Old Computer Making Loud Whirring Noises for The First Time, but It Got Quieter

n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:31
Last edited 01/07/2025 - 20:55 by 1 other user

Off the shelf PC is like more than 12 years old (release date 2014), it was a hand me down. I spent a bit of money making it usable by adding Wi-Fi card etc.

Just today suddenly when I turned it on, it made a loud whirring sound. kind of like the noise a fridge makes when it's on and cooling. Sounded like something was caught in one of the fans, except I think it's more of an electrical noise. Very unlikely a spider got into the computer because there are no gaps or holes big enough to let a spider in. The fan grill at the back even has mesh.

I was literally worried the PC was going to die on me by the time I got to writing this post. I knocked on the top of it a few times and noise would come and go. But after I logged in to OzBargain the noise gradually got quieter, and now back to normal quiet sound.

Um what could be wrong? Is it the sound of a dying power supply (it's inside the tower)? I have also had the issue of the USB-A ports dying one by one which someone told me is a dying power supply. I even added two USB ports. After a while those also are very weak and don't work half the time too. Or is it just a once off noise, maybe power surge from the wall was built up inside or something?

Anybody else experienced this strange noise from their desktop PC and if any, what was the issue in the end?

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • tenpercent on 01/07/2025 - 20:40
    +7

    Have you tried turning it off and on again?

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:40
      -2

      no. kind of worried it won't turn back on tbh.

      it's never lost power or died so far. so hoping it lasts another few years at least. 🙃

      • tenpercent on 01/07/2025 - 20:44
        +5

        In all seriousness, if it's a whirring noise then its probably something with moving parts, which narrows down the problem.

        Hard drive, fans, etc.

        I remember I had an old tower pc back in the day that used to make all sorts of sounds while it was booting.
        Logging onto the world wide web it sounded like R2D2's mating call.
        I also had a hard drive more recently that started making noises and within a few days it was dead and everything on it was gone (apart from a separate backup).

        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:45

          then its probably something with moving parts,

          yeah that's what I thought first. but as I got closer and under the desk, it sounded more like a electrical whining noise. tbh at least it wasn't getting louder or high pitched, otherwise I would have thought it was going to start a fire or melt or something so would have held the power button to turn it off.
          started off quite loud and noticeable, but gradually got quieter and quieter.

          I had an old tower pc back in the day that used to make all sorts of sounds while it was booting.
          Logging onto the world wide web it sounded like R2D2's mating call.

          it's not that old! it's always silent when booting. I think most off the shelf PC's are they are very quiet.

          I also had a hard drive more recently that started making noises and within a few days it was dead and everything on it was gone

          no hard drive in mine. so definitely not that. tbh I'm seriously hoping it was just some tiny spider that was in the wrong spot at the wrong time (but the noise was a lot louder and went on way too long for a tiny insect in a fan). and not something about to kill my PC. 😂

        • Dr Phil on 02/07/2025 - 13:17

          Correct !
          1. Open the computer, vacuum out all dust, remove and clean all fans - including the power supply and the big one on the CPU!
          2. Before putting case back on, turn on computer and check for noise again and try to isolate the issue.
          3. Replace noisy part as nessary if it cant be cleaned or serviced (eg power supply)

  • darkkito on 01/07/2025 - 20:42
    +1

    Hard drive noise?

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:43

      no hard drives. it's got one SSD inside.

      I also ejected the disc drive just to check, the noise didn't get interrupted. I think when you eject the disc drive it stops spinning so the noise should have stopped.

  • scrimshaw on 01/07/2025 - 20:47
    +2

    If it's fan noise then there are 3 possible places where you need to check

    1. CPU cooler. Since the fan speed is controlled by CPU temperature, and hotter = faster speed, that usually means your CPU might be overheating. Fix: It might need new thermal paste if the original paste has dried out. Just buy the cheap Coolermaster stuff from Amazon or eBay, no need for fancy Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. Might as well take opportunity to clean out dusty heatsinks.

