Annoying Computer fan. (page 2)

IsaacJS2

I would not oil the fan. Oil won't work for too long in a fan, and it will tend to gather dust--plus you might get it on something else inside the case. At most, you can use a synthetic lubricant for electronic/electric components, but the fan really shouldn't need it. They are designed to run unlubricated. If there's a problem with the fan you will only be delaying the inevitable, and briefly at that.

I still suggest replacing it with a quiet fan. They have decibel ratings, so you can tell which is the quietest. They are very simple to install. You really should find out which fan it is before doing anything--if it's the CPU fan, it could die on you and burn up the processor. I don't know how old that system is, but they can be expense to replace.

IsaacJ

Gregor

I have an HP PC also and like Greendawn I have got into the habit of giving it a good smack with the side of my fist when it starts to sound like a runaway train.

Elsewhere

I also have an HP... and it is amazingly quiet.

If the fan is coming on frequently it simply means the computer is getting too hot. This can be caused by the fan and the heat-sink being dirty, the room being too hot, having too many cards plugged into the mother board or a malfunction of a component in the computer that is producing a lot of heat.

Odds are it is being caused by the fan and heat-sink being dirty... just turn the computer off, unplug it, and use a "can of air" to blow out the dust. You can also use a vacuum cleaner in reverse if you have one that can do that.

If that doesn't fix it, then the next likely cause is you are keeping the room too hot. Try not to let the room get warmer the 75 F.

GoingGoingGone

I'm absolutely no computer expert, but my fan on my laptop kept coming on, and my computer kept overheating even so. I brought it in for service and it was infected with viruses and waaaaay too many operations were running at the same time.

The computer guy cleaned up my hard drive and my computer has been fine ever since... much less fan noise, and no overheating!

GGG

tetrapod.sapien

you can not program your fan because it should not be up to you when it runs.

get a new one and install it or get someone to install it.

if it's a case fan, super easy. just turn the pute off, open it up, take the fan out. replace it.

if it's a processor fan, you may not want to do it yourself.

you won't know until you open the case up while it's running and following the noise.

tetra

Midget-Sasquatch

Excellent advice on first cleaning out the dust you currently have built up and then possibly getting a quiter fan. The cheapest route to go.

If you've localized the noisy fan to the CPU, you might also consider getting the types of heatsinks modders use (eg. Thermaltake) and then couple that to the very quiet fans that usually are also available for them. If the sound is definitely from the powersupply, there are p/s models out there that are very quiet as well. These solutions are very pricey though.

Jeffro

If the PC fan noise is abnormally loud, it may be that it is getting too hot. In many modern computers, the fan speed is increased when sensors detect an increase in temperature, such as is caused during high processor usage.

Some computers (including certain Compaq/HP models) have a software patch available to quiet a noisy fan, and some BIOSes also have an option to set the fan speed (and hence the volume).

You should check for available downloads and other information from the manufacturer of your PC to determine whether there are any known issues with your model before assuming that the fan itself is faulty.

Replacement fans are not expensive or difficult to fit; unless it's the fan in the power supply, which may cost a little more.

SirNose586

I would offer advice, but my rig was built by someone else. I can manually control the heatsink fan. I can also control my video card's fanspeed by means of another program.

Blueblades

Thanks everyone for all your input, it's much appreciated.

Blueblades

Annoying Computer fan.

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