Lame fan replacement question

[cgfm2]

I've got a PC with a AMD Duron @ 1.2 GHz. It has a stock heatsink and fan, which has been getting noisy recently. I can also hear it change pitch when I turn on a monitor plugged into the same socket (e.g. when there's a load on the power supply)

I'm guessing either the fan is bad and will need to be replaced eventually, or perhaps there's too much crap plugged into the wall socket (though nothing's been added/removed to the power strips in weeks and the fan problem started in the last 3 days). The CPU temperature when idle is 48 C, I'm hoping that's good.

If I replace the fan, and therefore the heatsink it's attached to, do I need to put more thermal paste/grease/whatever on top of the CPU? Or is the amount that's left there sufficient?

Are there any types or brands of replacement fans that will last for a while? The current one is a Cooler Master, which I'm assuming was installed because it's the dirt cheap brand. Or maybe they always come with heatsinks nowadays...

My other concern is 'cracking' the CPU when attaching a new heatsink, any pointers on doing that the right way?

 

[lordofduct]

Starters... the change in sound from the fan probably just happens because the power peak that occurs when turning on the monitor. It is more noticeable probably because the fan is buggered.

So yeah, get yourself a new fan.

What do you mean it is connected? Most fans can either be unscrewed from, or unpinned from the heatsink. If it can't then that is really weird and go out and by a nice heatsink (which usually comes with a fan).

Cooler Master is not a bad brand... I personally like them.

Tips for installing a new heatsink (if you get one...) well yes you should put some new paste on it, if you gotta buy some get some of that arctic silver junk... damn shit dropped my temp 3-4 extra degrees over the cheap stuff on my OC'd system. And as long as your just nice and gentle (but don't be a pussy or you won't get the spring down on the heatsink) you'll be just fine. Really don't be that afraid inside of your computer. Just keep magnets away and don't yank shit right off. Look around and look for everything that is holding something down and remove accordingly.

 

[it290]

I've had trouble with Cooler Master in the past, personally. I think Antec and Papst are good brands for fans. And yeah, if you're going to the trouble of replacing the fan, you might as well put some Arctic Silver 5 on there as well.

48C isn't a bad idle temp, although it's not great either. I can't really remember how hot Durons in that range actually run, though I think they may be a bit on the hot side.

 

[ExCyber]

And as long as your just nice and gentle (but don't be a pussy or you won't get the spring down on the heatsink) you'll be just fine.

I'd agree with this, but would add that the key thing is to never press down directly on the heatsink. Always push down on the clip, never on the HS itself.

 

[Pearl Jammzz]

panaflos are the only fans worth gettin

 

[Curtis]

Panaflos are good, but there are also other options if you're running them @ 12V. Nexus "real silent" fans are also excellent - some say superior to the Panaflos @ 12V simply because of the smoother motor noise.

 

[Quakester2000]

Power supplies can make some weird noises when under load, due to the nature of switiching power supplies.