overworked Fan

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the fan on my pc accerates to top speed (noisy) every few minutes and then
slows down again to a tolerable noise. the fan is at high speed more than it
is at slow speed. the dust and air vents have been cleaned out regularily and
the PC does not seem hot. it always does this when a programme is being
downloaded or a scan is in operation
any suggestions?
 
robin.m said:
the fan on my pc accerates to top speed (noisy) every few minutes and then
slows down again to a tolerable noise. the fan is at high speed more than it
is at slow speed. the dust and air vents have been cleaned out regularily and
the PC does not seem hot. it always does this when a programme is being
downloaded or a scan is in operation
any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I'd leave it alone as it's obviously working well if your PC is not hot.
Sounds like there is a sensor that will kick the fan into hi-speed as needed
 
thanks philo but whilst it is tempting to leave it alone the noise drives our
family crazy and we end up switching it off to get relief from the constant
droning! do you think the sensor you mention might be adjustable?
 
robin.m said:
thanks philo but whilst it is tempting to leave it alone the noise drives our
family crazy and we end up switching it off to get relief from the constant
droning! do you think the sensor you mention might be adjustable?
Click to expand...


First off, exactly which fan is it?

If it's the cpu fan you can probably get a different cpu cooler...
one which has a larger fan that will operate at lower RPM
and therefore be quieter.

If it's a case fan...then possibly put in a variable speed fan and set the
speed only
as high as is needed for sufficient cooling
 
the fan on my pc accerates to top speed (noisy) every few minutes and then
slows down again to a tolerable noise. the fan is at high speed more than it
is at slow speed. the dust and air vents have been cleaned out regularily and
the PC does not seem hot. it always does this when a programme is being
downloaded or a scan is in operation
any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Normal operations. The system is stepping down the processor when
it's not needed. When you do more the processor speeds up and the fan
has to speed up to keep it cool.
 
Desktop computer? Is this something that just started, or has your computer
always been this way?

If it just started you must determine just which fan in the computer (there
are usually several) is changing speed.

If it is the CPU fan it is likely that the cooling fins on the heatsink are
clogged with dust. This is especially so if there are smokers in the home.
The dust will block the airflow allowing the CPU to get hotter than normal.
The fan may then speed up in trying to maintain a lower temp.

Eventually the fins will block to a point where the cooling is non existent
and the CPU will fail.

If you determine that it is the CPU fan causing the commotion, and you don't
feel comfortable in removing the heatsink so you can clean it, take the
computer to a repair center.

If you have a laptop you may want to send it to the manufacturer so he can
clean/repair it.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Buy a new fan with ball bearings. A bigger fan is quieter
too.

When active the CPU gets hotter and the fan has to run more.
You could replace the CPU heat sink with one of the high
dollar copper heat pipe jobs with the big surface area,
they cool better.


message
| thanks philo but whilst it is tempting to leave it alone
the noise drives our
| family crazy and we end up switching it off to get relief
from the constant
| droning! do you think the sensor you mention might be
adjustable?
|
| "philo" wrote:
|
| >
message
| >
| > > the fan on my pc accerates to top speed (noisy) every
few minutes and then
| > > slows down again to a tolerable noise. the fan is at
high speed more than
| > it
| > > is at slow speed. the dust and air vents have been
cleaned out regularily
| > and
| > > the PC does not seem hot. it always does this when a
programme is being
| > > downloaded or a scan is in operation
| > > any suggestions?
| >
| > I'd leave it alone as it's obviously working well if
your PC is not hot.
| > Sounds like there is a sensor that will kick the fan
into hi-speed as needed
| >
| >
| >
 
Good for you! (-:

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
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