Cooling is a vital part of building a PC. Good cooling ensures that the components of a PC do not reach their critical temperatures and are not damaged, and with this, the PC works correctly. It is vital to know how to correctly assemble a new PC fan, to ensure good ventilation.
Its assembly is very important, since a PC case depends on it to have a good air flow, with which to move the heat generated by components such as the CPU, RAM or graphics card to the outside. Mounting them correctly is essential, so in this article we are going to explain everything you need to know about how to mount a fan.
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How to add a fan to my PC?
To add a fan to your PC, you must first have physical space on your PC, either by not having taken up all the space that the tower offers for the fans, or by replacing a fan. You should also have a dedicated motherboard power outlet for the fans.
Once you have the PC turned off, preferably with the power supply disconnected and the tower open, place the fan in the correct direction of the air flow. All fans come with screws with which to mount them on the sides of the tower. Once it's attached to the tower, plug the fan's power socket into one of the power sockets on the motherboard. Once you have connected the fan, you can reassemble the PC tower and reconnect the power supply.
How many fans does a PC need?
Depending on the case and components, your PC may need more or fewer fans. More compact systems, such as mini PCs, use their own case as a passive heatsink. However, the largest ones can allow installations of several fans, up to eight, depending on the size. The ideal is that there is a balance between the air that enters and the air that leaves, so that the interior does not have too much hot air that it cannot expel, nor a lack of air with which to cool.
Where should PC fans move air?
The PC fans, depending on where you put them, should push the air towards the inside of the PC, or towards the outside of the case. Fans mounted on the front side must push air inwards. Thus, it collects the cooler air, and moves the hot air generated by the CPU heatsink or its liquid cooling, and will also cool the storage devices and the RAM.
Fans that are installed on the rear or top side must expel air from inside the box to the outside. These fans must collect the hot air generated by the heatsinks of the PC components.
How many fans can I put on my PC?
The number of fans you can put on your PC depends on the size of the case and the power connectors your PC has. The tower manufacturer usually indicates in the technical sheets the fan capacities that can be installed. In general, a full-size tower, such as ATX, allows for six- or eight-fan configurations. It is usually common for a tower to include installed fans as standard, or in the package, although it is not applicable to all models.
What happens if I use the PC without a fan?
If you use a PC without a fan, you could have temperature problems and the components could overheat seriously. Without fans, there is no cold air flow to cool the components. When this happens, hot air generated by the operation of components such as the CPU and RAM can end up heating the components even more and damaging them, in addition to causing sudden system shutdowns.
There are computers without a fan, which use passive cooling. These have lower consumption, although they are more focused on lower-end PCs.
What happens if I turn on my PC without a fan?
If you try to boot a PC without a fan connected, the BIOs may detect that there is no cooling system connected, and thus the BIOS prevents booting as a security measure.
How many fans can be connected to one motherboard connector?
As a general rule, you can connect as many fans as there are connectors on the motherboard. The minimum is one fan on lower-end motherboards, with the number of connectors being greater the higher the range of the motherboard. It is possible to increase the number of fans you can install on a PC by using fan hubs that connect to the power supply, or by using fans that connect via MOLEX.
How do I know which fan is on my PC?
To find out which fan is on your PC, you will have to open your PC and check the center or side of the fans for the sticker with the technical specifications.
How much does a PC fan cost?
The energy consumption of a fan depends on its size. 120mm fans consume between 2W and 4W. 140mm fans consume 3W to 6W.
How to know if my PC's fan is damaged?
To find out if a fan on your PC is damaged, you can check if it makes noise. It is normal for a fan to make noise due to the air movement it generates, but if the noise is more like a hum than a regular fan sound, it may be damaged by dust or physical damage.
How long does a PC fan last?
As a general rule, a PC fan can last between 3 to 6 years with normal operation, and if serviced regularly.
What happens if I don't use the PC for a long time?
If you leave your PC in a safe space for a long time, some dust may get inside it and you will need to check it as soon as you use it again. Other than that, nothing should happen to him. If it is a laptop, you should disconnect the battery so that it does not discharge or become damaged. It is also advisable to disconnect it from the electrical network.
What is the difference between the fan connector of the 3-pin and 4-pin fan?
The main difference between the 4-pin connector and the 3-pin connector of a PC fan is that the first is the elimination of the tachometer and in its place we have two new pins called: sensor and control.
What happens if I turn the PC fans in the wrong direction?
