BleepingComputer.com: Compaq

The CPU fan on my Compaq D530 starts on high speed and eventually slows down just after XP loads. It takes nothing for the fan to build up to full speed with very little useage. Opening a browser can do it. I have cleaned the dust and crud from the fins, I have applied new heat sink grease to the processor, I updated the BIOS but nothing helps. It's not a big issue but sitting quietly in my bedroom that fan can get on ones nerves. Any help on this?

I take it you have a noisy fan that annoys you, hey its just doing its job.

You could try replacing the cooling fan with a quite-cool technology, fans of this type are fairly quite when they run.

Being that you already cleaned out the computer and added new thermal grease, I'd say you have the other solution already covered.

Bruce.

I may have to look into that. It's just noisy or I'm getting old.

Diddyspark, on Aug 16 2010, 09:58 PM, said:

If my research is correct, that should be running a relatively cooler running Pentium 4 Northwood (66W TDP). So heat shouldn't be a major issue. From my experience working on Compaqs that should be using a standard fan with a 3-pin connector to the motherboard. You can replace the fan with a new one and see if that resolves the issue. I'd check Ebay.

Maybe a new fan would help but something sure is telling it to speed up.

You could always replace the entire heatsink. There are plenty of Socket 478 heatsinks out there.

I agree with what JonM33 posted above, thanks for the input JonM33!

Diddyspark, your BIOS probably has a main menu called POWER and in that BIOS menu you probably have the cooling fans set to be controlled by the BIOS.

The BIOS settings can be set to allow the fans to run full RPM all the time, or it can be set to speed up and speed down as the system requires.

Some cooling fans use bushings on the spindels, these become worn after continued use and eventually allows the spinning fan to spin off center a bit and thus this causes vibration, that is heard coming from the computer case.

Sometimes, there is what is called slip and grip, this is where the lubrication between the shaft and bushing has broken down and thus, you hear occassional sqweeking or rubbing noises.

Replacement of the fan is the best option, a cooling fan can cost anywhere from $15.00 to $50.00, where as the processor can cost anywhere from $50.00 to $300.00 or even higher, the cheaper alternative in my opinion is to replace the cooling fan with the best available one out there and save yourself the cost of replacing a CPU.

As for why your CPU cooling fan spins up like it does, you can use Process Explorer to investigate what is happening when the cooling fan speeds up.

Process Explorer http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb896653.aspx

You can also monitor your sensors with one of these two programs below.

HWMonitor http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

SpeedFan http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

This program can do some of the same monitoring: SPECCY http://www.piriform.com/speccy


Bruce.

This post has been edited by MrBruce1959: 17 August 2010 - 09:45 AM

My fan noise is normal fan sounds. There is no abnormal sounds just a lot of typical fan noise.

Diddyspark, on Aug 17 2010, 11:22 AM, said:

I can understand.

If however the fan is louder than you'd like it to be, there are cooling fans out there that make much less noise than others, of course, there's not much you can do about the noise that the air that is being pushed makes.

Bruce.