Dont skip this post. Useful information.

[SplitInfinity]

Hi guys, this is a tech support issue alot of people have. I wrote up some
info on this for customers and decided to post it here just in case it helps others
as well.

Info below contains some solutions you may be unaware of.

Regarding the intermittant humming noise.....

Replacing the cpu fan will most likely be the problem solver for you.

CPU fans are normally cheap-manufactured taiwanese(sp?) made fans...

Over time, the heat inside the computer, and the heat rising from the heatsink through the fan causes the fans plastic to become brittle and weak....

The problem with that is that the fan, depending on the current tempature inside the box, will lose its "grip" on the motors metal spindle and gradually "slip" as the fan rotates.... This makes a humming noise generally, depending on fan style... could sound like a dinosaur running amuck inside your case if the problem gets worse.

If this is the problem, 9.00 should help you solve it. Radio shack normally carries them, however you can get higher quality replacements at your local computer store... comp USA or Frys perhaps will offer the widest selection.

Choose a fan that has sealed ball bearings, as along with the aging of the plastic, the bearings can also crack over time and cause sub-optimal performace and noise as well.

If your CPU fan is slipping or has cracked bearings, you surely are not getting the cooling action your CPU needs and you will see an increase of system crashes and hanging.

You may also wish to investigate the power supply fan and any other fans in the computer.

If you have some cooling fans mounted in there, one of those may have the same problem if they are cheap'o fans... The problem is most popular with CPU fans though..... We do see alot of "case-fans" failing over time as well though.

If your computer lives in a dusty enviorment, then you should replace the cpu fan once per year with a good quality fan. Otherwise every 2 years should be ok if your enviornment is air-conditioned and clean.

Dust is an abrasive that gets in the fans bearings.... that causes the beartings to seize over time or crack, or just vibrate and make a humming noise....
Keep it clean! Install filters on your external fan openings to keep the dust out.

Dust will also cause oxidation prematurely on your motherboard and cpu's interconnets causing all sorts of problems.

Cost for case fans ranges 5 to 23.00
Cost for CPU fans ranges 5 to 50.00
Cost for Power Supply ranges 15 to 100.00

If your power supply fan is dead, then you will most likely benefit from replacing the entire power supply instead of just the fan in the power supply. If you are technically capable, then you can open the power supply, remove the old fan and install a replacement purchased from an electronics store or salvaged from another computer system you no longer use.

If your computer is generally just a noise maker (even new) then perhaps you are looking to just quiet it? Here is what you can do that works incredibly well.....

http://www.dynamat.com/
Install dynamat in your computers case.
I normally used this to install car stereos in my custom cars that I build for hobby, but I found it works well for computer sound silencing as well.

Seems others use it too as they now offer product specifically for computers.

Enjoy!

Hey, host with SplitInfinity Networks.
I promise, all fans are new and watched closely.

http://www.splitinfinity.com

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