Three Steps to Diagnosing Noisy Fans

The following three steps will help you quickly identify the source of the noise and get back to work in no time!

Step 1: Check if the fan is loose or if it is clogged with dust.

If you hear a "buzz" or "click" from your cooling system, don't rush to open up the machine and start poking around.Most often the culprit is a loose fan or accumulated dust.You can turn off the power and gently shake the cooling fan to see if it wobbles.If you discover that the screws on the fan's support are loose, tightening them will solve the problem.

The main thing is to clean the blades and the bearings.

After the fan is removed, use a soft brush or cotton swab to clean the dust off the blades, especially the dust around the bearings.It is here that foreign objects are most likely to get stuck and cause friction and noise.If you have a little oil handy, you can drip one or two drops into the bearing (but don't use cooking oil!). This will effectively reduce the metallic noise.

Step 2: Check for resonance and installation problems.

Sometimes the problem is not with the fan itself, but with resonance caused by the fan, case or heatsink being improperly installed.Try pressing your hand on the top of the radiator. If the noise noticeably decreases, this indicates that the mounting brackets need to be tightened.

Adjust the tightness of the heat sink.

When you reassemble the heat sink, make sure that the base makes tight contact with the CPU.Uneven application of the thermal grease or a tilted heat sink can cause uneven stress and produce high-frequency noise.The best way to ensure even pressure is to apply the grease in five points, then tighten the screws diagonally.

The third step: testing the fan speed and aging.

If the problem persists, it may be that the cooling fan motor is old or running too slowly.You can check the fan speed curve by entering the BIOS of the mainboard or using monitoring software (e.g. AIDA64).If the motor makes a strange noise when the speed suddenly increases, it may be worn out.

The method of replacement is used to confirm a fault.

If you borrow a fan of the same model and the noise disappears, it's pretty much certain that the original fan has reached the end of its life.I suggest replacing it directly and not worrying about money. Not only is a long-term noise annoying, it can also influence the cooling efficiency and be a waste of money.