Computer Fan - Wikipedia
Computer Fan - Wikipedia
A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for active cooling. Fans
are used to draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside and move
air across a heat sink to cool a particular component. Both axial and sometimes centrifugal
(blower/squirrel-cage) fans are used in computers. Computer fans commonly come in standard
sizes, such as 120 mm (most common), 140 mm, 240 mm, and even 360 mm. Computer fans are
powered and controlled using 3-pin or 4-pin fan connectors.
A 3D illustration of six 80 mm fans, a type of fan commonly used in personal computers (sometimes as a set, or mixed
with other fan sizes)
A 30-millimetre (1.2 in) PC fan laying atop one sized 250 mm (9.8 in)
While in earlier personal computers it was possible to cool most components using natural
convection (passive cooling), many modern components require more effective active cooling. To
cool these components, fans are used to move heated air away from the components and draw
cooler air over them. Fans attached to components are usually used in combination with a heat
sink to increase the area of heated surface in contact with the air, thereby improving the
efficiency of cooling. Fan control is not always an automatic process. A computer's BIOS can
control the speed of the built-in fan system for the computer. A user can even supplement this
function with additional cooling components or connect a manual fan controller with knobs that
set fans to different speeds.[1]
In the IBM PC compatible market, the computer's power supply unit (PSU) almost always uses an
exhaust fan to expel warm air from the PSU. Active cooling on CPUs started to appear on the
Intel 80486, and by 1997 was standard on all desktop processors.[2] Chassis or case fans, usually
one exhaust fan to expel heated air from the rear and optionally an intake fan to draw cooler air
in through the front, became common with the arrival of the Pentium 4 in late 2000.[2]
Applications
An 80×80×25 mm axial computer fan
Case fan
Fans are used to move air through the computer case. The components inside the case cannot
dissipate heat efficiently if the surrounding air is too hot. Case fans may be placed as intake
fans, drawing cooler outside air in through the front or bottom of the chassis (where it may also
be drawn over the internal hard drive racks), or exhaust fans, expelling warm air through the top
or rear. Some ATX tower cases have one or more additional vents and mounting points in the left
side panel where one or more fans may be installed to blow cool air directly onto the
motherboard components and expansion cards, which are among the largest heat sources.
Standard axial case fans are 40, 60, 80, 92, 120, 140, 200 and 220 mm in width and length. As case
fans are often the most readily visible form of cooling on a PC, decorative fans are widely
available and may be lit with LEDs, made of UV-reactive plastic, and/or covered with decorative
grilles. Decorative fans and accessories are popular with case modders. Air filters are often
used over intake fans, to prevent dust from entering the case and clogging up the internal
components. Heatsinks are especially vulnerable to being clogged up, as the insulating effect of
the dust will rapidly degrade the heatsink's ability to dissipate heat.
PSU fan
While the power supply (PSU) contains a fan with few exceptions, it is not to be used for case
ventilation. The hotter the PSU's intake air is, the hotter the PSU gets. As the PSU temperature
rises, the conductivity of its internal components decrease. Decreased conductivity means that
the PSU will convert more of the input electric energy into thermal energy (heat). This cycle of
increasing temperature and decreased efficiency continues until the PSU either overheats, or its
cooling fan is spinning fast enough to keep the PSU adequately supplied with comparatively cool
air. The PSU is mainly bottom-mounted in modern PCs, having its own dedicated intake and
exhaust vents, preferably with a dust filter in its intake vent.
CPU fan
Play media
A PCI Express 3.0 ×16 graphics card, using two fans for cooling
Used to cool the heatsink of the graphics processing unit or the memory on graphics cards. These
fans were not necessary on older cards because of their low power dissipation, but most modern
graphics cards designed for 3D graphics and gaming need their own dedicated cooling fans. Some
of the higher powered cards can produce more heat than the CPU (dissipating up to 350 watts[4]),
so effective cooling is especially important. Since 2010, graphics cards have been released with
either axial fans, or a centrifugal fan also known as a blower, turbo or squirrel cage fan.
