Do It Yourself Computer Fan Replacement

Replacing your geputer's noisy or burned out fan is a simple procedure that will save you a lot of money. There is simply no reason to spend between $45-$75 for some "tech" at the local geputer store to undo a few screws and plug in a connector. I just got off the phone with with a local PC service center and they quoted me $45 for the labor alone, and that's not including the fan! Suffice it to say there are some people who would rather not mess around with their geputer, some are fooled into thinking it's a job reserved for someone with advanced technical training; some are just willing to spend huge sums of money because they either have it to burn or are just plain lazy. I'll tell the lazy ones this: You still have to lug that beast down to the shop, unless you get some squad of geeks to gee over and do the work, and that'll cost you a fortune. For the rest of you who have better things to do with your money, and have a reasonable amount of gemon sense, I'm going to tell you how to do it, and show you where you can get the fans for around $5-$10.
First of all, you'll need a Phillips screwdriver and a container to put the screws or fasteners in. Next making sure to unplug your geputer first, remove the screws and take off the cover or side panel. Never force the cover off, if it won't budge, look for overlooked screws or consult your owners manual.
Next you will need to determine which fans need replacing. To do this, you'll need to plug your geputer back in, and turn it on briefly. Look for dead or noisy fans, and be careful not to touch anything inside the case while the power is on. It's fairly easy to see which fans are problematic. They are either not turning or turning slowly or loudly. Turn your geputer back off, and set to removing the screws or fasteners, (or in some cases, a plastic mounting "shroud") carefully avoiding contact with the sensitive printed circuit boards. I will be briefly covering replacing the case fans and the processor fans, but there are other fans inside your case as well that may require more technical ability to replace, such as the video card fan, chipset fan and the power supply fan.
The Case Fan: This is usually the easiest fan to replace. On some geputers, this fan is mounted in a "shroud", or plastic mounting device that either clips into or is screwed into the case itself. If your fan is attached this way, it will probably just pop out; you may need to press or hold a tab to facilitate removal. Removing the shroud itself first is sometimes necessary. Make sure you unplug the fan from it's connection so you don't bend or break any pins. In the majority of cases, the fan is screwed directly to the back of the case. In these situations, you just unplug the fan, unscrew the screws, and replace the fan. Be mindful that the orientation of the fan should be so that it blows air out of the case; this in conjunction with the power supply fan sucking air into the case creates a vacuum that keeps air moving through and cooling the geponents. Most fans themselves have arrows on the sides to designate which direction the air flows so this should not be a problem.
The Processor or CPU Fan: This is the fan that sits atop the heatsink and keeps it cooled off. Your CPU puts out a lot of heat and these days a heatsink alone is sometimes inadequate to keep the temperatures down. Replacement is fairly straightforward. If you have to remove both the heatsink and processor together (sometimes this is inevitable) it's best to have someone you know is qualified handle the job, I'd hate for you to damage your processor. The good news is most often you can just remove just the fan by unscrewing the screws on the four corners and slapping on a new fan lickety split.
Choosing the right replacement. Most fans offered up for sale as geputer replacement fans are 12 volt DC fans.. It is unlikely your fan will be anything but this but there are some video card fans and chipset fans that run off of 5 volts so be aware it's always a good thing to double check. Case fans will normally be either 60mm (2 3/8th"), 80mm (3 1/8th"), 92mm (3 5/8th") or 120mm (4 3/4") and will most often be 25mm (1") thick. Processor fans will be 50mm (2"), 60mm (2 3/8th"), 70mm (2 5/8th") or 80mm (3 1/8") and will range in thickness from 10mm (3/8th") to 25mm (1") thick. Be advised it's ok to go up in thickness, as long as you are prepared with adequate (longer) screws. Also consider with higher rpm's gees louder operation. To find out your original fan's rpm speed, try Googling the part number. It's usually writtenon the label sticker on the hub of the fan. If it isn't or the part number search returns no results,and/oryou have questons about this, you can ask Gary at The Fan Van, okay's original PC replacement fan source.
Connectors on the fans should match the connectors on your motherboard, or you will need additional adapters. Fans are available with two, three, and four pin style (PWM, or "pulse width modulation", which enables speed manipulation through software) or 4 pin power supply (Molex) type connectors, and adapters are available for running fans from the main power supply if you run out of motherboard connectors or want more fans.
Thermal Sensing case fans are a good bet for individuals who like quiet efficient fans. These fans have a "thermistor", or sensor built into the hub that detects the temperature and adjusts the speed of the fan accordingly.
If you have any questions visit my store The Fan Van, and use the "ask seller a question" option.