If you install the PC fans incorrectly, you can cause there to be no air flow, and the hot air not moving as it should and that damages the components.
Eventually, the hot air is expelled from the flow, but the air flow will not have properly cooled the components. This could affect its performance, or the CPU could even reach the critical temperature at which it suddenly stops working, especially on hot days.
Where do the PC fans connect?
More modern motherboards usually have a series of power connectors to connect the fan power sockets. Of those four connectors, the first three are power, while the fourth connector regulates the fan speed and adjusts it according to the temperature information that the motherboard is receiving. This regulator changes the intensity of the fans' oscillation to save energy.
How to mount a fan on a PC step by step
First, we need to see if we are mounting it so that it absorbs air from the outside and brings it in to cool the CPU and components, or if it should absorb the air from the inside and expel it. We check the natural direction of the fan blades, that is, where they expel the air, by checking the shape of the blades to expel air.
Once this is done, depending on the case or even the liquid cooling, we mount the fans. Generally, installation is simple and you only need to screw the fans to the front or rear and top sides of the tower. The configuration of fans that we can put in the case will depend on the size and its physical shape, but as a general rule, we can install it on the front and on the rear side of the tower.
Once screwed in, we can connect the fans to the four-pin sockets on the motherboard or power supply. If a fan has two connectors, one of them is for the customizable RGB, which controls the fan lighting via a different socket on the motherboard, or via an external controller.
Is thermal paste needed to mount a fan in a PC?
No, thermal paste is not needed to install a fan in a PC. Yes, it is needed if you are referring to the fan that acts as a CPU heatsink, which will need enough thermal paste to cover the entire area of the CPU die once the heatsink and the CPU are in contact in the socket. of the motherboard.
Does the speed of the fans matter?
It matters to be able to move air as efficiently as possible, in a mix of area of air they collect and speed. As if it were a fluid, being able to move more air implies a better cooling factor because more fresh air enters to maintain the temperature of the components, and more air can leave so that the interior does not collapse or a whirlpool forms. for not being able to expel enough air.
Is it better if the PC fans are bigger?
As with speed, if you have a larger fan, it is possible that more air can be picked up, possibly from areas that a smaller fan won't, thus preventing heat build up in fewer areas of the case. Using larger or faster fans may result in higher power consumption.
What advantage is presented to a CPU by installing multiple fans?
The main advantage is that we will have a better air flow for cooling the components, by allowing more cold air to enter and more hot air to be expelled. This can extend the life of components, and prevent damage from overheating, especially in hotter environments.
What is better DC or PWM and what are they?
DC fans are fans that have a fixed speed on a 3-pin connector. PWM fans are fans with speed regulation, which are those with a four-pin connector.
DC fans receive a constant current that regulates their speed, so that It is a fan that is always on and consuming energy. A PWM fan has a speed regulator included in its connector to the motherboard, so it can regulate its speed to adapt to the user's consumption. Thus, the PWM bearings are better maintained over time.
What is the processor fan called?
The processor fan is called "sink«This commercial distinction is made because a fan for the PC tower is not the same as a fan for the CPU.
What happens if the processor fan is damaged?
If the processor fan is damaged, heat will not be dissipated from the processor and it may reach critical temperatures. This can seriously damage it, plus there will be critical PC shutdowns when the CPU reaches the maximum temperatures that the manufacturer has stipulated. If this happens, it is necessary to change the CPU heatsink or change the thermal paste, as the problem could also be due to the thermal paste no longer conducting heat correctly.
How to measure the temperature of my PC without programs?
You can measure the temperature of your PC by accessing the BIOS or UEFI. The motherboard is capable of recording the temperature of the PC. You can consult this information in the BIOS or UEFI by executing the process to access it, either through a shortcut on the PC or by restarting the PC and pressing the corresponding key.
How do you know what the positive and negative of a fan are?
As a general rule, the black cable will be the negative one; and the color red is positive.
How many cables does a fan have?
A PC fan may have one or two connecting cables, depending on the model. If the fan has only one cable, it connects to the motherboard or power supply for operation. If you have two cables, the additional cable is the RGB connector of the motherboard if it has one or if we have installed an external RGB controller on our PC.
What happens if I set my PC fans to maximum?
If you turn your PC's fans to maximum, you will have the most cooling possible that your configuration allows. But they will generate a lot more noise.
How is it best to put fans?
It is better to position the PC fans so that the ones on the top and back expel air from the inside to the outside, and that the ones on the front absorb the air from the outside to the inside.
