use a small 6 pin connector, I'm not sure what type of adapter that I'd need to plug this into the motherboard connector.

Thanks
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you can look the up on techpowerup, they have a database. or reach out to asus.
 
noctua_157930_nf_f12_ippc_2000_fan_1557431.jpg



10.-100-Premium-Heavy-Duty-36-Inch-Zip-Ties.jpg
 
Thank you, might try that as last resort.

Any ideas what could be causing the gpu not turning the fans on? A failed Voltage component somewhere? Could it cause something else to go wrong later on down the line?

Is there something I can measure or check on the actual gpu that can tell what's causing this to happen?
 
Thunderhead said:
Thank you, might try that as last resort.

Any ideas what could be causing the gpu not turning the fans on? A failed Voltage component somewhere? Could it cause something else to go wrong later on down the line?

Is there something I can measure or check on the actual gpu that can tell what's causing this to happen?
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no prob.
nope, sorry. any ideas RazorWind ?
 
Thunderhead said:
Thank you, might try that as last resort.

Any ideas what could be causing the gpu not turning the fans on? A failed Voltage component somewhere? Could it cause something else to go wrong later on down the line?

Is there something I can measure or check on the actual gpu that can tell what's causing this to happen?
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The onboard fan controller could of went tits up, it's not common but I had a GTX 570 that had a bad one.
 
Thunderhead said:
Thank you, might try that as last resort.

Any ideas what could be causing the gpu not turning the fans on? A failed Voltage component somewhere? Could it cause something else to go wrong later on down the line?

Is there something I can measure or check on the actual gpu that can tell what's causing this to happen?
Click to expand...
There could very well be a cold solder joint somewhere internally. These cards are getting up there in age now and have likely had many heat cool cycles.
 
CAD4466HK said:
The onboard fan controller could of went tits up, it's not common but I had a GTX 570 that had a bad one.
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Thanks, tjat could be it. Do you know the name of the fan controller chip or location? What normally is the component called?
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
There could very well be a cold solder joint somewhere internally. These cards are getting up there in age now and have likely had many heat cool cycles.
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Yes that could be right, I'll have to have a good look under the magnifying glass to see if I can see anything.

Something could use a reflow
 
Thunderhead said:
Yes that could be right, I'll have to have a good look under the magnifying glass to see if I can see anything.

Something could use a reflow
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A reflow wouldn’t hurt. Don’t be surprised if you can’t find anything by physically inspecting it.
 
Thunderhead said:
Thanks, tjat could be it. Do you know the name of the fan controller chip or location? What normally is the component called?
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What I would do, is try hooking up some PWM fans to the external inputs that are on the end of the card, and try using GPU Tweak to control them and see if you have any power going to them or not first. That way maybe the other fans will show up and you might get them to work.

https://rog.asus.com/articles/gaming-graphics-cards/strix-gtx-10801070-what-is-asus-fancontrol/

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/asus-rog-strix-gtx-1080-ti-gaming.b4311

1710383262166.png
 
Prior to a reflow, try pressing the card down by the corner while the system is on. Not super hard, of couse, but enough to see some flex. It could reconnect a broken solder joint. If the fans kick on you know that's what it is. Long shot, but worth a shot. If you don't want to dig too deep and the card works otherwise, pendragons recommendation is probably best. Aux fans connected to a header that ramps up based on whatever temp you see fit.
 
First, do not "reflow" this card, assuming that by "reflow" you mean put it in a domestic oven. That's a good way to turn a working card into a dead one. The worst case scenario here is that you graft some case fans onto this thing.

pendragon1 said:
no prob.
nope, sorry. any ideas RazorWind ?
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What I would do is get out an ohm meter and start probing around the board in the area of the fan connector. Figure out which pins in the connector do what, and then what components are wired up to them. Then, put a small heatsink on the GPU and start the card up with the cooler off, and check for the proper voltage on each of the pins in the connector. Do you have 12V at the 12V pin? Do you have a solid connection to ground on the ground pin(s)?

If yes to all, troubleshoot the PWM circuit. If no, troubleshoot the connector itself. If you strike out with the connector, start looking for a fuse of some sort (like that 0 ohm resistor next to the connector) that's open.
 
A basic reflow would be to add flux around the edges of the die and use an air soldering station but the chances are extremely slim of fixing. You will ultimately have to pull the die and reball. I am willing to bet it might have ripped solder pads under the core. MSI and Asus seem to be trending with those failures lately.
 
Rvenger said:
A basic reflow would be to add flux around the edges of the die and use an air soldering station but the chances are extremely slim of fixing. You will ultimately have to pull the die and reball. I am willing to bet it might have ripped solder pads under the core. MSI and Asus seem to be trending with those failures lately.
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the card still works, just not the fans, i dont think its a die problem...
 
OP: have you independently tested the old GPU fans as well as the new GPU fans with a power source separate from the GPU itself, like using a molex or sata converter or a graphics 4 pin to 12v fan 4 pin? If the new fans and the old fans work when powered from a source other than the graphics card's fan header, then you know the header is likely the culprit or a trace leading to it was damaged.

Regardless, if you can power the cooler's fans it may be a little ugly to run a wire to an adapter but you can then power off the adapter and control it using a dedicated fan controller or possibly a motherboard header.
 
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Thanks so much for the replies everyone, I really appreciate it 🙏

I took the advice of some of your replies and here is what I did so far:

Firstly I installed GPU tweak (to try boot fans manually) but it didn't work, as the fans still did not spin.

Then I tried to reflow some dull looking soldier points on the board (around the 6 pin fan connector) but it didn't make any difference at all.

Then I attached a separate fan to one of the two GPU "4 pin headers" (this card has 2 along with the 6 pin). I then booted a game and noticed that the fan did spin, but it just seemed to be not very powerful. It stopped after the card got lower than around 50'c.

The actual original 3x GPU fans have a strange 6 pin connector (see pictures) is there any way at all to connect this to a normal 4 pin header (Via an adapter or something?) Or even a separate motherboard connection.

Also I can post an image on gpu-z if that would show anything useful with voltages or info?

It looks more and more likely that something on the board to control the fans has gone kaput. I can try remove with hot air the PWM chip (if someone can tell me the part and where is located?) Then install a new one, if that could indeed be the culprit?

Thanks very much for everyone that responded so far, appreciate it 🙏

Here is the connector on the x3 gpu shroud fans 👇

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