[SOLVED] Help installing a new fan

[jimmate2]

Hi, my fan at the back of my case has started whirring over the past few days, i took apart the side of my rig to give it a clean yesterday but it hasn't helped so i've bought a new pack of fans to install, however, i've never done anything computer related in terms of installation myself so i'm just wondering if there's anything i need to be weary of. i assume it will just be unscrewing & unplugging the old fan from the motherboard, then screwing in and connecting the new one to where the other one was plugged in, or am i missing something?

my motherboard is Z370.

thanks!

my CPU temperature is max 60 celsius when gaming and GPU is max 80 when gaming so it seems like it's not effecting the air flow too badly but i still think it would be good to change it for the noise if nothing else

 

[EridanusSV]

Yep. Just unscrew the old one, remember where it connects. Screw in the new one, connect the connector, and voila! Enjoy.

Plus, you can go to your BIOS and control the fan speed/curve or select a preset. Have fun!

 

[jimmate2]

thanks a lot!

 

[geofelt]

You might first look to see if there might be a cable or wire touching the fan blades causing the sound.

Look at how the current fan is installed.
Some have a screw fitting, some have rubber fittings.
Pay attention to the orientation of the blades on the fan.
You want the airflow to be directed out the back.
The fan itself should have an arrow indicating airflow direction.

Hopefully, the new fan will have the same connectors as the original.
It may be a 3 pin or a 4 pin motherboard connnector, or even a molex to psu connector.

This is not rocket science, just be careful and do not force anything.

 

[jimmate2]

i did look the other day when i opened up my computer to see if i could see what was causing the sound and there didn't seem to be anything in particular, it was a bit dusty but nothing stuck in there like wire or cable etc.

it's screw fittings. on the new fans i got they don't have any markings on them on which way the airflow is but i heard that the airflow is usually towards the side with the case on the fan (the side where the logo doesn't spin). and yeah it is just the exhaust fan that i need to replace.

the new ones i bought are 3 pin connectors but they came with adaptors aswell which has a molex connector, so i assume that's incase you wanted to install multiple at once and then plug them all into the molex adapter

 

[geofelt]

Look more closely.
The direction arrows will be molded into the plastic surround.
They can be small and subtle.
I take a marker and draw the direction before installing.

You can also tell by the shape of the fans.
The concave side is where the airflow will go.

And, you are correct, the airflow should go to the fixed side.

3 pin connectors go into the motherboard for fan speed control.
4 pin molex goes into the psu and the fan will always spin at it's rated speed.

You could do either.
If the fan is not overly loud, I prefer a constant drone to a constantly changing noise.

 

[jimmate2]

no, there isn't any marking, i know where they usually are as i watched guides on it before ordering, but these ones don't have any markings. antec F12s.

thanks a lot for the help, and i'm not too bothered about having the fan speed control, i'm happy to just let it run at a standard speed

 

[geofelt]

You can verify the airflow direction by dangling a tissue near the fan.