    2. PSU fan noise. Generally not safe to open up to fix for most Pc noobs, but you can probably blow out the dust with some canned air or rechargeable duster fan.

    3. Case fan. Also temperature controlled but they generally don't go super loud unless they have bad bearings. It's just wear and tear so no fix, you just replace them. Not worth it for a PC that is almost old enough to legally drink alcohol though.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:50

      ok thanks. I think I've opened it up once, and it was surpisingly dust free inside (I mean a little, but not worth cleaning and didn't think it was dirty). but might be a bit worse now.

      from what I remember it doesn't have a case fan, just a circle grill at the back.

      if it happens again I can try do a better job at listening where exactly it seems to be coming from.

  • Ellene on 01/07/2025 - 20:49
    +3

    You probably need to oil the wobulator.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:52

      enbobulator?

      encabulator??

      what is it called.

      • CascadeHush on 02/07/2025 - 14:51

        Side fumbling in the marsel vanes.

  • elgrande on 01/07/2025 - 20:51
    +1

    It's protesting your username.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:52

      maybe. 😂🙃

      it new i was going to log in to ozb so it was like "I'll give you something to whine about!!".

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:54
    +1

    if this is the last time the computer turns on or whatever goes wrong I will report back with what happened.

    edit:
    ok one more kind of hint maybe it's a power issue.

    in the last few months, I noticed the computer would make a BIP sound when turning it on. it usually doesn't it's silent.
    then noticed after lock screen everything was way slower to load. I know what's happening, that's what happens when you do a real power down.

    normal shutdown from Windows doesn't fully shutdown anymore. it just saves the OS and power's off. therefore no BIP sound when turning back on, and very fast to load everything after lock screen.

    so what must have started happening few months ago is, while it's off after the normal shutdown, the PC is losing power all power. and it's starting from 0 again when I turn it on (evvident from the BIP sound). <—- this only happens sometimes. like 8/10 times there is no BIP and it loads quickly after lock screen but I definitely noticed when it started doing this sometimes.

    • scrimshaw on 01/07/2025 - 21:15
      +1

      Firstly the beep you hear is called a beep code, it's a feature of the motherboard and it's BIOS that uses sounds to give the user some information about what is occuring during boot.

      One single beep usually signifies that Power on self test (POST) passed normally without error. You will only hear this beep when the computer has a cold boot — ie. you power it on from a completely unpowered state.

      your PC doesn't need to POST when it comes out of S3 Sleep Mode. S3 mode is often referred to as Save to RAM — your computer looks like it's off (no fans spinning, no LEDs blinking) but your RAM is still powered and contains your last saved session. When it comes out of sleep, the rest of the system receives power and your computer can quickly resume by restoring the session. No beeps there.

      your PC may actually shut down instead of sleep, when you try to put it to sleep. That might be because you have misconfigured the power settings, so maybe you should dig through windows power settings and change things around (or pick a different power plan, like High Performance or something. Or change what happens when the power button is pressed — sleep or shutdown) OR you have some kind of incompatible hardware or driver problem that's preventing your PC from going to sleep and choosing to power down instead. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/windowsinsid…

      • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 22:25

        thanks. yeah I get what you are saying the difference between Sleep and Shutdown.

        I shutdown my PC everytime I am done, because I hear especially on old huge tower PC's like mine, they consume noticeably more energy when in sleep compared to shutdown. I looked it up once apparently even in shutdown the big power supply inside can consume 10~30W by being off!

        but how I explained it is how it works on Windows 10 and after apparently. clicking Shutdown doesn't actually shut down your PC.

        I learned this when I needed to open the PC to install WiFi card, and asked online what steps i needed to take before I open it up.

        they said modern Windows doesn't actually shutdown and power fully off when clicking Windows logo>Power>Shutdown. you need to hold the Shift key before you click the Windows logo and keep holding until after you click Shutdown. and then you get actual shutdown and power fully off.