Chipset fan
Used to cool the heatsink of the northbridge of a motherboard's chipset; this may be needed
where the system bus is significantly overclocked and dissipates more power than as usual, but
may otherwise be unnecessary. As more features of the chipset are integrated into the central
processing unit, the role of the chipset has been reduced and the heat generation reduced also.
Fans may be mounted next to or onto a hard disk drive for cooling purposes. Hard drives can
produce considerable heat over time, and are heat-sensitive components that should not
operate at excessive temperatures. In many situations, natural convective cooling suffices, but
in some cases fans may be required. These may include -
Faster-spinning hard disks with greater heat production. (As of 2011 less expensive drives
rotated at speeds up to 7,200 RPM; 10,000 and 15,000 RPM drives were available but
generated more heat.)
Large or dense arrays of disks (including server systems where disks are typically mounted
densely)
Any disks which, due to the enclosure or other location they are mounted in, cannot easily cool
without fanned air.
Multiple purposes
A small blower fan is used to direct air across a laptop computer's CPU cooler.
A case fan may be mounted on a radiator attached to the case, simultaneously operating to cool
a liquid cooling device's working fluid and to ventilate the case. In laptops, a single blower fan
often cools a heat sink connected to both CPU and GPU using heat pipes. In gaming laptops and
mobile workstations, two or more heavy duty fans may be used. In rack-mounted servers, a single
row of fans may operate to create an airflow through the chassis from front to rear, which is
directed by passive ducts or shrouds across individual components' heat sinks.
Other purposes
Fans are, less commonly, used for other purposes such as:
Water-cooling radiator transfers a lot of heat, and radiator fans have large static pressure
(opposed to case fans that have high airflow) for dissipating heat.
Laptop computers lack large openings in the case for warm air to escape. The laptop may be
placed on a cooler – somewhat like a tray with fans built in – to ensure adequate cooling.
Some high-end machines (including many servers) or when additional reliability is required,
other chips like SATA/SAS controller, high speed networking controllers (40 Gbps Ethernet,
Infiniband), PCIe switches, coprocessor cards (for example some Xeon Phi), some FPGA chips,
south bridges are also actively cooled with a heatsink and a dedicated fan. These can be on a
main motherboard itself or as a separate add-on board, often via PCIe card.
Expansion slot fan – a fan mounted in one of the PCI or PCI Express slots, usually to supply
additional cooling to the graphics cards, or to expansion cards in general.
Optical drive fan – some internal CD and/or DVD burners included cooling fans.
Memory fan – modern computer memory can generate enough heat that active cooling may be
necessary, usually in the form of small fans positioned above the memory chips. This applies
especially when the memory is overclocked or overvolted,[5] or when the memory modules
include active logic, such as when a system uses Fully Buffered DIMMs (FB-DIMMs).[6]
However, with newer lower voltages in use, such as 1.2v DDR4, this is less commonly needed
than used to be the case.. Most of the time memory modules, located close to CPU will receive
enough of the air flow from the case or CPU fan, even if the air from CPU fan and radiator is
warm. If the main CPU is water cooled, this small amount of airflow might be missing, and
additional care about some airflow in a case or a dedicated memory cooling is required.
Unfortunately most memory modules do not provide temperature monitoring to easily
measure it.
High power voltage regulators (VRM) often using switch mode power supplies do generate
some heat due to power losses, mostly in the power MOSFET and in an inductor (choke). These,
especially in overclocking situations require active cooling fan together with heatsink. Most of
the MOSFETs will operate correctly at very high temperature, but their efficiency will be
lowered and potentially lifespan limited. Proximity of electrolytic capacitors to a source of
heat, will decrease their lifespan considerably and end in a progressively higher power losses
and eventual (catastrophic) failure.
Physical characteristics
Due to the low pressure, high volume air flows they create, most fans used in computers are of
the axial flow type; centrifugal and crossflow fans type.[7] Two important functional
specifications are the airflow that can be moved, typically stated in cubic feet per minute (CFM),
and static pressure.[8] Given in decibels, the sound volume figure can be also very important for
home and office computers; larger fans are generally quieter for the same CFM.
Many gamers, case modders, and enthusiasts utilize fans illuminated with colored LED lights.
