[SOLVED] Please help. Have I killed my fan?

[Andyharris84]

Hello you lovely lot.

I've just swapped out the stock cooler that came with my ryzen 5 3600x (Wraith Stealth I believe) and I have changed it for a RGB enabled Wraith Prisim. I followed all the steps and I'm 90% sure I've not done anything incorrect during the installation (pretty new to this PC building malarkey so cant be certain) I have powered up my PC and although the fan is spinning and lighting it's making a pretty horrendous noise. I quickly shutdown the PC in fear it was about to go up in smoke. I've taken a short video which you can see below. It definitely doesn't sound right but I cant see that anything is caught. It sounds as though the fan has a knackered bearing or the blades may be scraping the case. Is the fan completely borked or is it just not fitted correctly?

Video



Any help or suggestions I'd be super grateful. Worst case scenario I still have the old cooler so not all is lost I suppose.

Specs are as follows.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4

MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB

 

[Ralston18]

Carefully inspect the fan using a bright flashlight and even a magnifying glass.

Look for signs of rubbing or contact on the blades and case.

Wiggle fan and case to test for movement.

I would try gently tightening and/or loosening the screws in some methodical manner.

Idea being that if the overall case is physically bent or twisted in some minute manner due to screws being too loose or tight then evening things up may help.

If the problem is not resolved then the fan is likely defective.

 

[Andyharris84]

Hi Ralston,

Thank for the taking the time to reply. I don't have a magnifying glass but I have zoomed in using my phones camera (surprisingly good) and had a good inspection. The blades spin freely with no obstructions that I can see. When I turn with my fingers the blades don't appear to be hitting or scraping the fan's housing anywhere. I have also wiggled the actual spindle but maybe its bent out of place somewhere that I can't see.

The fan is connected with 2 clips rather than screws and I've re-positioned it several times. On my third attempt the noise seems to have softened a little but its still very much there. I'll give it another bash but I guess if that doesn't resolve the problem its a defective fan.

 

[Ralston18]

Clips versus screws....

Unfortunate.

Fans are subject to multiple forces: torque, thrust, twisting etc.

And as cost cutting measures do things such as using thinner plastic, weaker metals, thinner axles. etc, all those forces just have more impact on the fan. Plus little or no QA (Quality Assurance) to even weed out defective fans.

What exactly happens can vary with speed, temperatures, and surrounding airflows...

Clips will not hold for the long run and will likely erode with vibration and then allow even more movement.

And then there are things such as:

https://www.kitguru.net/components/...ts-to-avoid-counterfeit-wraith-prism-coolers/

Likely to be even lower in quality.

 

[Andyharris84]

Hmm...it appears as though the cooler I have is knackered and I am being issued a replacement. Hopefully I wont experience the same issues again. I am, however, happy to say that I do have a legit Wraith Prism cooler and not one with 6 exhausts.

I'll probably look to upgrade in the next year or so and If I beef up my components I'll likely get a better cooling solution in any case.

Thanks again for your help and comments. It's very much appreciated.

Keep safe.