Replacement processor fan

[logicplus]

Hi, I want to replace my processor fan and I was wondering if this forums experts could give me some pointers. I’m not an expert techy so some of these questions may be a bit basic . My processors (Intel(R) Core™ i5 CPU 760 @2.80GHz) has had a habit of making oscillating vibrating loud dodgy sounds on start up, but sometimes it can go on a longer and it seems to be getting much more frequent and starting up during use. The PC is only a year old and the problem started within 7 months of purchase, the PC company went bust so I’m going to have a go at replacing it myself, the job looks fairly simple but I need to make sure I have the correct replacement part. The existing fan has E41759-002 on it and is rated at 0.17A, I found another new Intel fan/heat sink with that number on eBay, but on receipt it is a little bit different. My old fan was labelled foxcom and this one is labelled Nidec, has “socket H” on the fans plastic frame, and is rated 0.20A instead of 0.17A, will it work fine with my processor? Also the heat sink has three strips of thermal grease applied, I don’t know how long this item has been sitting around in its open plastic box, can the grease lose its qualities over a period of time, should I remove and reapply fresh grease? Thanks

[sbohdan]

Hi and welcome to the forums.
I think you would be better of by replacing the heatsink altogether. An aftermarket cooler will keep your temps much lower, look much better and be quieter at the same time. Also, if anytime in the future you decide to try and overclock your computer, you will be able to do that too. Check out this cooler from corsair - it is just a little bit more than replacing the fan on that sh*tty intel heatsink: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Air-Perfo ... ALBEHZXRUK - it will match your i5 perfectly and I think it includes some fresh thermal paste also.

[Sttm]

I'm using a Corsair A50 myself, great heatsink/fan for $25 and it was fairly easy to install. Though you probably will need to remove the motherboard to put on the back plate for the cooler, and it's kind of large so doing a quick measurement would be good.

[lordvic]

Mmm...I would also recommend that you just replace the cooler as a whole than to buy an replacement fan. You can find much better coolers for around $20-$30.

As Sttm said, the Corsair A50 is a very good tower cooler - NewEgg currently has it for only $16.99 (after reabte) with free shipping. I'd say that's a hellova nice deal!
you may have to do some qick measuring as these coolers are a bit larger; 159.5 x 124.6 x 81.2mm for the Corsair A50.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835181012

Legit Reviews did a review on the Corsair A50 earlier this year, too.
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1534/1/

There is also the "thicker" Corsair A70. We did a review on it also, and it performed very well. NewEgg currently has it for $26.99 (after rebate) with free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 11&Tpk=A70

A very widely used tower cooler is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus. For it's price, it does an amazing job at keeping the processor cool. It's currently available for $29.99 (which is not sale price).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103065

There is also an updated version of the Hyper 212 plus - Hyper 212 Evo. The difference is a new fan, and the heatpipes are together other than spread out a bit on the Hyper 212 plus. (Video comparison available at provided link) It's priced a little on the high side right now though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103099