        I tested it a few times and if I hold the Shift key, there is the BIP noise everytime after I power on. if I don't hold the Shift key when shutting down, it's always silent after I press the power button as it turns on.

        also maybe because I said it's made in 2014 confused you. yes it is an old PC, but it had Windows 10 on it when I got it.

        • scrimshaw on 01/07/2025 - 23:09

          You may be referring to Fast Start up
          https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/what-i…

          Which is basically the modernised version of Hibernate.

          Using the Shift key to Shut down skips the hibernation. Either way, your computer uses no power when in hibernation because the data is saved in a file on the SSD. It doesn't need power to retain that data.

  • Protractor on 01/07/2025 - 20:56
    +1

    Sounds like a fan issue. Maybe residual internal dust, components & boards getting hot, fan speeds up when it red-lines temp wise, cools and noise drops off. As above is good advice .
    Begin with careful dust removal process. If you can, after that, take off the outer case and see if it does the same thing again and narrow down the source.It could also be that the fans have sat idle for so long moisture has created a bit of surface rust on polished shaft surfaces , ending in drag.

    In the meantime, if there's any nasty burning smells shut it down, and once totally off, trace the source

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 20:58

      if there's any nasty burning smells shut it down,

      no smells when it was making the noise, and no smells now. I'm usually very good with smelling something wrong.

      read my edit above your comment after "ok one more" which is why I think it's a power issue. could be still fan related though, like the power supply fan wasn't receiving enough power and was slow to spin up, which could make that noise maybe.

      • Protractor on 01/07/2025 - 21:01
        +1

        It could be related to the PSU. It does do hard work. Maybe there's a shit solder joint 'squealing' somewhere?
        When they play up they can create some weird symptoms. Bastards!

        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 21:02

          I was pretty surpised when I found out the PC was made in 2014 tbh.

          but then again a lot of people tell me, and I agree from experience with old products I use (such as my old plastic zojirushi ricemaker) that stuff was just built different back then. a lot of old products were just made to last a long time with the best quality materials. compared to now you have cracking plastic and failures in newer products all the time.

          • Protractor on 01/07/2025 - 21:07

            @n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm: Yep some PC quality has definitely been diluted over time. China do make good shtuff, they all so make terrible stuff that looks the same. That's because they make a lot of stuff, generally.The peak manufacturing period globally meant a lot of rejects ended up on the market. And into our lives.

            • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 21:08

              @Protractor: sorry wasn't referring to PC's specifically. I don't have much experience with PC parts in particular.

              just things in general. including major appliances such as laundry machines.

              The peak manufacturing period globally meant a lot of rejects ended up on the market. And into our lives.

              yeah and covid imo. I read a lot of parts brands use, such as batteries for electronics were low in supply. obviously they prioritise certain things like medical devices. so big brands like sony had to source lower quality batteries because they couldn't get their usual supply from the better part supplier.

              • Protractor on 01/07/2025 - 21:15

                @n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm: Same principle. Via components,circuit boards,switches and electronics generally. Western countries went down the cheap labour route and exploited the biggest source of it, that had the systems in place to churn out what they needed consistently with at least some QC. All sorts of electric/electronic goods.I've owned and still own plenty of great lasting serviceable stuff with Chinese innards and quite a few ordinary experiences with stuff from countries with so called better reputations. Finding a happy medium is a combo of luck and research and budget. Maybe take note of whether the power supply feels very hot after shutting down after a short spurt. Maybe it's telling you something?

  • ode1online on 01/07/2025 - 21:41
    +1

    I worked on an Old Dell PC, The GPU had a tiny fan and it made more noise than a diesel engine. Check all Fans , see if you can isolate any of them by disconnecting them.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 15/07/2025 - 20:06

      The GPU had a tiny fan and it made more noise than a diesel engine.

      this is what it was. congratulations you win!! 🙂

  • ihbh on 01/07/2025 - 22:06
    +1

    When you next turn on the PC, back up your hard drive(s)… just in case.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 01/07/2025 - 22:28

      yeah tbh not much anything valuable on it. I use the PC to browse the web mostly, as a way of removing apps, distractions and notications from phone and ipad.

