How to replace fan?

pickarooney

Really simple question I guess, but I've never done this and don't want to risk damaging anything.

My CPU fan is making all manner of odd noises and I want to replace it. It seems to clip out with the help of two levers, one on either side (pictured), but when I wiggle it gently it seems as though the heat sink and possibly more will all come out if I undo the secondary clips at the base of the fan (it doesn't come loose with just the levers opened). The fan measures 7cm x 7cm.

I'm not sure exactly what I need to order here, or how exactly to replace it. Can anyone help?

Blazer

It looks like you can simply screw off the fan for the cpu.
Although CU heatsink+fan combos are cheap enough it's probably not worth the hassle.
What CPU is in it?

pickarooney

It's an Athlon 3400XP. I don't remember the motherboard model off the top of my head.
I'm going to try and get a quieter fan, so it probably would be better to change the heatsink at the same time. So, I leave the screws in place and just play with the clips at the bottom until the whole block comes loose?
Does the CPU tend to come loose at the same time or does it unstick itself?

syklops

pickarooney wrote: »

It's an Athlon 3400XP. I don't remember the motherboard model off the top of my head.
I'm going to try and get a quieter fan, so it probably would be better to change the heatsink at the same time. So, I leave the screws in place and just play with the clips at the bottom until the whole block comes loose?
Does the CPU tend to come loose at the same time or does it unstick itself?

The CPU is in a socket called a ZIF(Zero Insertion Force) socket, It will stay where it is and the heatsink and fan will come away together. If you wanted to take the CPU out, there is a small lever to the side which you would pull up, and the CPU would become free.

pickarooney

OK, sounds easy enough (famous last words!).
Has anyone any recommendations for a fairly quiet fan? I don't use the PC for much apart from web surfing, music, playing videos and the odd bit of video conversion so I don't reckon I need anything worth hundreds of quid.

pickarooney

So I got a quiet fan and installed it in less than 5 minutes despite a severe shortage of space inside the case (yay me). Turned it on and there was the same motorbike revving sound as before. Must be the PSU fan... that looks a little more complicated to change.
Do I need to take out the mobo first, looking at this photo?

uberpixie

pickarooney wrote: »

So I got a quiet fan and installed it in less than 5 minutes despite a severe shortage of space inside the case (yay me). Turned it on and there was the same motorbike revving sound as before. Must be the PSU fan... that looks a little more complicated to change.
Do I need to take out the mobo first, looking at this photo?

I would be very careful about replacing the fan in a psu if that is what you are thinking of doing?
(psu still can hold enough charge to kill ya even if it is unplugged from the wall.....)

If the psu is kicking up I would replace it for a quieter model. Wouldn't go messing around with the inside of a psu unless you really know what you are doing and can solder wires.

With your PC: I would try cleaning out the psu, cpu heatsink and gfx card of any dust using a can fo compressed air first. Dust bunnies can cause all sorts of strange noises and heat build up when it comes to fans.

Try pin point exactly where the noise is coming from, a carboard tube held up to your ear can help.

pickarooney

uberpixie wrote: »

Try pin point exactly where the noise is coming from, a carboard tube held up to your ear can help.

Now that is a cheap and ingenious idea!

Yeah, I think if it does turn out to be the PSU fan I'd be best replacing the whole thing.

ScumLord

pickarooney wrote: »

Now that is a cheap and ingenious idea!

Although if anyone comes into the room and sees you listening to your pc with a cardboard tube their going to think your crazy.


Definitely replace the PSU rather than try to "fix it".

Solitaire

*stares at image* What on earth...

That case has no exhaust fan at all. Where on earth does it come from? And as for the PSU... Hello Fortron! Peekaboo, I can see you! Your lovely blue-on-white FSP label is the giveaway Oh dear, Baby FSP has gone and messed himself! Looks like he fancied a nice big modern fan but his guts are some ancient AT-era crossflow design so he just went at himself with a tin opener and strapped the new fan to his backside!

Seriously, has anyone seen such a PSU hack-job?! Good old FSP... every corner cut.

Are there any other fans in that machine - graphics card, chipset, any case fans at all?

pickarooney

There are just two, possibly three fans total - CPU, PSU and possibly GFX, althogh that might be just a heat sink. It's a cheapo Packard Bell, does the job but makes a stinker of a noise (slightly less since I changed the fan on the processor).
What/where is an exhaust fan?

polyfusion

Going by the blades on the fan in the pic, it looks like it's purpose is to suck air from inside the case, through the PSU, and out into the room (effectively a case-exhaust fan). Is there another fan on the exit-side of the PSU (near where you plug in the power cord)?

Most of the heat is generated at the CPU, so should rise upwards, and get drawn up by that fan - at least that's what it looks like, although with the cpu fan pushing air down over the heatsink, the main purpose of the big fan may be just to remove air from the case. CPU shrouds usually remove air directly from the heatsink to the outside, but I recently saw on an elderly HP that it was probably hindering air in the rest of the case from being removed. Removing the shroud (to something similar to what yours looks like), seems to have improved the system (used to freeze up a bit, but not so much now); I couldn't just add another fan without drilling holes in the case. The cpu exhaust fan now removes all air from inside the case. It's retired to occasional use now, so will probably be fine like this.

Depending on where that inner fan is getting it's power from (from inside the PSU, or an outer connection, or motherboard), it mightn't be too difficult to change with something similar, and quieter.

Now, if it were mine, I'd temporarily disconnect that fan (or jam a pencil into it) to stop it turning, see if really is that fan that's causing the noise before replacing it, but it's not mine, so I wouldn't recommend that!