Computer fan running hard...

[Archduke Tips]

If you aren't taking off the heat sink, then there isn't any danger at all.

I had to replace my whole fan/heatsink setup a few weeks ago because the heatsink used shitty peltier board technology to cool the CPU. Don't ever get that, the peltier board pulls 1A of current on its own, and its controller caused IRQ conflictions with my sound card.

Anyway, back to your problem... The fan is probably screwed on to the heatsink. However, it could be latched on. If it is latched on, just unlatch it and put the new one in, latch it, and you are done.

If it is screwed on then you should loosen each screw a little bit at a time. You don't want to pull out one screw without loosening the others because it can cause the fan to swing and the other screws will scrape up your heatsink.

Once you have the fan out, put the new fan on and screw it down. Usually there are not screw holes. The screws just screw in between the fins of the heatsink. Try to screw them back in where they came out.

Also, when you order your fan make sure you get the right size. It should say on the front of your fan what size it is, usually in mm.

Just match the size and then find one that has a low db rating, which means it won't make a lot of noise.

The depth of the fan usually is not an issue, just match based on width and height. But you may want to check to make sure there is enough clearance in your case for the fan if you get one that is deeper than your old fan.

There are a couple different bearing types, I would recommend either going with ball or sleeve.

Make sure the connector matches (the standard is a 3 or 4 socket connector). However, if you do get the wrong type of connector, you can always rig it up to work if you know which wire is what.

Finally, the cooling power of the fan is really in how many cubic feet of air it can move per minute. You can probably find the CFM rating on your current fan. Make sure to get a fan that can move the same CFM or better. If it moves less air, it won't cool as well.

Don't worry at all about the fan speed. If you find something that puts out good CFM and it has a low dB, then you are all set.

I think that pretty much covers everything you need to know. Let me know if you have any questions.