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The advantages and disadvantages of large cooling fans | How To Fix Slow Computers
How To Fix Slow Computers

The advantages and disadvantages of large cooling fans

Cooling fans are one of the most vital components for ensuring that a computer enjoys a long life. These devices displace the large amounts of heat produced by the CPU and other components and are sometimes integrated into a heatsink device which allows for more efficiency. These fans come in various sizes and powers appropriate for different models of processor and applications. Some individuals choose to improve their performance by adding a larger fan. This can sometimes go a long way toward offering much better speed out of a computer.

A larger fan has two principal advantages: one, it can move a large volume of air; two, it has more power. The larger volume of air means that there is more cool air in which to displace the heat generated by the CPU and conducted away by the heatsink. It’s the difference between cooling a hot piece of metal in a glass of water or in a backyard pool. More medium means more displacement.

The second advantage is in the power of the device. The large amounts of air that can be moved through more quickly by a powerful fan means that the heat is leeched off the CPU more quickly. For high-end machines, this can mean much better performance. Large fans are quite often seen on custom machines designed by enthusiasts for gaming. These fans allow the computers to even run in a state called “over clocked’ which means that they are performing more calculations per second than was intended by their designers.

There are disadvantages to a large cooling fan, however. First, it will consume more power and not all motherboards will be able to deliver. One must check that their particular model of motherboard is compatible with a particular cooling fan before purchasing it.

A large CPU fan may not physically fit into the case in which the user intends to install it. If one is ordering online, make certain that the fan is designed to adapt to one’s particular heatsink and that it will fit in the case. Some of the very powerful CPU fans can be quite large and this is a real issue.

A large CPU fan will be noisy. The amount of air moving through it makes this inevitable. In office machines, this may be downright distracting. Noise levels are generally expected to be high in very high-performance machines, so this is usually not an issue for enthusiasts.

Some large fans are designed to fit into a specialized heatsink. One must make certain that their processor can accommodate the connections for the entire device and this may involve removing the old heatsink and installing the new. If one has any doubts about their ability to perform this task, it should be referred to a professional. The largest fan improperly installed will offer no benefits and may well result in the destruction of the computer altogether. Properly installed, however, a large fan can greatly improve performance in hot machines.