Question Noisy CPU Fan suddenly?

[Will1992]

Hi guys,

An amateur PC builder here. I built my first PC back in August 2019. Amazingly, everything worked first time. I didn't bother with cable management, so attached side panels and just left it there.

A week ago or so, I decided to buy 2x Be Quiet! case fan, to replace the stock case fans I have been using. They were making a tiny bit too much noise when playing games at high settings. Plus, I also wanted to open my PC and sort out my cables at last.

So I replaced my case fans, and rerouted some cables, made it look a lot neater. Open turning my PC on, the Be Quiet! fans are very quiet, no issues, but the CPU fan now suddenly has a whining, almost like a buzzing, sound. Its subtle but annoying and wasn't there before! On the BIOS fan control I set it to full speed and it became very loud (louder than it was before I did all this).

I am certain its the CPU fan. I disconnected the new case fans. I also (very briefly!) disconnected the CPU fan, and the noise went. I'm sure its not PSU or GPU. If I gently touch the CPU fan to slow it the sound does decrease.

So now I am a bit lost. I didn't touch the CPU fan at all whilst installing the new case fans. I've tried pressing down on screws and different parts of the case etc. to see if anything 'sings' but doesn't make any difference. The PC works fine, with temperatures as before I think, just now its noisy!

The CPU fan seems to also rev up slightly, sounds like a lawnmower in the distance, I assume it always did this, just now its more noticable?

Should I reinstall the fan/cooler? I am unsure if its the actual blades or some nearby vibrations, or I've knocked something and now having some vibrational effect.

I don't mind buying a better cooler, something from Be Quiet! to complete the set, but I do not want to have the same issue!

The CPU fan is the stock wraith spire cooler. It always worked fine before this.

Many thanks.

 

[alceryes]

(I'm assuming that you cleaned out all the dust from the CPU heatsink when you replaced the case fans and did cable management)

Monitor your CPU temps while gaming, video editing, or whatever you do to put stress on the system, before you do anything. That way you'll know if reinstalling the CPU cooler (or changing the fan) makes a difference.

Try getting some good thermal paste and reinstall the CPU cooler. If the CPU fan continues to be noisy, replace the CPU fan.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I second alceryes on cleaning out the case (fans, psu, everything). But let me add one thing to that:
DO NOT USE A STANDARD HOUSEHOLD VACUUM CLEANER to clean inside your computer!!
Doing so can generate tremendous amounts of static electricity, which will damage your computer.
Use an air blower instead of a vacuum. I have an electric blower designed for this job, and it works great!

If you're wondering why a blower is OK but a vacuum is not; it's because when you vacuum, you need to bring the nozzle very close to the components in order to have any effect. This is when the high voltage charge on the nozzle will jump to the component.
Blowing air on the other hand, you can keep the nozzle at a safe distance, like a foot, or at least 6in.
Even when using a blower, never bring the nozzle closer than about 6in to the components!

Hope this helps.

 

[Will1992]

Apologies for late reply and thank you for advice. So it seemed the CPU fan was just getting a bit whiney, or as my new case fans were so quiet I suddenly noticed the noisy CPU fun more.

So I bought a Be Quiet! dark rock slim, put new paste on CPU and seated the new fan and it is very quiet.

Now however, my GPU (EVGA GTX 1060 6GB) fan seems to make a whirring noise, like a jet engine, which I am confident it never did before. I had to take out my GPU for the new CPU fan installation. The noise only happens on load, like playing Witcher 3. I never paid any attention to GPU temperatures or fan speed until now, but it seems at 40% fan speed it is very loud, which is the default for when it hits 60C, which is does after a few minutes playing Witcher 3. I could do a custom fan curve I know but it'll eventually have to increase fan RPM as it gets ever more hotter, and then the loud fan noise will kick in.

I may take my GPU apart, clean the fan and apply new paste. It doesn't really rattle/whine, just makes a whoosing noise at speed which is expected I guess! Perhaps it never got that hot initially and the fan really is that loud? Could it be the fan itself?

Sadly, it seems the GPU now also has some subtle coil whine, which starts the moment Witcher 3 loads into a game (sounds like subtle cricket/buzzing noises you would hear outside?). Pressing the windows key will stop the whine for a split second as it goes to desktop but then it continues.

As one problem is solved, another comes along..!

 

[Paperdoc]

A couple of comments re the graphics card fan. In the case of the CPU cooler, you did a brief test of touching that fan to slow it down, to verify that the noise WAS from that fan. Try that with the graphics card fan to be sure it IS the fan, and not something else like real coil whine.

Getting at the small spaces under the air ducts of a graphics card can be tough, so you likely will remove the card to do this cleaning and inspection. Then you may blow air through it or use a vacuum from a distance. BUT if you do that sort of dust moving, use something (maybe just your finger) placed gently on the fan blades to prevent them from spinning. VERY high air flows through a fan can cause it to rotate MUCH faster than it was designed for and risk some damage to the fan bearings.

 

[Paperdoc]

Deleted - somehow it posted my thing twice!