PC Fan Making Noise? Find Which Fan and Fix It

A desktop can have five or more fans: case fans, the CPU cooler, two or three on the graphics card, and one in the power supply. When one starts clicking or grinding, the hard part is figuring out which. Once I know that, the fix is usually quick. Most of the time it’s dust, a cable in the blades, or a fan that needs replacing.

Step 1: Find the noisy fan

• Take the side panel off with the PC running. Keep fingers, hair, and loose clothing away from the fans.
• Listen close to each fan: front and rear case fans, top fans, the CPU cooler, the graphics card, and the power supply at the back.
• Need to confirm one? Briefly stop it by pressing gently on the center hub with a plastic tool (not on the blades) for a second or two. If the noise stops, you found it. Don’t do this to a CPU or GPU fan for more than a moment, and never poke into a power supply.
• Or run a game. If the noise only starts under load, it’s probably the GPU or CPU cooler fan speeding up.

You can also lower fan speeds one at a time in the BIOS or in a fan app to see which one changes the noise. Corsair’s support page suggests the same thing: set a steady fan speed to isolate the issue.

Step 2: What the noise tells you

• Ticking or clicking that speeds up with the fan: usually a cable, zip tie end, or sticker touching the blades. Corsair’s support lists wires touching the blades as a common cause. Even a slight touch makes noise.
• Rattling or buzzing: a loose fan, loose screws, or a side panel or drive cage vibrating. Tighten everything. Corsair says loose screws or improper installation can cause vibrations.
• Grinding, scraping, or a fan that wobbles: a worn bearing. Cleaning may quiet it for a while, but it usually comes back. Replace the fan.
• Whooshing that rises and falls: normal fans responding to temperature. If it ramps up and down too often, smooth out the curve in BIOS fan settings.
• High-pitched whine or buzz that isn’t a fan: often coil whine from the graphics card or power supply, especially at very high frame rates in games. It’s usually harmless. Capping your frame rate often makes it quieter.
• A single click when you turn the PC on or off: Corsair says most of its power supplies have a relay that clicks at power on and off, and that’s normal. Loud, repeated clicking after turning on is not. Contact the maker.

Step 3: Case fans and the CPU cooler

• Shut down and switch off the power supply, then unplug it.
• Follow anti-static habits that matter.
• Reroute and zip-tie any cables near the blades.
• Tighten fan screws, and make sure the cooler’s fan clips are fully seated.
• Clean dust from blades, filters, and the cooler’s fins with short bursts of air while holding the blades still. Full method: clean a dusty desktop.
• Still grinding? Replace the fan. Match the size (120mm, 140mm, or what’s on your cooler), the connector (3-pin or 4-pin PWM), and the thickness. Most tower coolers let you swap the fan using its clips.

If you take the CPU cooler off the processor, clean and replace the paste before putting it back. See thermal paste and pads.

Step 4: Graphics card fans

GPU fan speed is controlled by the card, not the BIOS. Use the card maker’s app, MSI Afterburner, or the Fan Control app to check or set a curve. Many cards stop their fans at idle on purpose and start them as the card warms up.

If a GPU fan grinds or rattles:

• Blow dust out of the heatsink while holding the blades still.
• Check for a cable resting on the card’s fans.
• If it’s still noisy, check the warranty first. A noisy fan is a normal warranty claim on a newer card, and taking the card apart can risk the warranty and the thermal pads.
• Out of warranty: replacement fans are sold for many popular cards. They’re model-specific, so match the exact card, the fan size, and the connector.

If the card has other problems, like crashes or no display, see reseat a GPU.

Step 5: Power supply fan

Don’t open the power supply. The capacitors inside can hold a dangerous charge even after it’s unplugged, and it isn’t meant to be repaired by users.

• A PSU fan that’s silent at low load may be normal. Many power supplies have a zero-RPM or semi-passive mode. Check its manual.
• Grinding, scraping, or a PSU fan that won’t spin when the PSU is hot means warranty or replacement. Many good power supplies have long warranties.
• You can safely blow dust out of the PSU’s outside grille with the PC off and unplugged.

For other power supply problems, see PSU, not the motherboard.

On a laptop?

See laptop fan loud or always running, clean a laptop fan, laptop fan not spinning, and replace a laptop fan.