      I don't download movies or have music on there most of the content I consume is streaming.

      if anything just pictures/memes I saved in my pictures, which I have backed up once already and not really that valuable.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 01/07/2025 - 23:15
    +2

    Usually a noise is mechanically related by spinning parts.
    1. Hard drive - eliminated as you have an ssd
    2. Coffee holder - you say there is no disk in there, but disconnect power and interface,
    3. This leaves fans, either on the cpu, or in the power supply. Check for dust on the cpu, but I suspect the power supply .

    Most importantly, make sure you have a backup of your data, in case the unit fails **and the drive is **corrupted,

    Time to upgrade.

  • The Hawk on 02/07/2025 - 10:02
    -4

    I'm a tech guy and these sorts of stories make me sad, don't get me wrong, I'm all for keeping old machines running where possible and I've got a few things from this era still working away… but life is too short for slow computers :P

    It sounds like things are failing anyway… so maybe, just maybe, it's time to look for an upgrade.

    Assuming your needs are moving into hardcore gaming, a full size PC can be under a grand, but given you're currently happy/managing with something so old there are plenty of ex office refurb machines around (although I'd be aiming for an 8th Gen or newer) for around $200 with half decent RAM and storage options. But as you move up even a little these can get more expensive to a point where brand new starts to be a valid option.

    Then there is something like this for $499. Tiny, energy efficient and miles faster than you currently have. Tuck it behind a monitor and be happy for the next decade.
    https://www.amazon.com.au/MINISFORUM-UM760-Slim-Processor-Co…

    • Protractor on 02/07/2025 - 10:49
      +1

      You may have missed your calling. You could have been a salesperson at a computer refurb business. BTW It's not the OPs main PC. It sounds like for what he does on this beast, it's fit for purpose.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 02/07/2025 - 18:42

      It sounds like things are failing anyway… so maybe, just maybe, it's time to look for an upgrade.

      but I can't base spending more money, on something that's a maybe. it might still last another 10 years!

      and yes I have another smaller PC under my roof which has been upgraded to install Win11. but I use this old one mainly.

      tbh if I had another $1000 to spend, I would put it towards a new phone or tablet. I'm using this PC because it works and is plenty fast enough for my use which is pretty minimal compared to typical gamers etc. web browsing, and I have a few old softwares installed that don't exist anymore, well they do but they have been nerfed or exploited into sub services.

      I also have VIA installed on it for programming keyboards, which became web based eventually so you can only have a functioning installed one if you kept it installed and didn't change anything.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 15/07/2025 - 20:08

      sorry for alarm bells in the end it was just the small graphics fan (and the metal piece it's attached too) being full of dust and causing it to not spin fast enough.

  • oscargamer on 02/07/2025 - 11:13
    +1

    Haven't read all the replies, but get any and all valuable data/information onto a separate storage device before something fatal happens.

  • macca9123 on 02/07/2025 - 11:14
    +2

    My guess is that it's a bearing that's failing in one of the fans. Open the case up and determine which fan it might be (case fans, CPU, PSU, GPU). It might be possible to just replace that one fan.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 02/07/2025 - 18:45

    first of all why did john barosa get deleted for pointless. didn't even see what they had to say. 😂

    um so I turned the PC on a second time last night, and once today. both times no crazy noise. completely back to normal.
    if it was fan related, the noise would keep happening right?

    I think it was a power surge. like some 500V of energy was built up in some protection inside the power supply, and that noise was it handling it so it doesn't damage the actual PC. idk. very odd. first time I experienced such a noise with a PC (either mine or someone elses) ever.

  • LFO on 02/07/2025 - 19:44

    Is it Windows?

