Noisy computer fan - what to do?

Posted 28th Dec 2022 (Posted 23 h, 26 m ago)

Just noticed the annoying whirring noise from my desktop computer and wondered if the fan is causing it? Everything is working ok. It gets louder then quieter but when it is louder it's enough for me to start noticing it. The room is regularly dusted and cleaned. The computer is 2 years old and not on the floor but on the desk. Is there anything I can do or check? I only know how to switch the computer on/off so I'm not acquainted with the inside. Many thanks.

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22 h, 34 m ago
you should be able to tell from the manual and a visual inspection how to access the inside of the case. switch off all electricity supply and remove all cables attached. Once inside you will be shocked by the amount of dust and fluff inside. use a vacuum cleaner to remove taking special care not to disturb anything. afterwards, if you feel confident switch it back on whilst it is still open. if the noise has gone shout yippee, shutdown and put it all back together. if the noise is still there you will need to investigate further. your next action will depend upon your investigations.
14 h, 19 m ago
I would suggest not using a vacuum cleaner inside a PC as they produce static electricity which could damage components.
22 h, 14 m ago
Take a hammer to it - eventually the noise will stop - guaranteed.

Or, have you done any scanning to check whether the machine's picked up some crapware/malware? Yo can get a free download of Malwarebytes which is pretty good. Maybe consider downloading CPU temperature monitoring software to see if it's that whats getting hot
23 h, 18 m ago
Do you know if it's an (input/output) fan, or could it be the Power Supply fan? Or even the CPU fan? Let me know
23 h, 16 m ago
I would open up the computer if you feel brave enough. You can place a finger on the middle of each fan to stop it temporarily to see which one is making the noise.
22 h, 28 m ago
You can open the case and listen for the noise?
21 h, 48 m ago
It may be a physical problem with a fan or it may possibly be a software issue causing high cpu useage....

Next time you hear the fans get loud press the CTRL-ALT-DEL keys simultaneously and go into windows task manager to check if there is much activity.... and which software in particular is causing it (if any) ...

On my older laptop its always Google Chrome's Software Reporter Tool that runs and kicks off the fans....

Maybe worth just checking that first ....if your not comfortable taking the cover off and seeing whats going on inside.
14 h, 17 m ago
I'd recommend CPU ID which shows CPU usage, temperatures, fan speeds, etc.
21 h, 10 m ago
dust
16 h, 49 m ago
i have this with my laptop. the RAM was low so the fan often went berserk. then I often end up blocking the vents so the fan works super hard. i opened the laptop to upgrade the RAM and saw that the fan was clogged with dust so I cleaned that and since then, the fan has calmed down significantly, but still has its moments every now and then.
Author
4 m ago
Thanks for all the replies.

I took the sides off the computer and but could not hoover out any dust as the attachments still to big. There was not a great deal of obvious dust to be honest. I did however use a spray can of compressed air to blow out what I could see and I then discovered a small amount of cat hair and fluff near one of the fans.

I then plugged it in (the computer, not the cat!), with the sides off, and blasted more compressed air whilst the fans were running.

Having now had it all back up and running for a while it does sound quieter so hopefully this has done the job.

Thanks again.