Computer too noisy? It’s getting too hot

General

Your computer makes strange noises (I don’t mean through the speakers) and not what your children or friends may be listening to, either. It’s whining, or grinding, or just making general poor-health-sounding noises. Maybe you’re losing your bearings.

Computers have many parts and only a few of them move, thus only a few of them can make any noise, so this makes it much easier to find the source and troubleshoot the noise.

Chances are that one of the internal cooling fans is the culprit. There can be several cooling fans in your PC, and laptop. If they stop working, you’ll know it in a hurry. When the processor gets too hot, it has built-in thermal protection to shut it off. Still, there may be cases where the CPU fan is working and keeping the CPU within its operating limits, while other components are boiling up.

PC cooling requirements:

  • CPU has its own fan

  • Hard drive needs to be cooled, as it has NO internal fan.

  • The video card – if newer – most likely has its own fan.

  • The power supply has a fan.
  • The PC case itself will have at least one cooling fan, and maybe even another for airflow direction. It’s not uncommon that there are three fans.

Laptops:

  • one internal CPU fan

  • possibly one or two airflow fans inside the chassis

    • Computers have many parts inside, all the way from motherboards, main boards, system boards to modems. The inside of a computer – although it appears ominous and confusing – is pretty basic stuff. A case, a motherboard to accept all the physical connections such as memory, processors, cables, peripheral cards and ports.

    Navigating inside your PC to locate the noisy fan should be broken down into specific areas to investigate.

    A word of caution here: always be careful when opening a computer case to diagnose a noise. That’s true especially if the system is powered on. You do not want to get an electrical shock. Now, having said that, inside the case of a PC, the power supply itself is where the AC power cord plugs in. You will find a large fan there. If the noise is coming from the power supply, try gently tapping the PC case just above the power supply fan. The noise should intermittently stop and go. You can either replace the entire power supply for about $25 – 50, or have the fan itself serviced. The power supply is not intended to be for that, however, and not many PC repair shops will bother. If they do, labor alone may cost more than just buying a new power supply. Get an experienced technician, if you still insist on replacing a power supply. It is one of the most time-consuming and difficult tasks.

    If the case fan itself is making the noise, these are easily replaced for about $10. They usually have a few chassis screws, or plastic connectors. The power plug is also modular, and can be easily disconnected. These fans can be bought just about anywhere. Bring the old one with you, just to make sure, though, as there are some fans that have proprietary connectors.

    If the CPU fan is the source, you have another semi-delicate task on your hands, and may consider having a service technician handle it. CPU fans are either screwed to the CPU heatsink, or in the case of newer processors, they are actually part of the CPU heatsink. Replacing them may not be so easy. If your CPU fan has four screws, most likely it can be replaced. The heatsink holds the fan, and may have to be removed to gain access to the fan. Be careful and make sure not to disturb the CPU, and the thermal compound on the CPU. If you can remove the fan, take it to a repair shop to find a suitable replacement. There are different types.

    Fans are also a source of fashion for computers. They have LEDs and even laser beams these days and can light up your entire case.

    Need help finding where to buy any of these hardware components?

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