    It is a feature.

  • Muppet Detector on 03/07/2025 - 03:15

    If it goes zip when it moves and bop when it stops and whirrs when it stands still…

    I have your answer

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_daDMSWHhCE&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5t…

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 15/07/2025 - 20:10

      If it goes zip when it moves and bop when it stops and whirrs when it stands still…

      I didn't understand your sentence until now that i think this is exactly what was happening.

      well it was moves then NOISE and not stop but slowing down leading to extended quieter noise yes whirring but not standing still, but motor was having a tough time.

      the small graphics fan was being slowed down by dust clumps stuck around it in the metal attachment, and was making the noise.

      • Muppet Detector on 17/07/2025 - 12:48

        Title mentions a machine that makes whirring noises.

        Quote is from a song about a machine that makes whirring noises.

        Link in my post was to the song from where that quote probably originated.

        I thought more people would have been familiar with it than just me.

        Of a greater concern though, I had reason to be standing beside my fridge in the middle of the night a few nights ago.

        One moment, all was quite in the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even one of the dogs.

        Next thing, from out of nowhere, the damn fridge started whirring.

        After a minute or so, it stopped working and went quiet again.

        Thought of this thread.

        Then thought of that song.

        Still haven't been able to get that damned song out of my head since.

        Fridge still works tho.

  • peteru on 03/07/2025 - 05:10

    What you describe is almost certainly a fan that is about to seize. Most fans are only good for a few thousand hours if you turn the PC off and on daily. When they are left on 24/7 they tend to work for more hours, but the hours clock up faster. Getting more than a decade before a fan failure is a pretty good run.

    With some fans you might get a few more months of service out of them with lubrication, assuming you can get the lubricant to the bearings and the shaft. Replacement fans are easy to get and not expensive, unless they are some esoteric form factor with weird connector on a GPU.

    Over the years, I've tried many, many brands of fans and would recommend that you spend the extra money on good fans, such as Noctua. BeQuiet! are also an OK alternative and for specialised fans, Delta is probably your best bet.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 03/07/2025 - 18:24

      When they are left on 24/7 they tend to work for more hours,

      don't leave it on 24/7. actually the opposite, since it's not my main device (iPad) I only turn the PC on when I plan to use it then shut it down after I am finished.

      pretty sure previous owner also did the same, because it's a big un! massive heavy PC which would consume a lot of power.

      weird thing is noise is completely gone. it hasn't happened since. but I was alarmed at how loud and electronic the noise was. like something suffering inside the power supply..

      or maybe, thinking about it now. because it was on the loud side, more likely not a fan inside, but the one on the back for the power supply. (those are the only two fans it has). which is why I was so shocked by the noise. I should get a light and check now make sure it's still spinning. because hot power supply would be not good right.

      • peteru on 04/07/2025 - 17:38

        It's more likely that the fan was making loud noise as it was ceasing. Now the failing fan probably doesn't spin at all. Something will eventually overheat, when under load.

        Failing fans can make a huge amount of noise, and quite scary ones too. Noises that you would not even suspect as coming from a small fan. Screeching, whining, buzzing, squealing, tapping, and more.

        If the source of the noise was an electronic component, the eventual failure would have been enough to make either the whole system or at least a significant part of it unusable. Electronic components don't make a loud noise and then come good. In particular, a surge does not get stored in the computer and come out as noise over a period of time. When a surge hits the computer, it's game over in under two seconds, often with a loud bang and a puff of blue magic smoke escaping.

        ElectroBOOM - relevant!
        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 04/07/2025 - 18:56

          ok I forgot to have a look yesterday. then remembered why.

          it's too close to the wall to have a look around at the back. so I thought of a way now without having to unplug everything, move and replug/turn on. I used my phone with flash enabled to have a look.

          the fan at the back at the top (power supply) is spinning quite slowly. I mean not extremely slow, but slow enough it kind of looks like one of those wind farm fans, except a little faster.

          but it seems slow to me, from what I remember. it used to spin a lot faster. not good.

          it seems related, at least to me, to how my USB-A ports were dying one by one. the fan seems to not be receiving enough power. why the computer still turns on and runs just as fast is unexpected. I'm guessing it puts priority on powering the PC, then fans and USB ports last?

