Modifying my PC Other Vista Discussions Discuss Modifying my PC in the Windows Vista forums; I installed a piece of material I got from my wife on the back side of the fan and though it won't prevent all the dust from getting in, ...

[felix8406]

I installed a piece of material I got from my wife on the back side of the fan and though it won't prevent all the dust from getting in, it will collect a large amount before it reaches the motherboard. It was very simple: I just cut a piece of the material a little larger than the fan. Placed the material around the fan and use a rubber band to held it in place. It doesn't look pretty, but once the door is installed, it's hardly noticeable. The temp has remain the same, so it really didn't impact the air flow at all. (see snip)

[ProCookie]

this is all intresting stuff Felix, do you happen to know anything about noise reduction by any chance? i have a insanely loud fan that makes a racket when i turn on my computer but slows down when it boots up. I think it reads info from my Bios were i have set my fan speed down.

[felix8406]

I'm not really an expert in this area, but had many years of experience dealing with engine fans and bearings. The most probable cause for your fan noise is a bearing going bad. Fans are designed to last so many hours, mainly due to the bearing life cycle. When you start the PC, the air going through the fan is unstable and if the bearing is not as efficient, it'll cause the fan to vibrate. Grab the fan at the center and and move it sideways back and forth, if you feel play, either the bearing is going bad or was not installed correctly.

[ProCookie]

thanks i will take a look, it does sound like somethings rattling so you might be right on the bearing thing.

[felix8406]

Is it a case fan or CPU? By the way, if you get a new fan, consider one that prevents dust from entering the bearings. It should tell you on the package.

[ProCookie]

100% sure its the CPU fan, How do i got about cleaning the bearings or is that not possible?

[felix8406]

Ypou can try this here, though I don't recomend it: http://www.inspectmygadget.com/2007/...caveman-style/

[Snuffy]

I have/had one fan that makes noise every time I boot... annoying as all get out.

cure: checked and seen that it was the last fan on a long string. I removed that fan plug and placed it on the same string that has NOTHING ATTACHED.
the noisy fan is gone...
Also experimented with adding a variable control to that fan.... yes, I lowered the voltage to that fan and it is quite all the time.... apparently it is running faster than what it is designed to be....what causes this is the circuit you have the fan on, during boot is at close to max for that line... so you can change the line it is connected too or lower the voltage.
I do hope I explained this correctly so folks can understand...

[airman]

I always use the 2 bearing fans not the sleeve ones and I like the Antec with the 3 position switch or Zalman with the resister to slow then down and still get good air flow I like my new system with the C2D 6750 2.6 gig and zalman 9700 plus it has removable filter in the case front which are nice in the Antec P-180 Gun Metal case. Some times it pays also to cut the metal from in front of the lower case fans for it causes noise a lot of the time. Or even the back case fans and put one of those protecter rings on instead thats what I did for the blow holes I cut in the side of two of my cases works great. Well good luck with quit PC's and have a nice Holiday

[felix8406]

Yes, I agree with the two bearing fans, the fan rolls easier with less vibration. Also, go with the ball bearings instead of roller bearings; ball bearings are better at handling radial as well axial force.

As for my PC, I finally received and installed the Thermaltake CL-P0401 CPU Cooler . The first thing that caught my eyes was it size; it's huge. I don't think it'll fit a mid-tower case. Though I managed to install it without removing the mobo from the case, removing the mobo would make the task much easier. So far it has been running for about an hour and the the temp is 75°F or 23.9°C, about the same as the room temperature.

Pros: It's very quite and stable. Just as I predicted, as the air is drawn by the fan, it passes over the RAM chips; that's a plus. Also, as the air passes through the fins is blown out directly to the two exhaust cutouts on the back of the PC, I can actually feel the air as it comes out; this helps in drawing cool air in from the front. IT LOOKS COOL.

Cons: Huge; there should be some warning about making sure the case is large enough to accommodate this cooler before ordering it. Bad instructions; doesn't even tell you about making sure the fan faces the right direction. I couldn't find an arrow to indicate airflow direction; had to go with the blade pattern. Small print: it takes a magnifying glass to read the instructions. Also, it has a high and low fan speed control, but the wires are too short, just four inches long, no long enough to place the knob outside the case; had to cut the wires and solder two longer pieces of wire. There should be a switch to turn the LED light off.

Other than that, I LIKE IT.