[SOLVED] Extremely loud fans

[floww123]

Hello everyone, so I've had this problem where my PC fans are insanely loud, not because of dust or anything, they're just super loud whenever I turn my computer on, it's been happening for 2-3 days now. The only solution is to restart my computer until the fans go back to normal. I'm assuming something is telling the fans to spin at max speed and that's why they're super loud, I'm just not sure how I would go about fixing this, any ideas?

 

[LeiHeJun]

Hello everyone, so I've had this problem where my PC fans are insanely loud, not because of dust or anything, they're just super loud whenever I turn my computer on, it's been happening for 2-3 days now. The only solution is to restart my computer until the fans go back to normal. I'm assuming something is telling the fans to spin at max speed and that's why they're super loud, I'm just not sure how I would go about fixing this, any ideas?

Yeah, something is telling them
Go to bios settings, hardware monitor, fan controls. There you see fans rpm (rotation per minute) is controlled by a curve, or automatic, fixed value, always min, max, default etc.
So play around with voltage percentages at different temperature ranges to calibrate your fans.

 

[floww123]

Yeah, something is telling them
Go to bios settings, hardware monitor, fan controls. There you see fans rpm (rotation per minute) is controlled by a curve, or automatic, fixed value, always min, max, default etc.
So play around with voltage percentages at different temperature ranges to calibrate your fans.

Should I just set it to default? Also why does restarting my computer eventually make them go back to normal?

 

[Paperdoc]

That advice basically tells you to force your fans to run slower so they will be quieter. BUT as you say, something is telling them to run fast. Usually that is something HOTTER that is should be and it NEEDS the extra cooling. So do look in BIOS Setup, but look for the TEMPERATURES of your CPU and motherboard. You might also consider that the fan noise MAY be from your graphics card. Its temps and fan speeds are NOT available to the mobo so you won't see them in BIOS Setup. But your graphics card will have its own software tool for tweaking and observing, so you can use that to check its temperatures and fan speed.

 

[floww123]

That advice basically tells you to force your fans to run slower so they will be quieter. BUT as you say, something is telling them to run fast. Usually that is something HOTTER that is should be and it NEEDS the extra cooling. So do look in BIOS Setup, but look for the TEMPERATURES of your CPU and motherboard. You might also consider that the fan noise MAY be from your graphics card. Its temps and fan speeds are NOT available to the mobo so you won't see them in BIOS Setup. But your graphics card will have its own software tool for tweaking and observing, so you can use that to check its temperatures and fan speed.

I see, the thing is, they never get to the state they're on when they're super super loud, so I doubt it'd be temperature, I'll follow the advice and check the temperatures nonetheless

 

[LeiHeJun]

@floww123
You can see cpu temp in bios.
In windows, if it's an AMD processor, use Ryzen Master.
For gpu use Open Hardware Monitor.

Btw, what's your cpu usage? You said it happened 3 days ago. Is any malware using your cpu? Is your computer slower or just louder?

 

[OrlyP]

Wait, are they loud because they're at full speed or because they're worn out? What RPMs are they running at when noisy as well as when they're quiet?

Another angle; Are these 4-pin fans? I've encountered situations where the PWM pin is not making good contact so the fan isn't receiving speed control. When that happens, the fan only sees the 12V and run at full speed.

 

[floww123]

@floww123
You can see cpu temp in bios.
In windows, if it's an AMD processor, use Ryzen Master.
For gpu use Open Hardware Monitor.

Btw, what's your cpu usage? You said it happened 3 days ago. Is any malware using your cpu? Is your computer slower or just louder?

Cpu usage is the usual, everything is normal except the loud fans when I start up my pc, after a few restarts everything goes back to normal, also checked for malware and nothing

 

[LeiHeJun]

Wait, are they loud because they're at full speed or because they're worn out? What RPMs are they running at when noisy as well as when they're quiet?

Another angle; Are these 4-pin fans? I've encountered situations where the PWM pin is not making good contact so the fan isn't receiving speed control. When that happens, the fan only sees the 12V and run at full speed.

Angle 1 : all fans decided to wear out together 3 days ago?

Angle 2 : when computer restarts they become normal.

 

[floww123]

Wait, are they loud because they're at full speed or because they're worn out? What RPMs are they running at when noisy as well as when they're quiet?

Another angle; Are these 4-pin fans? I've encountered situations where the PWM pin is not making good contact so the fan isn't receiving speed control. When that happens, the fan only sees the 12V and run at full speed.

