Likely suspect for increased noise?

anthony101 · 15 Jan 2010 at 03:14

Ive had this PC or two years which has and will continue to give me good service. The thing has barely been switched off in those two years so its understandable the noise has crept up a little.

Would I be correct in thinking the slight increase in noise is coming from either
the:
1. power Supply Fan (Corsair HX620 modular)
2. Nvidia graphics card (not sure the model)

Or It could be one of the 3 large fans but I dont think so because it has more of an electric motor type sound to it, although you can only hear that if you put your ear right next to the case

Im happy enough to upgrade and do a bit of maintenance. Just not sure what would be my best place to start?

jak731 · 15 Jan 2010 at 03:20

Could be really clogged up with dust, might be worth getting a can of compressed air.

In computers the only things that can really break are electrolytic capacitors and mechanical systems, i.e. fans, hdds optical drives etc. It is possible your fans have worn out over two years, but it's definitely worth clearing them of dust before going the replacement route, they may simply be straining against a massive build up.

coupe69 · 15 Jan 2010 at 04:08

It could be the video card clogged with dust, but if you're running the Intel retail fan (pictured below) it's more than likely this that has filled up with dust (bottom picture)

.Simon · 15 Jan 2010 at 08:21

I agree, it's likely to be dust.

Every year or so I'll give my fans a proper clean, even blasting the heatsink clean in the sink. The P.S.U. fan is usually the biggest offender for noise in my experience. Take off the backing and clean the blades, taking care not to touch anything inside.

AMG · 15 Jan 2010 at 09:14

good god that intel fan is a bit dusty O_O

koooowweeee · 15 Jan 2010 at 09:27

that fan is either years old or the room is dirty. just strip your comp down and get a paint brush an new one and brush its all out then get the vac on it

anthony101 · 15 Jan 2010 at 14:22

Thanks for the replies.

I agree, sounds like a bit of spring cleaning is in order. A I mentioned the PC has been on almost 24./7 (never turn it off unless Im away for more than a day) but throughout all that it has been in a room that picks up a lot of dust from outside (city Centre). In saying that the amount of dust that I can physically see doesnt look like much at all but its proably lurking out of eye sight.

Incidentally my cooler was a Tuniq Tower120 which I replaced with the standard fan that came with the Q6600 Intel Quad chip as I thought it would be the main culprit. I cant be certain that removing it made any difference, and it actually looks fine so Im not even sure if it needed to be replaced at all?. However, I do plan on getting a better cooler than my temporary bog standard one, and I think I will be upgrading the powersupply.

All said and done this PC was my first ever build and Im very glad I paid attention to cooling/case and power. Made such a difference to the stability of this PC compared to my previous ones.....im rambling.....

Thanks.