ASUS Radeon 9600XT, SmartDoctor, and "VGA chipset fan isn't functioning" message

[Chris Seal]

I bought the following new system for my daughter a couple of days ago:
ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard
ASUS Radeon 9600XT video card
WinXP PRO

After about 2hrs of operation, even if no apps are run (just boot up and
walk away), SmartDoctor generates the message "VGA chipset fan isn't
functioning. Replacing with a new fan may be needed". The system freezes and
has to be rebooted.

I assume that the 'VGA chipset fan' is the fan on the video card, and it is
moving air, so not sure what the message means.

The system is running without changing any SmartDoctor settings. They are
'out of the box'. All drivers are as initially provided, so I assume that
proper ASUS drivers and not ATI drivers are installed.

Before assuming a problem with the video card (and a trip to the
retailer)...

1/ Is it possible that some SmartDoctor parameter could be changed to
prevent this error? In other words, is this caused by operator error?
2/ Can SmartDoctor be disabled, and if so, is there still overtemperature
protection for the card?
3/ I've read of a VPU recover function. Does this provide the ability to
continue without rebooting, and is this available for this video card?
4/ I've read that there can be a problem with the Radeon 9600 on certain
motherboards becoming unstable at 8x AGP. Anyone know if the A7N8X-X/ASUS
Radeon 9600XT combination can be unstable at 8x AGP?

I did a google search on "VGA chipset fan isn't functioning" and got one
hit, on a Japanese site, so no help there.

Can any of you experts throw any light on this problem?

 

[Eric Hall]

I dont personally use SmartDoctor, but one sure way to see if the fan is
functioning is to open the case up and turn the power on. If its working,
your problem lies somewhere else, if not, perhaps a new card is in order. If
the fan was not working the video card would overheat resulting in freezes.

 

[Bert]

I bought the following new system for my daughter a couple of days ago:
ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard
ASUS Radeon 9600XT video card
WinXP PRO

After about 2hrs of operation, even if no apps are run (just boot up and
walk away), SmartDoctor generates the message "VGA chipset fan isn't
functioning. Replacing with a new fan may be needed". The system freezes and
has to be rebooted.

I had the same problem. The only thing that I could find to do about it was
to uninstall the program. I now can not quiet the fan whilst the card is
idle and cool, but I don't deal with the constant warnings popping up.

Wish that I could be more helpful,
Bert

 

[Chris Seal]

Thanks for the feedback Bert.

Currently the system has been returned to the retailer, and they have
ordered a new card.

From what you say, and my observation, the existing card may be OK.

So when they get a replacement (not soon -- there's an enormous backlog)
it'll be interesting to see if the problem reoccurs. There are at least five
outcomes:

Problem fixed....
1/ the orginal card was bad
2/ the original software was buggy (if the software that comes with the
replacement card is installed)

Problem remains...
3/ the new card did not fix the problem, so...
4/ the original card was good but the software is buggy (if the software
that comes with the replacement card is installed)
5/ the original card was good but not compatible with the motherboard at 8x
AGP

Incidentally, I understand that new production cards do not carry the
half-life 2 voucher.