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Does anyone know what could cause computer fans to frequently raise and lower their speed? It keeps going "WHIIRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRrrrrr r" all day long. I've tried messing with the settings in RivaTuner but those don't seem to have anything to do with it.
Are you sure it's actually changing its speed? That kind of noise could be bearing-related also, even at a constant speed.
It sounds like it is because it does it on and off. It'll do the whirring crap for about a half hour and then calm down for a while. I'm thinking of getting some canned air to spray the whole case out with as it's rather dusty. ><
sounds like a thermal issue, getting hot then cooling off then getting hot, etc.
try the canned air like you said.
How old are the fans? Like BoB said it could be a bearing/bushing issue. Our humidifier had the fan crap out this winter and that kind of sounds like what it was doing before it died. When I did the "autopsy" the bushings were all gummed up with dried up grease.
Yah, I'd be inclined to say it's a bushing/bearing issue too. I once had a video card mounted desktop-style (horizontally) for a long time. I then sold it to a friend, who had it mounted tower-style with the fan upside down. The fan had been silent, more or less, when I had it but in my friend's computer it made all kinds of noise periodically. When flipped back on its side, it quieted down. I guess from being on it side the bearings had gotten all out of whack.
Definitely spray it out with the canned air, and if that doesn't work, replace them if possible. To test for a heat-related issue, try opening the case, and parking a floor fan next to it (ie, create so much airflow that there's no way it'll overheat) and if the fans still make noise, you know the problem's not heat.
I booted it up this morning after disabling RivaTuner and haven't heard any whirring yet. I'm gonna pick up some canned air soon to clean out the case anyway. The fans are probably a year or two old by now, at least.
I'd seriously look into buying the cheapest compressor you can get - my first compressor cost roughly the same as about 8 can's of air would have, and it served me remarkably well, paying for itself at least a dozen times over in compressed air cans alone....
too true - my badger compressor cost me about $170 (it's rated basically for airbrushes and not much else) and it's worked beautifully for the...gosh...15+ years I've had it. I haven't regretted the purchase at all, even given that I was in high school when I got it and took quite a lot of allowance money...Quote:
Originally Posted by slaveofconvention
We do have a little 3 gallon compressor but I'm a little reluctant to use it because I don't want moisture or oil blown inside of my tower.
then opt for a oil/moister filter :) even cheaper then getting a compressor. though i don't use one and use my compressor which no issues to date.
I'll play around with it sometime soon, it has a valve on the bottom so I can pour the moisture and let the air out of it.
You should drain the moisture out of the tank every time you use it. This will prevent it from rusting out and will make your air tools last longer.