Multi-colored fans are also available.
Dimensions
Fan sizes and corresponding screw hole spacing
Fan size (mm) Center of mounting hole spacing (mm)
40 32
50 40
60 50
70 60
80 71.5
92 82.5
120 105
140 124.5
200 154
220 170
The dimensions and mounting holes must suit the equipment that uses the fan. Square-framed
fans are usually used, but round frames are also used, often so that a larger fan than the
mounting holes would otherwise allow can be used (e.g., a 140 mm fan with holes for the corners
of a 120 mm square fan). The width of square fans and the diameter of round ones are usually
stated in millimeters. The dimension given is the outside width of the fan, not the distance
between mounting holes. Common sizes include 40 mm, 60 mm, 80 mm, 92 mm, 120 mm and
140 mm, although
8 mm,[9] 17 mm,[10] 20 mm,[11] 25 mm,[12] 30 mm,[13] 35 mm,[14] 38 mm,[15]
45 mm,[16] 50 mm,[17] 70 mm,[18] 200 mm, 220 mm,[19] 250 mm[20] and 360 mm[21] sizes are also
available. Heights, or thickness, are typically 10 mm, 15 mm, 25 mm or 38 mm.
Typically, square 120 mm and 140 mm fans are used where cooling requirements are demanding,
as for computers used to play games, and for quieter operation at lower speeds. Larger fans are
usually used for cooling case, CPUs with large heatsink and ATX power supply. Square 80 mm and
92 mm fans are used in less demanding applications, or where larger fans would not be
compatible. Smaller fans are usually used for cooling CPUs with small heatsink, SFX power
supply, graphics cards, northbridges, etc.
Rotational speed
The speed of rotation (specified in revolutions per minute, RPM) together with the static
pressure determine the airflow for a given fan. Where noise is an issue, larger, slower-turning
fans are quieter than smaller, faster fans that can move the same airflow. Fan noise has been
found to be roughly proportional to the fifth power of fan speed; halving the speed reduces the
noise by about 15 dB.[22] Axial fans may rotate at speeds of up to around 38,000 rpm for smaller
sizes.[23]
Fans may be controlled by sensors and circuits that reduce their speed when temperature is not
high, leading to quieter operation, longer life, and lower power consumption than fixed-speed
fans. Fan lifetimes are usually quoted under the assumption of running at maximum speed and
at a fixed ambient temperature.
A fan with high static pressure is more effective at forcing air through restricted spaces, such as
the gaps between a radiator or heatsink; static pressure is more important than airflow in CFM
when choosing a fan for use with a heatsink. The relative importance of static pressure depends
on the degree to which the airflow is restricted by geometry; static pressure becomes more
important as the spacing between heatsink fins decreases. Static pressure is usually stated in
either mm Hg or mm H2O.
Bearing types
The type of bearing used in a fan can affect its performance and noise. Most computer fans use
one of the following bearing types:
Sleeve bearings use two surfaces lubricated with oil or grease as a friction contact. They often
use porous sintered sleeves to be self-lubricating, requiring only infrequent maintenance or
replacement. Sleeve bearings are less durable at higher temperatures as the contact surfaces
wear and the lubricant dries up, eventually leading to failure; however, lifetime is similar to
that of ball-bearing types (generally a little less) at relatively low ambient temperatures.[24]
Sleeve bearings may be more likely to fail at higher temperatures, and may perform poorly
when mounted in any orientation other than vertical. The typical lifespan of a sleeve-bearing
fan may be around 30,000 hours at 50 °C (122 °F). Fans that use sleeve bearings are generally
cheaper than fans that use ball bearings, and are quieter at lower speeds early in their life,
but can become noisy as they age.[24]
Rifle bearings are similar to sleeve bearings, but are quieter and have almost as much
lifespan as ball bearings. The bearing has a spiral groove in it that pumps fluid from a
reservoir. This allows them to be safely mounted with the shaft horizontal (unlike sleeve
bearings), since the fluid being pumped lubricates the top of the shaft.[25] The pumping also
ensures sufficient lubricant on the shaft, reducing noise, and increasing lifespan.
