Fan super loud?

Ive noticed my fan is super loud, the computer i have is pretty new . Im not sure if it the the case or if it is cpu fan . Specs: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor XFX Double D HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 All fans came with the purchase .

seeing how it's new, i'd suggest getting in touch with the retailer and getting getting their advice or even get them to fix / replace your pc. it might be just a bad fan or it may be something more serious where something is over heating and the fan is running at top speed trying to keep it cool, either way you'd need to open the case and isolate exactly what fan is causing the noise before you can fix the problem. if it's the cpu fan first thing i'd do is remove both the fan and heatsink, clean both the cpu and heatsink, apply some new thermal paste and then re-attach the heatsink and fan to see if that fixed the problem. if it's the graphics card fan (be my best guess) it's a lot harder to fix and will negate it's warranty if you try, then again it may just be normal noise level for that card, they can be noisy especially when under high load like playing games. if it's a case fan, best guess is it's faulty and needs replacing, these don't usually make much noise.

Im not sure if it the the case or if it is cpu fan

I think you need to determine what is making the noise (if it is a fan at all) before removing heatsinks, reapplying TIM, and the like. Especially if this computer is still under warranty.

What kind of super loud noise? Noise from a fan spinning super fast? Noise from a fan with failing bearings? Or noise from a faulty high-speed drive motor? Or noise from an optical drive spinning madly - as often happens?

Are your temps high?

I recommend you first figure out which fan or device is making the noise. This is very simple, but you need to be very careful doing it. If you alter the speed of the fan, even the slightest, this will alter the noise it makes - whether caused by air movement or bearings. So with the computer sitting so you have easy access to all fans, and with the computer running, grab hold of the bare metal of the case with one hand. This discharges any static in your body so you and the computer are now at the "same potential" and you won't destroy anything with ESD. Now very carefully, with an extended finger of the other hand, gently touch the center hub of each fan for just a second - you only need to slow it down a tiny bit to alter the sound coming from that fan. And from there, you can determine which fan is making the offending noise. When I cannot reach the center hub of a fan, I use a wooden dowel. Don't stick anything with metal in there.

personally i wouldn't recommend putting any object near a running fan, way to easy to break a fin if it slips. lot better in my opinion to disconnect and reconnect each case fan one at a time to rule those out first, then your left with only the cpu or graphics card fans.

personally i wouldn't recommend putting any object near a running fan, way to easy to break a fin if it slips.

Which is why I said repeatedly, "very carefully" and said "genty" and "tiny bit".

Easy way to break a fin? Not really. At least not in my experience, even if you do slip. Generally, the fan just stops - where heat is the risk not blade damage.

Disconnecting and reconnecting fans cables to the PSU or directly to the motherboard, IMO, is much more risky, often requires both hands, often results in the connector latches getting broken on motherboards and takes a great deal more time. I cannot see how very carefully touching with a single finger is more risky than digging in the small confines of a case interior with two hands (which likely blocks your view).

And regardless, my greater concern here is to first determine the source of the noise before breaking down critical CPU heatsink assemblies (which come with even greater risks of physical damage due to slips). We don't, at this time, even know if this is a fan making the noise.

advice is not to even touch the machine.

Well that would be good if the machine were not having problems. But repairs cannot usually something be done with touching something - and troubleshooting is often more hands-on.

agreed, but it's new so retailer should be first port of call. if it wasn't then it's time to troubleshoot and get hands on, as for never breaking a fan blade if you google it you'll see just how easy it is to break them. much safer in my opinion even if does take a lot more time is to disconnect power and a case fan, reconnect power and test. etc.

agreed, but it's new so retailer should be first port of call.

As suggested in my first post.

It is easy to break a window too, but that does not mean you cannot be tough on glass when cleaning it. I said "very carefully", and "gently" touch the center hub. You don't lean in and exert so much force that you slip several inches and crash through the fan blades!