        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 16/07/2025 - 20:18

          It's more likely that the fan was making loud noise as it was ceasing. Now the failing fan probably doesn't spin at all. Something will eventually overheat, when under load.

          Failing fans can make a huge amount of noise, and quite scary ones too. Noises that you would not even suspect as coming from a small fan. Screeching, whining, buzzing, squealing, tapping, and more.

          yeah very very close to what was happening. the fan was being slowed down by most likely dust building up around it.
          so the fan wasn't ceasing, but it was being slowed down, and as you said the cable for the graphics fan power was still sending all that power, so the fan was making scary noises as it tried to spin fast but couldn't.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 04/07/2025 - 20:49

    okay fan at the back not running well.

    I thought of a cheap quick fix. since I questioned the experts, and they told me it's not a good idea to open up a power supply and go poking around inside with a screwdriver if you don't know what you are doing..

    I'm going to buy a USB pc fan, and double sided tape that on the outside of the slow fan at the back. it should suck the hot air out, and the old fan will just spin faster so that will be fine I think.

    the one I found is Ronyaoko 8cm USB connect fan on amazon. the non USB version is a "amazon recommended" product, but the USB version has some negative review saying it broke apart, or started to rattle soon after.

    anyone know of any decent budget brands for USB pluggable pc fan's?? (reason I want USB is my PC's USB ports are dying so I'm going to plug it into a charger instead). preferably from amazon because I should put it on asap.

    • voltafunk on 05/07/2025 - 14:40

      You could just buy a regular computer fan to replace the bad one.

      They pretty much always use standard sizes for case fans like 75mm, 80mm, 120mm (most common), 140mm, 200mm. The dimensions refer to the sides of the square face, take a ruler to the fan and it's pretty obvious the size.

      Sometimes you also care about the depth of the fan, but mostly it's safe to go with the classic 25mm, and to assume that's what you're getting if you don't see it specified. As a rule of thumb, smaller (including thinner) fans have to work harder to move the air but they take up less space, it's a tradeoff.

      Most computer fans are 12v, 2 pins means it's a dumb motor, 3 pin means it's got speed control, 4 pin means it's got feedback as well as speed control. The connectors used are almost always identical standard ATX fan headers and unless you have something weird you ought to be fine with any replacement PC fan of the right size.

      I'm basing all of this except the links from memory / personal experience, and making assumptions about your PC since I don't know your measurements and haven't observed your symptoms. Remote tech support is kind of a nightmare to do.

      Example of what you likely want for a replacement fan (assuming it's a typical 120mm case fan), chosen from very brief searching on amazon to be cheap but unlikely to be shit-tier, i.e. ought to last a good five years even if you use them 24/7:
      - https://www.amazon.com.au/Thermalright-TL-C12C-X5-Suitable-R…
      - https://www.amazon.com.au/ARCTIC-Pressure-optimised-120-Fan-…
      - https://www.amazon.com.au/quiet-Shadow-Wings-BL088-Cooling/d…

      • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 05/07/2025 - 15:54

        yeah I thought about looking at normal 12V fans, because they sell an adapter with 12V to USB power. but something told me those will be made very cheaply.

        rather get all in one (fan with USB cable power) and take the risk just on one product. quicker/easier to return/replace as well.

        but thanks for the brand suggestions because I have no idea what I'm looking at. other than the 5 pack (don't need 5 😂) they are very reasonable prices too for decent brands.

        I had a look at a Noctua one (I heard of this brand before) they wanted $75 for the USB power version for 1!

