fan noise in new computer

joemardo1

Hi there,

On my new computer though its got a quiet foam padded case I do hear a high whine when its busy, seems to go in cycles of 2-3 seconds rising and lowering in intensity, have a feeling it could be the fan on the heatsink of the cpu or the graphics card.

1 If I was to try a different fan on either of above would I need to buy a fan with a special spec for the cpu or graphics card? The cpu is a
AMD PHENOM II X4 945 SOCKET AM3 (3.00GHz/8MB CACHE) and the graphics is a 1GB ATI RADEON™ HD 4650 PCI EXPRESS

2 Its a asus motherboard ASUS® M4A785TD-V EVO so if i removed the graphics card does it revert itself to using internal graphics or do I need to do something in the bios ?

Hope someone can give me a little advice,

many thanks
Joe

[Deleted User]

Assuming that the motherboard has integrated graphics, it will start working automatically if no other graphics card is plugged in. I suspect that the CPU fan is noisiest. You will need a new heatsink/fan specially designed for socket AM3 (there are many available). In general, a larger fan is better because it does not have to spin so fast and is therefore quieter, but make sure that there is enough room inside the case!

Shimrod

download some benchmarking software (such as sisoft Sandra) and run the benchmarks separately for both cpu and graphics.
Most likely the fans are set to spin faster the hotter the chips get. The benchmarking should cause the chips to heat up, and from this you should be able to work out whether it is the cpu fan or graphic card fan(s) that are making the noise, and therefore which one you want to replace.
You can get big, pure copper heatsinks that would work without a fan, or even go for a water cooled solution which can be quieter than a fan. Have a look on tom's hardware - there are some group tests of cooling solutions, including how much noise they make.
Be aware you could easily find yourself spending £30+ just for the cheaper fans - it depends how much the noise bothers you.

Stompa

Get yourself a utility which displays internal temperatures and fan speeds.

[Deleted User]

Get yourself a utility which displays internal temperatures and fan speeds.

AMD Overdrive would be a good choice for that.

AHAR

Have you got Cool'n'quiet enabled for the CPU?
You can maybe also have a root around in the BIOS to see if there are any options for increasing the temperature threshold at which the fan speeds up. Maybe it's set at quite a conservative level.
I've seen some BIOSes that have a setting for how gradually fans will speed up and slow down. It's possible the rapid changes are what's making the sound more noticeable.

basmic

Speedfan (link) will tell you the temperatures inside your machine, as well as fan speeds.

ddoris

Don't hit it too hard -yest at start up I heard a noisy fan like was rubbing a wire? so I banged the top of case with hand til it shut up.
Later pc acted up and froze- then it wouldn't post ,error message led to mem. Reset bios ,no go ,so removed 1 stick and checked other seated then it started, later put other stick back and running ok now.lol

GeoffX

I recently bought a new PSU, a Corsair TX650, and had to return it due to it making a modem-like buzzing noise. The sound also came through the audio hardware into my headphones. I'd recommend having a look at the manufacturer's support forum for your PSU.

joemardo1

Thanks for replies everybody. When I leave the computer for a while it sort of goes into standby mode so no noise then, but once I click the mouse again the noise comes back, so I take it if its a fan it starts to spin again.

1 As regards it being the cpu fan, wouldn't I need to put a new fan first on the heatsink and test it out then ?(as probably leaving a cpu running without a fan is a bad idea) Will the same size of fan I have seen at pc world do ok or does a cpu need a special spec fan?

2 Should it be easy enough to change the fan on the Radeon graphics as someone told me that sometimes you can't?

Will run a few of the tests you have mentioned.

Thanks
Joe

turbobob

CPU fan and heatsink are usually sold together as a package. Some heatsinks use standard sizes and mounting systems for their fans, but others don't. Most CPU fans are variable speed controlled by the motherboard (PWM type with a 4 pin plug).

If you wanted to replace the whole thing something like this should be pretty decent - http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Arctic-Cooling-Freezer-7---Pro-PWM-Rev2-CPU-Cooler_20214.html but check the dimensions.

Yes you can change the cooler on the Radeon graphics (not the fan alone). The Radeon 4650 should work OK fanless with a cooler like this - http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Arctic-Cooling-Accelero-S1-Rev2-VGA-Heatpipe-Cooler_9444.html