Which way does my CPU fan go?

[samz90]

At the moment its blowing air out, should'nt it be sucking air in to cool the CPU. Im saying this because I have had a few problems with my pc just randomly shutting down and rebooting.

[Salty]

Fan should suck air out - cold air goes in via slats elsewhere in the case. Note that there is a separate fan on the CPU itself, though. If you are having overheating problems, check that too.

[qapmoc]

Hi samz90, this sounds like it is the CPU fan not cooling OK, the question is are you prepeared to open the casing and check out something inside -
NO = take the CPU to a repair shop
YES = shut down the PC, take out the mains power connector, press the power on button (this will discharge any power stored in the power supply), open the casing and look inside, there should be a small fan fitted to the top of a slotted piece of metal which looks similiar to this , Now inspect the slots below the fan, if they are filled with dust you must remove it with a very small brush and a blower (hair dryer set to cold/cool?). With the casing still open put back the main power connection and start the PC, look at the fan and make sure that it is turning. if it is not working then obtain and fit a new fan.

[qapmoc]

Sorry that link did not copy, try this for a picture of the CPU fan and what it looks like.

[sarah_louise]

The PSU (power supply unit) has a fan. The CPU as you say has a fan. Graphic cards have smaller fans.

All can cause the PC to shut down.

[theren_911]

The fan on the CPU itself should Blow out (it will suck the hot air off of the heat sink)

It might be going too slow causing the CPU to overheat, and then the Pc would shut down. In which case the answer is in a previous post above.

What makes you think the problem is overheating? Have you considered the possibility of a virus? I know that Win32 Blaster thingy restarts your PC for you. Nice eh :D

[bobjim1705]

Actually CPU fans should blow IN and onto the heatsink, so that cooler air is blown across the fins of the heatsink.

The heat from the CPU is dispersed across these fins (which is cooled by the air intake), which is more efficient than pulling air in through the base of the heatsink - the air would be hotter when it reaches the heatsink fans, and wouldn't cool as effectively.

This hot air is then expelled via rear case fans and/or power supply fan.

[mattie]

If you want to know how hot the components in your PC are, then google search for speedfan, a free utility which monitors component temperatures.