        • peteru on 05/07/2025 - 18:39

          Replacing a normal fan with a USB connected fan is about the worst alternative you could come up with. Use a normal computer fan with a molex adaptor so that you can just plug it into one of the spare HDD power connectors that a 12 year old case is going to have. This is going to be the most reliable solution as it is pretty much hard wired directly into the power supply. Thus, if the PC turns on, the fan will spin. If the power supply is not good enough to move the fan then the PC won't work at all anyway.

          • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 05/07/2025 - 20:43

            @peteru: my computer is off the shelf and old (release date 12 years ago). not an expert but I opened it once and from what I remember there are no extra connectors.

            inside it's pretty much been made to not replace or change anything.

            reason I want USB is the power supply itself is dying imo so don't really want to plug anything extra into it anyway. I'm not even going to plug the USB fan into one of the USB ports because those have been dying one by one, even the two ports I added with a cable (I could add these because i found the plug it uses, unplugged the old ones and plugged the new ones).
            and I was told this is a sign it's the power supply that's dying.

            I plan to plug the USB fan into an USB charger plugged nearby and put the fan on the outside of the old power supply fan just to suck the hot air out. I was told if I want to change the fan in the power supply, I need to pull that out and then open up the power supply which sounds way too difficult (it's a sealed box apparently) and could be dangerous for someone who doesn't know what their doing if I touch something with a screwdriver.

            probably the only reason the PC is running fine right now is I only turn it on when I'm home in the evening and it's been bloody cold recently! 😂

            tbh it's been behaving like it's got power issues for awhile now. but i just put up with it because I will use it as long as it works for basic web browsing.
            this started about 4 years ago but every time I turn it on, and it gets to the lock screen, the display blanks out and comes back. this started suddenly and I'm just used to it. I noticed this seems like the graphics aren't getting the power properly and it cuts out once every time the PC power on.

      • peteru on 05/07/2025 - 18:45
        +1

        3 pin means it's got speed control, 4 pin means it's got feedback as well as speed control.
        The other way around.
        3 wire is +ve, -ve, tacho (as in read out of speed)
        4 wire adds PWM control aka speed control.

        Also not that even a 2 pin fan can be speed controlled by some motherboards. Often using a voltage divider. It's just that the motherboard will be setting the speed "blind" rather than targeting a specific speed. Not that this matters too much if the motherboard has temperature sensors and varies the speed to target a certain temperature range.

        For what it's worth, I would not spend money on a ThermalTake fan. They always crap out prematurely - 2 to 5 years at best before they start getting noisy.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 08/07/2025 - 21:50

    almost bought a 120mm fan. when I measured the fan hole at the top of the back of PC it's 60mm. that would have meant the hole needing hot air sucked out would only take up the bottom corner of the dimensions of the 120mm fan. 😂

    pretty unusual according to googleai. normally it's 80mm.

    but very few cheap and decent looking options for 60mm fans. ended up buying claimed "silent" 80mm fan with adjustable speed, so I can turn it down if too noisy.
    it also comes with few things in the box like rubber stoppers, screws, and grill which might help when attaching it to the outside.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 09/07/2025 - 15:07

    ok noise happening again.

    not going away now, just gets a lot quieter after awhile.

    definitely wasn't a once off issue. since noise doesn't go away now, I'm going to completely power off the PC, unplug and try turn it on with the side off to see if I can tell where the noise is coming from.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 09/07/2025 - 17:29

      I'm turning it on with the side off.

      no noise again. but I can see that the power supply fan is running normally (my mistake it just looks like it's spinning super slow on video, maybe because 60fps).

      I can also see there was a case fan! I didn't know that there was behind the dusty grill. and the cpu fan, both spinning normally. cpu fan a bit dusty but the rest of the PC isn't and the dusty fan isn't making any noise. I took a photo will post later.

      so just wait and see I guess. I have a feeling it's the disc drive flipping out that's making the noise. because it's asking too much during on power on and having some kind of malfunction. reason is, first time the noise happened I opened the disc drive and pushed it back in, the noise stopped seconds later.

