Over 70% of the adult population in the United States owns a laptop or desktop computer. The fact that this number is so high, even in the face of the explosion of phones/tablets speaks to the fact that computers still provide users with an unparalleled level of control over their personal and work tasks.
If you’re a laptop owner, you’ll want to do everything you can to properly maintain your device given its cost. To that end, one of the top things you’ll want to keep an eye out for is a bad computer fan.
Given laptop’s slender body, there are few places for heat to escape. Therefore, a well-functioning cooler is essential to preventing damage to your machine.
So how can you tell if your computer fan is working or needs replacing?
Below are some signs you can watch out for that can give you an idea.
1. Your Keyboard Feels Hot
Laptop computer bodies vary widely in the way that they’re designed. Generally speaking however, if your laptop is running hot you should be able to feel it on your keyboard.
This may be something that occurs only while doing graphically intensive tasks (gaming, video editing, etc.) or it could be something that happens constantly.
Either way, if your laptop keyboard is getting hot to the point that it’s making it uncomfortable to rest your hand on its keys, you could have a computer fan issue. We recommend taking it into a laptop professional to get it checked out in order to avoid potential damage.
2. Odd Noises Are Coming From Your Laptop
Fans in laptops have become increasingly sophisticated. This sophistication has led to them becoming extremely quiet during operation.
Still, if you’re going to hear any noises coming from your laptop, it will probably be via your fan or your HDD (assuming your laptop isn’t using flash memory).
If you’re hearing a grinding or starting and stopping noise coming from your laptop and you’re sure it’s not your hard disk, you may have a computer fan issue. Grinding can be due to damaged fan blades and starting and stopping could be due to your fan receiving inconsistent power from your laptop’s motherboard.
Either way, you’ll want to get the issue diagnosed and repaired.
3. Your Laptop Freezes Up For No Apparent Reason
When your laptop is generating an inordinate amount of heat, pressure is put on your CPU. When that pressure is applied, your CPU has less bandwidth to manage its other important tasks that keep your computer running smoothly.
If you’re noticing that in addition to your keyboard feeling hot, your computer is locking up without you doing anything overly intense, you’re almost certainly experiencing a heat issue.
Dangerous amounts of heat getting to your CPU can be catastrophic and may require the replacing of it.
If you suspect your CPU is being exposed to unsafe levels of heat, power down your computer and have a professional fix your fan and reapply heat-sync to your CPU if necessary.
4. Odd Smells
Sometimes heat gets caused via ventilation issues in your laptop. These ventilation issues are created by dust building up in your system which makes your computer fan less efficient.
It also creates conditions in which dust balls and other foreign objects can start to burn and smell funky.
If your laptop’s internal ports are beginning to smell, it’s probably time for a computer cleaning as well as a computer fan check to make sure your system is being properly aired out.
5. You Don’t Feel Any Air Coming Out of Exhaust Ports
Again, fans are sophisticated these days. Because of that, when doing casual tasks you may not feel your fan blowing cold air out of your laptop given their enhanced discretion.
When you’re doing intense tasks however, your laptops fan should almost certainly be blowing air out of its exhaust ports to the point where you can hear or feel it.
If you’re not hearing or feeling fan activity and your computer is running hot, your fan may not be working. Try a reset of your laptop to see if it’s just a temporary power issue.
If the issue persists, you’ll need someone to check to see if your fan is disconnected from your motherboard or if the fan is defective.
6. Your Computer Shuts Off by Itself
When your computer gets hot to the point that it can start to incurring serious damage, its CPU should automatically shut down all systems. This fail-safe is vital to ensuring that you don’t accidentally burn up your system.
If it’s happening where, after a little while of use your computer shuts itself off or gives you a blue screen, it could be due to a heat issue.
If your computer is getting hot to the point of self-shutdown, you should be able to feel that it’s hot to the touch. If your laptop seems perfectly cool and it’s shutting itself down, the issue could be caused by a deeper issue.
Wrapping Up Signs Your Laptop Needs a New Computer Fan
Laptop computer fans are integral to the effective and safe operation of the machine. Without it, you risk burning internal components and possibly even causing a battery explosion.
To make sure you don’t run into catastrophic heat issues with your laptop, go through our list above to ensure you’re not expecting any of those symptoms. If you are, we recommend shutting down your computer immediately and taking it to a professional for diagnosis and repair.
If you live in the Northern Kentucky area and are looking to get your laptop or desktop computer fixed or replaced, let our team at Community Computer Services help.
At Community Computer Services, we’ve been servicing people within the Alexandria, Kentucky general radius for 25 years. Let us take our expertise and help you!
Learn more about our repair services and feel free to contact our team of experts with your questions today!
