What is the fan inside a cpu for?

Question

The one at the back. I was thinking if covering it up so dust won't get in. Is it important to leave it uncovered?

Answer 1

Well there might be more than one in the back, but if there is only one it is the Power Supply Fan and no don't cover it up. Another that could be there is the Processor Exhaust Fan, also don't cover it up. Basically don't cover any up, they are needed for proper air circulation.

Answer 2

The computer contains several microcomputer chips that have millions of tiny resistors on them. As electricity passes through the resistors they generate heat. If the heat does not get dissipated then the life of the computer chips can dramatically decrease and the computer can fail and require replacement altogether. The power supply similarly has components that heat up (other resistors, a power transformer, etc.), and the dedicated fan is to keep the heat generated from those parts to avoid going into the computer chassis.

Let me give you an example of the importance of cooling. One day I opened my computer case to vaccum out some dust and I didn't notice but I had accidentally moved a wire in the way of the fan that sits on top of the Intel CPU (the main processor of the computer). Within seconds, literally, it started smoking and eventhough I fixed the problem right away my computer was toast - litterally.

As another data point (although this is dated), my father performed some studies for his computer company and projected that for every degree hotter a computer ran that the life
of the computer was decreased by around 3 years. The chips are much different now but the concept still holds.

Bottom line - you never want to block any fans from the computer, and if anything else some people add fans.

Answer 3

dont cover it up. your cpu heats up a lot (infact CPUs heat after less than 30 minutes of usage). That could lead to damage of the electronic parts!

They are cooled by
- the metal casing with perforations that lets air circulate through
- the fan(s) that increase the air circulation

So no, dont cover up the CPU, and preferably, keep it in an airconditioned room. If the dust is what is bothering you, use a vacuum cleaner on the PC or cover it up after shutting it down and giving the PC ample time to cool down!

Answer 4

The fan removes the hot air from the inside of the computer and thus cools it's components. Never cover the ventilation shafts - some parts are very venerable to heat and any damage might be irreversible.

Answer 5

There are two fans in each desktop PC, one for cooling the power circuits, and another smaller one at the top of the Processor for cooling it, it is very important to leave fans uncovered or defect will occur.

Answer 6

oh god don't do it cause the dust cant get in there the fans are blowing outward so no need to cover them Up if u do then u will regret it soon the fans pull the heat from heatsink and the big one is removing the dust that floats around inside and also removes the excess heat so they do serve a purpose

Answer 7

It is for ventilation purposes the inside of a computer casing is kinda hot which means if it gets hotter it will lessen the life of your computer I suggest leaving it as it is and not putting any covers better have some dusts rather than a dead PC.

Answer 8

"A heat sink is an environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat from another object using thermal contact (in either direct or radiant contact).

In common use, it is a metal object brought into contact with an electronic component's hot surface — though in most cases, a thin thermal interface material mediates between the two surfaces. Microprocessors and power handling semiconductors are examples of electronics that need a heat sink to reduce their temperature through increased thermal mass and heat dissipation (primarily by conduction and convection and to a lesser extent by radiation). Heat sinks are widely used in electronics, and have become almost essential to modern integrated circuits like microprocessors, DSPs, GPUs, and more.

A heat sink usually consists of a base with one or more flat surfaces and an array of comb or fin-like protrusions increase the heat sink's surface area contacting the air, and thus increasing the heat dissipation rate. While a heat sink is a static object, a fan often aids a heat sink by providing increased airflow over the heat sink — thus maintaining a larger temperature gradient by replacing the warmed air more quickly than passive convection achieves alone — this is known as a forced air system.

CPU heat sink with fan attached

Heat sinks are made from a good thermal conductor such as copper or aluminum alloy. Copper (401 W/(m·K) at 300 K) is significantly more expensive than aluminum (237 W/(m·K) at 300 K) but is also roughly twice as efficient as a thermal conductor. The heat sink's contact surface (the base) must be flat and smooth to ensure the best thermal contact with the object needing cooling. Frequently a thermally conductive grease is used to ensure optimal thermal contact, such compounds often contain colloidal silver. Further, a clamping mechanism, screws, or thermal adhesive hold the heat sink tightly onto the component, but specifically without pressure that would crush the component.

A Motherboard Heatsink

Due to recent technological developments and public interest, the retail heat sink market has reached an all time high; many companies now compete to offer the best heat sink for PC overclocking enthusiasts. Prominent aftermarket heat sink manufacturers include: Aero Cool, Cooler Master, Foxconn, Thermalright, Thermaltake, Swiftech, and Zalman. Efficient heat sinks are vital to overclocked computer systems because the better the various microprocessors' cooling rate, the faster the computer can operate without instability; generally, faster operation leads to higher performance.

Temporary heat sinks are sometimes used while soldering circuit boards, preventing excessive heat from damaging sensitive nearby electronics. In the simplest case, this means partially gripping a component using a metal crocodile clip or similar clamp.

More recently, synthetic diamond cooling sinks are being researched to provide better cooling. Also, some heat sinks are constructed of multiple materials with desirable characteristics, such as phase change materials, which can store a great deal of energy due to their heat of fusion."

Answer 9

Plz do not cover up. The fan is meant to allow ventillation into the box within which would generate lot of heat due to many power consuming parts operating. Fan is to allow ventillation to keep the temperature down as many parts cannot sustain certain level of higher temperatures.

Answer 10

To cool the power supply, and CPU off.

YES - DON'T COVER IT UP - just use a can of compressed air to dust it once in awhile. Fire hazard at the very worst. Your PC motherboard will cause your system to crash permanenly if it gets overheated.