      2nd time I didn't open the disc drive, the noise went on for way longer, it just became quieter after awhile and never stopped.

      • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 09/07/2025 - 20:14

        um ok didn't even get around to loading the photo and the noise was back again when powering on. edit here picture as promised. not that bad for never been cleaned right?
        just the fans. also a tiny bit of dust build up onthe floor of case.

        figured it out I think, it's a bit hard to hear where it's coming from because the noise is bouncing around inside the case, but I'm pretty sure it's the graphics fan.

        I thought it might be the disc drive but no that's almost silent and noise is definitely louder from the small graphics fan. I tried to video the fan because I can't see it properly but pretty sure it is. as I said before the grpahics seems to be not get enough power, display signal always cuts out for 2 seconds when reaching the lockscreen.
        I need to deep clean it somehow. thinking about borrowing neighbours a leaf blower.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 11/07/2025 - 18:35

    ok nobody problably reading since this thread is dead. but here's an update.

    remove graphics fan ran it under the tap to clean all the dust on the fan off (not the actual graphics just the fan). dried with paper towel. put it back. I closed the case up thinking it was definitely the noise from when I put my ear up to it.
    power on, display works yes!
    but noise still came back but this time delayed like 30 secs after power on.

    going to leave it on for awhile just to let the fan dry itself out a bit. it might be the fan is actually failing.

    this is going to be slow progress frow now since I just put everything back to where it was. plugged hdmi, screwed in wifi antennae (no signal without the antennae screwed in).

    PC is silent now, but the noise was proof still something is failing. might be the case fan which I didnt even know existed. might as well disconnect that see what happens next week.

    • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 15/07/2025 - 20:04

      I speak too soon.

      it's fixed. noise was happening almost every day. it's been 4 days now (and about 6 or 7 power on's) and it hasn't make the noise since the first time I turned it on.

      must have been some dust, that was in the graphics fan (like one comment said could be the cause). I washed it away pretty good, but maybe some small clumps were still there before it had a chance to dry out, and they were slowing the fan down causing that noise.

      ever since that first power on (which I left it on for like 2 hours just to make sure the fan was spinning and the heat from PC would make it dry quicker) after completely drying the noise has been fixed.

      turns out I didn't need that fan for sucking air out the power supply. oh well maybe just stick it on there just for now.

      so.. what I did: opened up side of PC, powered on and put my ear to the loud noise. realised it was coming from graphics.

      cause = graphics card fan (small fan) was full of dust.

      solution = remove graphics card fan (with metal piece is all in one), wash, dry with paper towel best I can, put it back on.

      • voltafunk on 16/07/2025 - 14:56

        Good to see you fixed your problem mate.

        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 16/07/2025 - 20:20

          yup first thought was it was going to be something fatal, like the power supply because all but 2 of the USB ports aren't getting enough power, others are basically failing one by one and won't keep steady connection. someone told me my power supply was probably slowly dying. so my first thought was "that's probably it".

          but just a simple fan/cleanliness issue. 🙏

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 22/07/2025 - 20:39

    after 6 full days of no noise. noise came back.

    cleaned CPU fan, which clipped off which is handy. underneath was a horrific amount of dust. cleaned that off. washed fan.
    put it back still noise. my approach is doing one thing at a time to definitely figure out what the noise is. unplugged the case fan which I didn't know existed, still noise. so plugged it back in.
    unplugged the disc drive. still noise. I didn't plug this one back in because have no need for reading discs. better to not have it using power.

    unplugged the Graphics fan. no more noise. so in the end the cause is the same, just the fan is dying. the plus side, the PC got even quieter!!

    all graphics are doing is running windows so should be fine. who needs a fan for their graphics.

    forgot I had Lively wallpaper running. after 5 mins suddenly windows started lagging a little. closed live wallpaper. things are back to normal. ok no more animated wallpaper. 😌

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