If you cannot gently, and very carefully "touch" the center hub without jamming your hands through a fan blade, then I agree, stay out of computers. But note it takes a lot more force than a gentle touch to mount and unmount a heatsink fan assembly. Often requiring a hard, sharp, flat tip screwdriver to loosen the clamps. So I'll take a gentle, very carefully placed finger over a whole hand (or two), or worse, risk jamming a screwdriver through a bunch of motherboard traces any day.

Especially if I didn't yet know which fan was creating the noise. And that's the main point here.

For what it's worth… I've purposefully put my finger into the blades of many of these fans… and never broken a blade. Granted, I "gently" inserted my finger into the blades rather than jamming it in as hard as I could. I've taken both CPU and case fans and attached them to paintball masks (for air circulation to combat condensation) and never broken a blade. It's been my experience that they are pretty tough little buggers and you would almost have to be trying to break a blade to damage them while doing as Big D suggested. Seems to me the big danger is the electricity inside the case if hands or fingers are placed where they ought not to be - rather than damage to the fans. But maybe I'm just lucky. Your mileage may vary.

When I cannot reach the center hub of a fan, I use a wooden dowel

sorry just had to have another word.

that's not a light touch with a finger, it's a hard piece of wood that if it slips could definitely break a blade.

As suggested in my first post.

sorry but no you never.

that's not a light touch with a finger, it's a hard piece of wood that if it slips could definitely break a blade.

I fail to see the point in taking this argumentative stand, Terry. I guess it is a good thing the site was down or I might have replied in haste, and possible regret.

No one is talking about jamming a broomstick into the innards of the computer! Or leaning on the dowel with great force. I said, when I cannot reach with my finger I use a "dowel" - a small piece of wood, similar in shape and size to a pencil! And I said to "gently" and "very carefully" "touch" the center hub. "Touching" the center hubs of fans is a troubleshooting technique I was taught in electronics tech school and a common practice among other formally trained electronics technicians. I've been doing it for years with never an incident.

If someone is a clumsy oaf with 10 thumbs, doesn't have the steady hands of their youth, or has some other physical condition that prevents them from using a pencil to put a "period" at the end of a sentence without poking through the next 6 sheets of paper or slipping off into the wild blue yonder, then they have no business being inside live electronics. And I am sure they know and understand that.

As suggested in my first post.

sorry but no you never.

From my first post,

Especially if this computer is still under warranty

Sorry, implied then.

*****

For what it's worth… I've purposefully put my finger into the blades of many of these fans… and never broken a blade. Granted, I "gently" inserted my finger into the blades rather than jamming it in as hard as I could.

In 40 plus years of doing this, I broke 1. Not too long ago, I was digging around inside an Antec P180 case, had a bout of cranial flatulence and accidentally jammed my knuckle into a spinning 200mm Antec "Big Boy" fan mounted in the blowhole position (top) of the case.

The darn thing took a pound of flesh off the top of my knuckle and one blade went flying! But - I contacted Antec and they sent me another - no charge. I like Antec.

*****

@ Eric - I am sorry for the distractions. Obviously, we need more information to move forward. If you can pinpoint which fan is making the noise, that would be great. Note that drive motors can get very noisy if the bearings are failing. In those cases, since you cannot slow down a drive motor with your finger, if you carefully touch the case's metal case (avoiding the controller board - and again, after touching bare metal) you "might" be able to feel the vibrations from the worn bearings. However, vibrations can reverberate through a metal case, so sometimes it is necessary to remove the drive from the mounts first, or pull the power connector.

not trying to be argumentative, was being pedantic tho. sorry.

No big deal. Not sure you were the only one being pedantic - as I was pushing the way I was "formally trained". Sorry for my part too. In the meantime - sorry again to Eric if we scared you away. Hopefully the site now restored, you can get access and come on back.

So I tried what you said . but the thing is that when i first start up my computer and it is running . The fan seems very quiet . but when im running a program for instance Starcraft 2 . The fan starts to get loud . You can barely hear it with earphones but my roommate tells me that it is very loud .