Question CPU cooling fan makes rattling or grinding noise

[sabertoothgx]

The cooler has dust. I removed the case fan prior, it's not making noise, i also opened the case to make out if its the PSU, and its the CPU cooler fan.

It has been making this noise more than a year.

Do I need to take the whole thing apart and reapply thermal paste (also vaguely remember several other products mentioned? and special way to screw the cooler back on.) can i clean the dust without taking it apart, or somehow without removing the cooler from CPU. Or do I need to replace the CPU fan, will I need to reapply thermal paste to replace the fan?

 

[Misgar]

If I see dust on a fan and it's difficult to disassemble, I take an small paint brush and carefully remove all visible dust from the fan blades. If the fan must be cleaned in situ, it can be difficult to clean both sides. It may also be tricky to remove dust from underlying heatsink or radiator vanes.

With some cheap coolers, it's possible to snap off fragile plastic retaining lugs on heatsink shrouds. If you're worried you might break something during disassembly, leaving a small quantity of dust behind can be tolerated.

The only time I apply new thermal paste is when I remove a heatsink to replace a CPU or fit a new heatsink. Some well designed heatsinks are easy to remove and replace. Other heatsinks are awkward and may require removing the motherboard, e.g. if the backing plate drops off and there is no other access underneath.

If cleaning doesn't fix the noise problem, you might need a new fan.

Hopefully your machine isn't this bad, or even worse.
https://davescomputertips.com/why-p...e-crucial-for-the-longevity-of-your-computer/

 

[bill001g]

Maybe specify the exact cooler you have. Many the fans are just held on with clips and you can easily swap them out without removing the cooler from the machine.

 

[Paperdoc]

See my post of Aug 30/24 in this thread

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/crazy-fan-and-sudden-shut-down.3853167/#post-23327632

It describes the process of fan bearings wearing out. That MAY be the reason for your noisy fan. If so, since it has been this way for a year, it is time to replace the fan. On many CPU coolers it is possible to detach the fan from the heatsink WITHOUT removing the heatsink from the CPU. Then you can attach a new fan of similar size. IF you do this, the replacement fan should be one rated as a "pressure" fan, not an "air flow" fan. If you need help choosing a replacement, post here the exact cooler unit you have for advice.

If replacing the fan only is not possible, then you would need to replace the entire cooler unit, and that would involve removing and replacing the thermal paste.

 

[sabertoothgx]

https://ibb.co/7vHjfjH

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ibb.co

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Ok this was before cleaning. I took a few big chunks of dust and cleaned some places with Q tips. Fan was easily removable and put on.

However I hasn't tried running any programs first time opening the case to check noise. Theres a clicking noise that gets worse (since before I mean cleaning unrelated) the more tabs or software I open. It can slow down if I become inactive. I tried listening to the case and am not sure if that's coming from the PSU. My PSU is cooler master gx second hand bought, it may be old.

CPU fan error appears on startup sometimes. Also the computer boots into a black screen sometimes and can need several times of power off and on until a successful boot (this again for months or more than an year)

may need horsehair brush or more fancy methods to deep clean the CPU fan and heatsink. Fan is still grinding and appears to wobble inside when running (the frame doesn't)

Attemptimg to check clicking sound with open case.

 

[Paperdoc]

"CPU fan error appears on startup sometimes." Assuming that means the CPU cooler fan actually does NOT start up on those occasions, that means the fan is BADLY worn and may seize up completely very soon. Definitely time to replace it.

"appears to wobble inside when running" may also be a symptom of badly worn hearings.

Cleaning dust off will ensure the fan blades are not off-balance, but will NOT solve the worn-out bearings issue.

Tip: When you DO replace the fan, do this also. While the fan is off the heatsink, examine that heatsink carefully for dust jammed in between the fins. I've seen units with fins full of dust so it cannot cool! Clean any such accumulation out while you have the fan off.