I'm 99% sure they're loud because they're at full speed, because they never get this loud, literally never, even when my pc is under load, they are 4-pin fans and that's a really good hypothesis, I'll open my case tomorrow and I'll make sure the fans are properly connected, however, if that's the case then why does restarting my pc make it go back to normal?

 

[LeiHeJun]

Cpu usage is the usual, everything is normal except the loud fans when I start up my pc, after a few restarts everything goes back to normal, also checked for malware and nothing

So what are the temps? And was the fan curve set to max? Did you set it to default?

 

[floww123]

So what are the temps? And was the fan curve set to max? Did you set it to default?

The temps are normal, the fan curve was set to standard, everything looked normal

 

[LeiHeJun]

The temps are normal, the fan curve was set to standard, everything looked normal

When you're in bios, are they loud?

 

[floww123]

When you're in bios, are they loud?

No because this time when I restarted my pc, the fans were fine, as in they weren't loud, it's so weird, sometimes they're insanely loud but sometimes they're normal. Something I should add, I had someone clean my room the day it started happening, so they probably moved my pc to clean stuff etc. so I'll open it tomorrow and see if something isn't making good contact

 

[Paperdoc]

You have added some info that directs us elsewhere. See if this describes your situation.

Symptoms: when first started up after being down for a long time (and hence cooled off), there is a loud fan noise. This continues for a few minutes, maybe even 10 to 15. Then it stops. As long as you keep running it is quiet. If you reboot it stays quiet. If you shut down and re-start very soon, it is still quiet. But if you leave it off for a long time, it is noisy again when you start up.

If THAT is your pattern, you have one fan (usually not more than one, but could be) with bearings so worn they are making this noise when cold. You can identify the failing fan this way. Shut down, make sure the system is cool, and open your case so you can reach the fans. Get a pencil or similar. Start your system. One by one, reach in with the eraser end of the pencil and temporarily stop one fan, then let it go. That will identify the noisy one.

As fans run their bearings wear slowly. After a few years the clearance between fan shaft and bearing sleeve gets large enough that it can "rattle" when your system is cold. But as the fan runs and the bearings heat up, the gap narrows and the rattling stops. Until the next time it's cold, that is. When you hear that patterm it is the first stage of fan bearing failure. It may keep runing that way, with the noise period getting longer, for months or more. But it WILL fail. So plan to change that fan.

If the noise pattern is NOT as I describe above, then it may be something else.

 

[floww123]

You have added some info that directs us elsewhere. See if this describes your situation.

Symptoms: when first started up after being down for a long time (and hence cooled off), there is a loud fan noise. This continues for a few minutes, maybe even 10 to 15. Then it stops. As long as you keep running it is quiet. If you reboot it stays quiet. If you shut down and re-start very soon, it is still quiet. But if you leave it off for a long time, it is noisy again when you start up.

If THAT is your pattern, you have one fan (usually not more than one, but could be) with bearings so worn they are making this noise when cold. You can identify the failing fan this way. Shut down, make sure the system is cool, and open your case so you can reach the fans. Get a pencil or similar. Start your system. One by one, reach in with the eraser end of the pencil and temporarily stop one fan, then let it go. That will identify the noisy one.

As fans run their bearings wear slowly. After a few years the clearance between fan shaft and bearing sleeve gets large enough that it can "rattle" when your system is cold. But as the fan runs and the bearings heat up, the gap narrows and the rattling stops. Until the next time it's cold, that is. When you hear that patterm it is the first stage of fan bearing failure. It may keep runing that way, with the noise period getting longer, for months or more. But it WILL fail. So plan to change that fan.

If the noise pattern is NOT as I describe above, then it may be something else.

I'm sorry for the super late reply, I just saw the notification, and I must say you nailed it, that is the pattern and it makes a lot of sense, funny thing, I was reading your reply to this post: https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...fter-restart-putting-the-pc-to-sleep.3583824/ and I was like "well I guess that's what is happening with my fan", crazy that I check my post 5 minutes later and there you are, thank you so much for the help, I'll try the pencil thing to figure out which fan is worn out.

 

[Paperdoc]

You're welcome, and thanks for Best Answer. Good luck!

 

[floww123]

You're welcome, and thanks for Best Answer. Good luck!

Just a quick question, what should I do until I get a new fan? Do I restart my pc until the noise is gone or do I just wait for the bearings to heat up?

 

[Paperdoc]

Do not bother re-starting. Just wait, and they will heat up and go quiet simply by running normally. But do arrange to replace the fan - not a fast emergency, though!

 

[floww123]

Do not bother re-starting. Just wait, and they will heat up and go quiet simply by running normally. But do arrange to replace the fan - not a fast emergency, though!

Thank you so so much