problem: REALLY noisy computer fan

[agtpunx40]

I'm kinda worried about just putting 10 W 40 or something on it. I'm afraid it might end up spraying it all over the cards and stuff and mess something up. Anybody have a suggestion

[N. Abstentia]

Sounds like it's time to replace it.

[uncooked]

i had the same problem about 2 weeks ago mine was making a whistling type sound. i got so pissed off with it i stood up and booted my computer, and the noise stopped and it hasnt been back since. no joke.

im not suggesting you try that though,

[ocrazor]

Panaflo and Papst are two companies known for very quiet fans. Also, if you need them to be even quieter, you can undervolt them or get a fan controller for 5 bucks or so.

[N. Abstentia]

I use Enermax fans with a manual control, just dial in as much speed as you need!

[poneal]

Try getting some compress air and cleaning the fan and insides. If this doesn't work its time to get a replacement fan. They're cheap don't worry.

[DamianCarvaLho]

you probably ar using a fan with a sleave bearing... those suck. most likely it is the fan that is on the videocard. in my little experiance. go to tigerdirect.com and buy a ballbaring fan. there is a little bay drive fan with two 60mm fans. i installed one since my sleave on the videocard crapped out on me my chips were getting to hot and my comp kept crashing... now its spitting out cool air.. like an airconditioning. my leg is cold.. im gonna bring my blanet to the computer soon. well anyway it hasnt crashed since and my comp is running great.

[skeptic]

Earplugs.

[CyberStoic]

I'm kinda worried about just putting 10 W 40 or something on it. I'm afraid it might end up spraying it all over the cards and stuff and mess something up. Anybody have a suggestion

I checked with my pal John, who owns a computer/network business and has dealt with this many, many times. He said that the fans generally get noisy because they become unbalanced, and that happens because dust, or cat hair, or dog hair, or lint, etc. becomes stuck to the fan blades and builds up over time. Eventually it gets sufficient mass to either become too heavy or unbalanced and they start making noise. He said that sometimes you can "clean" them by gently removing the debris with cotton swabs, and then using compressed air to get rid of the debris. If that does not correct the problem, he suggested replacing the fan. He also suggested that if it is the powersupply fan, that you replace the entire powersupply, and not just the fan.

He did say not to use WD40, because most of the fans are sealed and it wouldn't get to where it needs to go, and the risk of damaging something with oversprayis very great.

Hope that helps.