Posted: 10/23/2008 7:50:45 AM EDT
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So, from the sounds of things, my fan is dead on my deask top and that's why my computer is freezing up while working the video card, such as with games. I'm running a 2 year old HP. Is a fan just a plag-and-play thing or is there more that goes into it? Does anything need to be adjusted when a new one is being put in? I had a guy at work yesterday mention variable RPMs on the fan and mating it exactly to the needs of the computer, but that doesn't make much sense to me. |
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I assume you are talking about the case fan? Open the case to see what size the fan is. Most likely 80 mm from the sounds of it. It should be easy to tell if a fan is out once you open the case. If it is, you can buy them cheap at a comp store. Most of the time you just need a screwdriver to get it out. Pretty simple. As far as the fan speed goes, it will be fine. Your PC will automatically speed it up when the temp goes up. |
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If it is a case fan, then no big deal. It is just a single power connector. Standard in any case for any fan. If it is a cpu fan, then you need to know what kind of board/cpu it is so you get a fan that plugs in and mounts correctly. The fan speed isn't a big deal. Either the mb is set up to allow control over it, or it isn't. |
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If it is the fan on the graphics card, youll need to order one online, try NewEgg. I would just get a new card and be done with it. If it is a fan on the chipset youll have to order one online, try NewEgg. Youll also need some thermal paste or tape to make a good connection. If it is a case fan or CPU fan you can pick one up at a computer store or online. easy to change out but make sure you have right power connection available. If it is a heavy metal fan, you'll have problems. 
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Yes, I did mean the case fan. Sorry. It was making a hell of a racket until recently, when it suddenly quit. I'm no computer guy, but I work on cars some, and on a car, that never means that something has fixed itself.  edit: Sneaking a peek at the case, there's no way that's a 120mm fan. Got to be an 80. Edit2: Nevermind. I just crawled back there and the case fan appears to be running. This is going to get expensive. 
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Sounds like your CPU fan is going or perhaps your video card fan. If you can, shut your system down, lay it on its side and take off the side panel. Leave it hooked up to the power, monitor and keyboard. Start it up and look at the cpu fan and the video card fan to see if one is making noise or is intermittent. Lightly touching your finger to the center of each my result in helping to diagnose the problem part. If a cpu fan, you need to determine your processor manufacturer and type. A replacement is pretty simple and inexpensive to install either as a whole unit or just the fan if its a standard type and size. Video cards can be a little trickier depending on the make and model. If its just a simple type, you can probably just remove the screws or plugs at the four corners and replace with one of the same size. If not, it may be easier to just replace the card. In any case ball bearing fans are better and low noise is better still |