Noisy fan!

~Chameleon~

I bought a new PC a while ago, a dual-core system, and the fan(s) on it is/are driving me crazy! It's so loud that I can't leave my PC running overnight in the bedroom as it disturbs my sleep. I'd compare the noise level to having a large floor-standing room fan running on high speed :rolleyes:

I'm assuming it's the CPU fan as it "revs up" higher when system resources are put under load. It's not faulty or anything as this is how it's always been, but I'd like to know whether I could easily replace it for a quieter fan?

isofa

It could be the CPU fan, but it may also me the PSU fan too. (You may even have an additional case fan too!)

Have a look at the fans and components on Quiet PC

CrystalMoonStar_2

Mine does EXACTLY the same and it is slowly driving me mad!!!

raptorman

How long have you had it? Has it always been in your bedroom?

It could be dust build up. I clean out mine every 6 months. I remove the cover
and then put one hand on the chassis to ground myself, then I use a vacuum
to suck out any dust making sure not to touch any of the hardware inside
with the vacuum. Any stubborn dust stuck to fans I remove with
a very soft bristled paint brush.

jont999

take the side of the PC off and look where the noise is coming from, I'm guessing it's either the power supply, case fans or the CPU cooler. Replacing any of these parts is straightforward, but make sure you buy high quality components or there wont be any improvements. Try https://www.overclockers.co.uk or https://www.scan.co.uk for suitable parts

Tinuel

No need to replace parts yet!
It's accumulated dust!!
I had the same problem before. If you don't clean it, the fan will eventually shut the PC down.
Open the side off, get a clean cloth first and clean around the fan and dirty areas. For the inside of the fan, get a vacuum and gently suck the dust.

isofa

If fans are whining, it's usually the bearings failing, however a quick clean with a vacuum and a soft brush attachment might help...

Cricri

1 - I use quiet fans (namely Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM fans, but Arctic Cooling are also good and much cheaper).
2 - I use a fan speed throttling software, namely Speedfan, which is free:
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
3 - I use a Corsair VX-450 power supply, very quiet, based on a Seasonic PSU which is also quiet.

Note that if you don't clean up the dust accumulating from time to time, your PC will become warmer, and in my case, that means more noise.

~Chameleon~

Thanks everyone, will take the side off and check for dust build-up. I do know from the last time I opened it that it has a large case fan with "exhaust system" sucking air in from front to back and the front vents often clog with dust/hair which I hoover out weekly, but not checked inside for some time

The reason I thought it more likely to be CPU fan is because of it "revving up" when system resources are loaded i.e. opening graphic heavy pages, running AV/AS software etc.

It's not whirring as in the bearings going or anything, I know what that sounds like, it's just normal usage and has always been the same but I've eventually had enough of it considering my other PC runs almost silently!

ETA: Just taken the side off and at first glance have counted at least 4 fans in there!!! :eek: :eek:

~Chameleon~

Ok, just given it all a good clean up - was rather dirty in there - and so far so good :T

The fans sound much quieter now but then again I've only just powered it up again so will see how it is once the AV programme starts running this afternoon as that's when I notice it most during the day.

There are two case fans (front and back) with a plastic funnel directing the cool air from the front fan through the fins of the huge CPU block before being sucked out the back by the rear fan. The graphics card also has a fan attached to it and obviously the PSU has a fan too, so no wonder it's a noisy old machine! :rolleyes:

Thanks again everyone, and thanks for the links, will have a look at those and see if I can get quieter fans to replace these :A :beer:

maximus0983

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

The fans sound much quieter now but then again I've only just powered it up again so will see how it is once the AV programme starts running this afternoon as that's when I notice it most during the day.

When your AV is running it is one of most power hungry programs on you PC. Suggest some RAM (depending on your spec) to ease the load of a daily virus scan.

What AV do you have?