The cooling system must be able to cope with the large number of components in a PC. Ventilation is essential for smooth operation: It feeds cool air to the PC and conducts warm air away, thus ensuring an optimal operating temperature.
Air your PC
PC housing is the “shell” of your PC system. The most common format is the ATX format (Advanced Technology Extended). It comes in standard size and makes installing components easier. With ATX housings we can often differentiate between big, midi and mini towers. Many PC housings also provide the option of upgrading with individual fans.
Mounting a PC housing fan
Once you have opted for a specific housing fan, you would normally install it on the front or back of the housing. There may be other ways of installing the fan depending on the type of housing. The most common sizes range from 40 to 200 mm. Fans weigh a few hundred grams. It is very easy to fit a PC housing fan:
- Pull the mains plug of your PC and open the PC housing.
- The ventilation slots and screw holes will help you find where to put the fan. Remove the fan and note the arrows that indicate wind direction and direction of rotation.
- Place the fan in the specified position and turn the screws towards you from the back until they are tight. Then connect the fan cable to the motherboard (port labelled “fan”). The fan is now ready for operation.
Which fan for which type of CPU?
The processor (CPU) is not only an important component of a PC system, but is often also a very expensive one, therefore maintenance and temperature control is important.
The correct fan depends on the type of CPU: Many models suit Intel processors, but not AMD models, and vice versa. There are various versions that usually work with passive heat sinks and weigh up to one kilogram.
Make sure beforehand that the fan also fits in your PC housing.
Installing a CPU fan
Once you have sorted out the CPU and socket, move onto installing the CPU fan. To do so, gather together your fan and accessories (usually back plate, mounting frame, mounting plate and screw set) and proceed as follows:
- Pull the mains plug of your PC and open the housing. Remove the motherboard to make it easier to install your CPU fan. Remove the graphics card (if present), disconnect all connectors and fastening screws of the motherboard. You can now remove the motherboard from the housing.
- Now pick up your motherboard and place the back plate over the holes provided on the back. Insert the supplied frame fixing screws from underneath through the holes and use knurled screws or nuts to secure them on the opposite side.
- Place the mounting frame onto the knurled screws/nuts and attach it.
- Apply a very thin layer of thermal compound to the processor and place the CPU fan on top of it.
- Then insert the mounting plate and attach it. Connect the fan cable to the motherboard and your CPU fan is ready to use.
If you’re still unsure: You will find a lot of instructional videos on this topic online.
Image source: Fotolia / 74041656 / Ingo Bartussek
