Tech Support Forum - View Single Post - Very noisy heatsink and fan- help!

Commander Data · 04-07-2009, 03:40 AM

I have a virtually silent rig

My CPU cooler and video card are passive, they have no fan. The 6 120mm fans in my case move air through slowly but enough to keep things cool.

You can buy a CPU heatsink with big fins, and\or a large 90mm - 120mm fan that move slowly and doesn't sound like a Comanche helicoper. This depends on how large your PC case is, how much room you have in there. Please reply with the model if possible.

1. Can the fan be tweaked to run quieter? Some MB will control the fan speed with a setting in the BIOS, but stock fans will never be that quiet.

2. Can the fan be replaced with another leaving the original heatsink in place? Yes, but wouldn't solve your problem. I would buy a new heatsink and fan and change it out.

3. If the whole thing needs replacing for a quieter one what are your recommendations. I don't want to spend a fortune please. Folks here will tell you examples that you can buy from newegg for under $30.

4. What speed of fan would suffice and still keep the CPU cool enough?
If you buy one of the large ones the fan speed will either be lower, OR may also be controlled by your BIOS, so that if your system is cool enough, the fan just doesn't spin up at all.

You might also buy a can of compressed air and blow all the dust off the fans in your system, sometimes that helps a bit.

04-07-2009, 03:40 AM	#2 (permalink)
Commander Data Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 226 OS: Win 7 My System	Re: Very noisy heatsink and fan- help! I have a virtually silent rig My CPU cooler and video card are passive, they have no fan. The 6 120mm fans in my case move air through slowly but enough to keep things cool. You can buy a CPU heatsink with big fins, and\or a large 90mm - 120mm fan that move slowly and doesn't sound like a Comanche helicoper. This depends on how large your PC case is, how much room you have in there. Please reply with the model if possible. 1. Can the fan be tweaked to run quieter? Some MB will control the fan speed with a setting in the BIOS, but stock fans will never be that quiet. 2. Can the fan be replaced with another leaving the original heatsink in place? Yes, but wouldn't solve your problem. I would buy a new heatsink and fan and change it out. 3. If the whole thing needs replacing for a quieter one what are your recommendations. I don't want to spend a fortune please. Folks here will tell you examples that you can buy from newegg for under $30. 4. What speed of fan would suffice and still keep the CPU cool enough? If you buy one of the large ones the fan speed will either be lower, OR may also be controlled by your BIOS, so that if your system is cool enough, the fan just doesn't spin up at all. You might also buy a can of compressed air and blow all the dust off the fans in your system, sometimes that helps a bit.