Computer seems to turn fan on fast.

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    Computer Fan
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the issue of a computer fan operating at high speed intermittently, with participants exploring potential causes and solutions. The scope includes troubleshooting, hardware maintenance, and performance monitoring.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that dust accumulation could be causing the fan to operate inefficiently and recommends cleaning the computer and checking thermal contact between the CPU and heatsink.
  • Another participant points out that video cards also have fans that should be checked for similar issues.
  • A different perspective raises the possibility that high CPU usage from background processes could lead to increased fan activity, even when it appears the computer is idle.
  • One participant shares a personal experience where a snapped band on the CPU heatsink led to erratic fan behavior, suggesting that hardware integrity should be inspected.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on the exact cause of the fan behavior, with multiple competing views on potential issues and solutions remaining present throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some suggestions depend on specific hardware configurations and may require further investigation into individual system setups. The discussion does not resolve whether the fan behavior is indicative of a serious problem or a minor maintenance issue.

FrostScYthe
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Hi everyone,

My computer fan keeps turning on fast, and then turning off (I think it's the fan, I'm not sure). The computer didn't seem to do that before. I was wondering if this is a bad sign (overheating?), and what should I check?

Ed.
 
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Vacuum all the dust bunnies out of the computer and fan.
It might also be that the thermal contact between the CPU and heatsink+fan is poor because it has been knocked loose or the contact grease has dried out
Get a utility that monitors the CPU temperature.
 
Some video cards also have fans, so check that as well.
 
Does your system also slow down around the time (or slightly before) the fans speeds up? I've had this happen on Windows systems that are running lot of background processes (e.g. antivirus or spyware sweeping programs). You think the computer is just sitting there at rest, but then it turns out that the CPU is maxed out running these processes you couldn't even see (and getting very hot as it does it).
 
This happened to me a few years ago. The cpu fan would turn on high speed for no apparent reason (cpu usage was very low). When I opened the box and looked at the cpu, I noticed that one of the bands that hold the heat sink to the cpu had snapped off. So you might want to check that.
 

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