Computer operating too loudly...

[tekno_ct]

I do not know if something is malfunctioning or if an old part needs a replacement. I built the computer and it was working perfectly and quietly. However, in the past few months, it has grown louder and louder. I first suspected the fans, so I replaced the fans with new ball bearing fans and the problem persists. Just yesterday, I cleaned out the guts of my computer with several tissues, removing an unbelieveable amount of dustbunnies. I managed to get almost all of the dust particles in between the metallic gaps of the heatsink.

Has anyone has issues like this before? Should I try replacing the heatsink or the power supply? Are they any other parts that are likely to produce alot of noise? How would I go about testing it (I did not restart my computer without a heatsink or power supply, that's just stupid/impossible)? I doubt this would matter but, the computer was built the summer of 2003 2.4 GHz, 1024 DDR RAM, ASUS p4800.

Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Is it a constant noise? And theres a possibility its the fan's in the PSU or on the heatsinks.

 

[tekno_ct]

Yes, the nose is constant. Fans in the PSU?

 

[tekno_ct]

I've found the problem, the video card. I never knew such a small fan can cause such a loud and constant noise. It's a NVidia 128 MB 8x. Something that cost around 200 when I bought it :-(. No more warranty period. Any suggestions? I've cleaned it, blew all the dust and little dustbunnies off of it.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

It's just a failing fan, you can probably find an aftermarket heatsink fan for it somewheres.

 

[tekno_ct]

I am completely new to the idea of replacing the fan on the video card. I've found some fans here - (http://www.directron.com/vichfa.html) but I do not know how to match it with the one I have nor do I know how to replace it. Are there any guides available?

 

[Capricorn]

That's not all that unusual really. I've had a number of those little fans go out on my video cards. Take a look at these video coolers and fans and these regular fans. Some of my older cards used the 40x40x10 fans, but most of the newer ones use fans like this one.

 

[tekno_ct]

I have a NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X, would this model
work? Anyone have a better suggestion?

Do I have to manually remove the current fan? I have never done this before and I don't want to damage the video card.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Removing the fan is easy it's two clips

The artic silincer is one of the best you can buy, it's worth it, and with that you can insanely overclock your video card too

 

[Capricorn]

I have a NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X, would this model
work? Anyone have a better suggestion?

Do I have to manually remove the current fan? I have never done this before and I don't want to damage the video card.

That one would should work nicely. It says for all GeForce 4 products. A ceramic bearing fan, huh? Nice. You probably won't ever have to replace that one again.

I was thinking more along the lines of this one as more of an exact replacement, but the one you linked to is much better.

You will have to remove the old fan. Unfortunately, video card coolers are not standardized at all, so what you will need to do varies greatly by manufacturer. Sometimes it's a simple as pinching the ends of some little plastic pins on the back of the video card and pushing them through. Some fans screw into a plate on the video card. Some screw through the video board to something on the other side. I've got one with a spring clip mounted on the videocard that the fan just snaps into. I haven't run into any that were extremely difficult. Just take the video card out of the computer first. There's not enough clearance to work with it while it's still in the AGP slot.