Computer Fan Issues

[DabblerWizard]

Hey folks. I've been experiencing terribly fast and annoying fan noises on my PC that I don't know what to do about.

I originally thought the graphics card was going bonkers, but SpeedFan shows that it's some other miscellaneous fan in my computer that's going over 4K RPM, while the hottest temperature in the computer is 54 Celsius, and is otherwise between 27 C and 47C.

This fan goes bonkers from start up, sitting idle, and obviously, during intense game play.

What do I do?

[thubby]

my first inclinations with fans is always to clean it. get some canned air and get all the dust off of it, and away from the axle. just make sure you keep the fan still while you work.

same goes for w/e is keeping track of temperature. dust is a fantastic insulator.

[factotum]

I'm surprised you've got some random case fan spinning that fast--they normally top out at around 3.5k. You really need to find which fan it is to make any determination of what to do about it, though!

[DabblerWizard]

Based on sensing vibrations against the tower, it seems that my CPU fan is the culprit. Though some other fan appears to not work at all. The PSU fan better be just fine, because it's new and from Corsair. :smallfrown:

This all started after a power out in the middle of gaming. I'm starting to think it rattled my system quite a bit.

I still don't know whether I can fix this on my own. Or whether I just need to change out the fan, or something else.

[Brother Oni]

All the following depends on whether you are confident on messing about inside your computer - if you're not, don't do it and find either more experienced or professional help.

With regards to your other fan that’s not working, check the connection to the motherboard.

I second thubby’s suggestion of cleaning your CPU fan. All the aircooled CPU fans I’ve encountered are removable from the heatsink (look for screws at the corners), so with the computer off, unscrew the fan and clean it.
While you’re at it, take a hoover or can of compressed air to the heatsink (there’s usually a small family of dust bunnies lurking between the vanes), graphics card fan and any case fans you may have.

Reconnect it then check the various fan speeds in your BIOS (most modern ones will let you do this) to see if they’re happy and your temperature's suitable – your faulty fan should show up here as well.

Whether your temperature is suitable is dependent on your processor, cooling solution and your ambient temperature. 54C is about right for my computer under load, but I've got an AMD CPU which tends to run a little hotter anyway and a stock fan.

[Warlawk]

While you’re at it, take a hoover or can of compressed air to the heatsink (there’s usually a small family of dust bunnies lurking between the vanes), graphics card fan and any case fans you may have.

I grant you I'm a pretty casual user but I believe household vacuums (Such as a hoover) tend to generate a lot of static when in use and you would not want to use one inside your case.

It's possible I could be wrong, but something about the air passing over dust particles can generate a lot of static build up I think which can then pass into your PC parts if you touch the hose to anything. Like I said, I could be wrong, but I would hate to see someone fry a component because of something like that. You may want to check with a tech before using your household vacuum on inside your computer.

[DabblerWizard]

Thanks for the input folks! :smallsmile:

This must have been the fourth time I opened my computer in the last two days. I checked the plugs on various components in the computer, and blew air into the various fans, and now the computer is much quieter.

Curiously, my GPU fan is much higher this time around. It's above 2300 RPM, and the aggravating fan is still at 3600 RPM. For some reason all I hear is a very tolerable dull working sound on the computer. Perhaps something other than the fan was making all that noise?

Unfortunately, some component in the PC is reaching 50c +, and I'm just using the internet, nothing intensive. Here's to hoping the sound doesn't come back moments after posting this reply.

[Brother Oni]

I grant you I'm a pretty casual user but I believe household vacuums (Such as a hoover) tend to generate a lot of static when in use and you would not want to use one inside your case.

Sorry I forgot I've got a Numatic hoover which has a metal shaft which helps ground things out, not to mention I'm in the UK with the whole additional earthing/fuse thing in the plug (both in the hoover and the PSU).



This must have been the fourth time I opened my computer in the last two days. I checked the plugs on various components in the computer, and blew air into the various fans, and now the computer is much quieter.

Curiously, my GPU fan is much higher this time around. It's above 2300 RPM, and the aggravating fan is still at 3600 RPM. For some reason all I hear is a very tolerable dull working sound on the computer. Perhaps something other than the fan was making all that noise?.

Have you cleaned the various grills and vents the fans flow through as well?
It could well be a fan is vibrating against the case or a loose wire, causing that sound.

[factotum]

Sorry I forgot I've got a Numatic hoover which has a metal shaft which helps ground things out

Static electricity doesn't work that way--it can build up on the plastic attachment on the end no matter what it's attached to (and besides, the other end of the metal shaft is presumably a flexible plastic pipe, so it's not like it's earthed!). The main danger with using a vacuum cleaner inside a PC is that the extremely powerful airflow can force smaller fans to overspeed and destroy their bearings, though.

[ShadowHunter]

What kind of processor is it? I think it's unlikely that a stock CPU cooler's fan can even get much above 2000 RPM. It also doesn't really sound like a dust problem. Usually dust chokes the fans and they run slow and your stuff gets hot. You say a fan is running fast and your stuff is cool?


Speedfan is always weird, get HWMonitor...which is admittedly also weird sometimes (apparently my CPU fan hit 65535 RPM playing Witcher 2 a while ago :/ mmhmm) and it'll also tell you which fan is which (assuming they're plugged into the right places on the motherboard.


And don't take off the CPU cooler (fan/heatsink assembly) and stick it right back on. Once you take it off you're committed to cleaning off the old thermal paste with isopropyl alcohol and lint-free cloths, and then reapplying new thermal paste, which is a hassle.

[DabblerWizard]

What kind of processor is it? I think it's unlikely that a stock CPU cooler's fan can even get much above 2000 RPM. It also doesn't really sound like a dust problem. Usually dust chokes the fans and they run slow and your stuff gets hot. You say a fan is running fast and your stuff is cool?


Speedfan is always weird, get HWMonitor...which is admittedly also weird sometimes (apparently my CPU fan hit 65535 RPM playing Witcher 2 a while ago :/ mmhmm) and it'll also tell you which fan is which (assuming they're plugged into the right places on the motherboard.


And don't take off the CPU cooler (fan/heatsink assembly) and stick it right back on. Once you take it off you're committed to cleaning off the old thermal paste with isopropyl alcohol and lint-free cloths, and then reapplying new thermal paste, which is a hassle.


Phenom II x4

The noise in my fan is very tolerable now. All I did was blow into the fans. Maybe my action had nothing to do with the change.

However, I'm noticing that the GPU fan is now much higher than it was before: 2K+ RPM. Perhaps the fans weren't able to spin properly so they were making a racket?