Fluid bearings (or "Fluid Dynamic Bearing", FDB) have the advantages of near-silent operation
and high life expectancy (though not longer than ball bearings), but tend to be more expensive.
Ball bearings: Though generally more expensive than fluid bearings, ball bearing fans do not
suffer the same orientation limitations as sleeve bearing fans, are more durable at higher
temperatures, and are quieter than sleeve-bearing fans at higher rotation speeds. The typical
lifespan of a ball bearing fan may be over 60,000 hours at 50 °C (122 °F).[24]
Magnetic bearings or maglev bearings, in which the fan is repelled from the bearing by
magnetism.
Connectors
Alternatives
If a fan is not desirable, because of noise, reliability, or environmental concerns, there are some
alternatives. Some improvement can be achieved by eliminating all fans except one in the power
supply which also draws hot air out of the case.[27]
Systems can be designed to use passive cooling alone, reducing noise and eliminating moving
parts that may fail. This can be achieved by:
Natural convection cooling: carefully designed, correctly oriented, and sufficiently large
heatsinks can dissipate up to 100 W by natural convection alone
Water cooling
Mineral oil
Liquid nitrogen
Ionic wind cooling is being researched, whereby air is moved by ionizing air between two
electrodes. This replaces the fan and has the advantage of no moving parts[28] and less
noise.[29]
See also
Fan (machine)
Centrifugal fan
Computer cooling
References
1. Gordon, Whitson (2017-07-03). "How to Auto-Control Your PC's Fans for Cool, Quiet Operation" (https://
www.howtogeek.com/275339/how-to-auto-control-your-pcs-fans-for-cool-quiet-operation/) . How-To
Geek. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
2. Mueller, Scott 2005. Upgrading and Repairing PCs. Que Publishing. 16th edition. pp 1274–1280
3. Acosta, Jeremy. "Air Cooling or Liquid Cooling for PC What to Choose and Why?" (http://gamesngearseli
te.com/air-cooling-vs-liquid-cooling/) . Games and Gears.
4. "Nvidia's new RTX 3090 is a $1,499 monster GPU designed for 8K gaming" (https://www.theverge.com/20
20/9/1/21417048/nvidia-rtx-3090-gpu-flagship-8k-pc-gaming-price-specs) . The Verge. Retrieved
2020-10-21.
5. "The CoolIT Systems RAM Fan Review: Does Memory Really Need a Fan?" (http://www.legitreviews.co
m/article/469/1/) . Retrieved 2013-02-05.
6. Anand Lal Shimpi (2006-08-09). "Apple's Mac Pro: A Discussion of Specifications" (http://www.anandtec
h.com/print/2059) . AnandTech. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
23. www.sanyodenki.com/products/product_news/2020/20200528_sanace_40hva28.html
24. Williams, Melody. "Ball vs Sleeve: A Comparison in Bearing Performance" (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20110102062652/http://www.nmbtc.com/pdf/engineering/fans_ball_vs_sleeve.pdf) (PDF). Archived
from the original (http://www.nmbtc.com/pdf/engineering/fans_ball_vs_sleeve.pdf) (PDF) on 2011-
01-02. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
28. Greene, Kate (2009-05-19). "A Laptop Cooled with Ionic Wind | MIT Technology Review" (http://www.tech
nologyreview.com/computing/22668/?a=f) . Technologyreview.com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
29. Patel, Prachi (2007-08-22). "Cooling Chips with an Ion Breeze | MIT Technology Review" (http://www.tec
hnologyreview.com/computing/19285/?a=f) . Technologyreview.com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
External links
3-Wire (http://www.allpinouts.org/index.php/Motherboard_(CPU)_3_Pin_Fan_Connector)
and 4-Wire (https://web.archive.org/web/20141006135323/http://www.allpinouts.org/index.ph
p/Motherboard_%28CPU%29_4_Pin_Fan_Connector) Fan Pinouts – AllPinouts
Why and How to Control (2/3/4-wire) Fan Speed for Cooling Electronic Equipment (http://www.
analog.com/library/analogdialogue/archives/38-02/fan_speed.html) – Analog Devices
Last edited 1 month ago by Pancho507
Wikipedia