The fan runs constantly, is that okay?

Question

My computer fans runs contantly. I have cleaned the dust out and blown it clean. Anything else I can do? Should I worry?

Ed

Answer

This question was answered on March 13, 2006. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

The defining purpose of the fan is to move air away from the processor, so they are running the entire time your computer is running. Fans run at different speeds depending on what program is running. Fans will run harder if you are running a program that makes your processor work harder such as a game. If your fan sounds like it is running hard all the time, there could be a program that is running on your computer every time you turn the computer on that is making your processor work hard. Check in task manager and check to see if there is a program running every time you turn on your computer and how much of the processor it is using. Or you could have a fan that runs at high decibels, and is just a loud fan, which isn’t a bad thing, the louder the fan the more heat is being directed away from your processor. If you feel there is a problem with your fan, AMD and Intel processors are designed to shut down the computer when there is a fan problem in order to save the computer from overheating. You could wait until this occurs before replacing the fan although it is not recommended. Fans are inexpensive and easy to install. They run from $5.00 to $15.00.

Make sure to check with the manufacture to see what kind of fan will work with your processor and heat sink, make sure it is the right size for your heat sink. Fan specs encompass three basic measurements: size, airflow, and noise.

Fans with that move more air protect the processor at a higher rate but the noise can be too much. 22 CFM, cubic feet per minute is enough.

Install fan according to instructions.

Author

Posted by kara of Chandler-Gilbert Community College on March 13, 2006