Our computer begins to produce annoying noises or hums, to the point of making it almost impossible to use it without raising the volume of the speakers. The noise is generated by the fans due to the heat, but in many cases the problem lies in the poor maintenance of the PC, in which a large amount of dust accumulates. Whatever our problem, in this guide we will show you how to change the fan speed of the Windows 10 PC through special programs or through BIOS / UEFI, so that we can adapt the speed to our needs. If after the changes made we see the computer suddenly turning off, the problem is overheating: we will also provide you with suggestions in this regard, so as to increase cooling and decrease the noise of the fans.
READ ALSO: How to keep the laptop cool
Change PC fan speed from BIOS / UEFI
The first place we can control fan speed is the BIOS, or rather the computer's UEFI interface. To access this special screen, repeatedly press the DELETE key at startup or a specific key (variable depending on the PC and the motherboard in use), as described in our guide How to access the BIOS on computers of all brands .In Windows 10 it is important to activate UEFI by converting the disk to GPT as explained in another guide.
Once logged in, we identify the menus called monitors, performance, overclocking or maintenance, so you can access the UEFI section where you can change the speed of the fans (usually set to AUTO or Standard ).
We modify the items related to the fans present in the computer (usually identified as CPU_FAN and various CHA_FAN ), setting the value that we want to be applied. Once the changes are complete, click Save and Exit or a similar item, so that the changes can take effect.
WARNING! Let's not change the fan speed assigned to the CPU too much, because in case of insufficient cooling the processor will overheat and block the whole system. If we do not know what value to put for the CPU, it is better to leave everything automatically, acting only on the speed of the fans present in the case.
Change Windows 10 fan speeds from programs
In addition to acting from the BIOS / UEFI (extremely effective method), we can also change the fan speed with a Windows program such as SpeedFan.
With this program active we can monitor the temperatures recorded by the computer and also keep the speed of the fans under control. In the event that the PC becomes too noisy or hot, we tick the item Automatic fan speed and wait at least 5-10 minutes with the program on (we can also minimize it in the background by pressing the Minimize button). The program should intervene automatically, adjusting the fan speed appropriately; if not, remove the check mark on Automatic fan speed and change the fan speed, acting on the items Speed01, Speed02 etc.
In this way we can manually decide the speed of each fan on our computer, so as to make them run at maximum only when necessary. Obviously when we make the changes manually, we always keep the temperatures of the internal components under control, to avoid damage or blockages due to overheating.
In this regard, we invite you to read our guide on how to control temperature and heat in the PC .
WARNING! Even using a fan control program we will have to pay close attention to the speed assigned to the CPU, to avoid overheating and blocking problems. If we do not know what value to put for the CPU, it is better to leave everything automatically, acting only on the speed of the fans present in the case.
Increase or decrease the fan speed
If not even changing the speed of the fans the situation improves, we will have to make some changes at the hardware level, as well as perform an important maintenance!First we turn off the desktop PC, remove the power cable and let the side panel of the case slide, so as to access the inside. If we find clusters of dust, all white fans and similar stuff, we perform a thorough cleaning with a dry cloth and a brush, also helping with a can of compressed air, such as the one available here -> Nilox NXA02061-1 Compressed Air Spray Can (5 €).
If even cleaning does not solve the problem of fan noise, perhaps the time has come to replace them with new, more efficient and quieter fans .
For the CPU we recommend adopting a new tower heatsink with enhanced fan, such as the ARCTIC Freezer 12 (€ 31) or the ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro (€ 21).
If we also want to change the case fans, we can focus on 120mm fans (adaptable on the back of the case and on the front), like those offered here -> upHere 120mm High Performance Fan (3 pieces, 10 €).
We have a noisy laptop PC, with the fan always running at maximum "> Ewent EW1259 Notebook Cooling System Support (22 €).
Conclusions
When the PC is noisy, most of the time it is the fault of poor maintenance, with dust accumulating everywhere and preventing the components from cooling properly. We often clean our PC (at least every 2-3 months), check the fan speed via BIOS / UEFI or through a program and, in the most desperate cases, we change the fans present in the PC with new much more effective and performing solutions.Still on the subject of cleaning and fans, we advise you to read our guides very carefully Manage the PC's fans and clean the dust from the computer, where we will find other valid tips to clean our computer thoroughly and reduce the noise generated by the fans.
