The operation of most electronic components of a PC is accompanied by increased heat generation. The most effective cooling method is active (forced, fan). But does everyone know how to properly connect a cooler to a computer’s power supply? Let's look at this in detail.
In principle, the work is not difficult - you just need to install the cooler in place and connect its wires of a certain color to the necessary contacts of the computer power supply. But there are a number of nuances, without which a correct connection cannot be made.
Firstly, there are computer fans on sale with different connector designs. They can have from 2 to 4 contacts. But the PC power supply to which the connection is made always has four pins.
Secondly, the cooler wires can have one of two color coding options.
Thirdly, laptop processors require special temperature conditions. Therefore, their fans turn on only periodically, as needed. With desktop computers it's different. The cooler’s task is to provide continuous cooling of their electronics, that is, we are talking about its constant operation. And here such an indicator as the “noise” of the fan comes to the fore. That is why it is advisable to reduce the nominal voltage supplying the cooler (standard +12 V) at least a little. This will not significantly affect the cooling efficiency of the system unit, but user comfort will be ensured.
Connection procedure
Turn off the power to the computer
Simply turning off your PC using a button is not the best solution. It must be completely isolated from the electrical network, that is, unplug it from the socket or turn the switch to the “off” position.
Secure the cooler in place
To do this, you need to dismantle the side cover, install the fan in the place intended for it and secure it with bolts. It is necessary to pay attention to the indicator of the direction of rotation of its impeller (arrow on the end of the cooler). Depending on how the fan is positioned, airflow can be directed either inward (pull) or out of the computer. And this directly affects the cooling efficiency of the system unit electronics. To avoid mistakes, it is advisable to replace the cooler one-to-one, so it is not advisable to remove the faulty one before purchasing a new one.
Connection to power supply
The author does not know which fan the reader will install to replace the failed one. This may be a used product from another computer or purchased, but they all come in various modifications. Therefore, only possible options are considered below.
The photo shows the pinout of cooler connectors depending on the number of contacts. If their number does not match the computer's power supply pins, you will have to use adapters. In brackets is the color designation of the conductors according to the second option.
Wire marking
- +12 V – Kr (Zhl).
- -12 V – always black.
- Tachometer line – Zhl (Green).
- Speed control - blue.
Computer power supply pinout 
Cooler connector pinout
If the fan is quite noisy, then it can be powered not by 12 V, but by seven (connection to the outer terminals) or five (to the red one). The ground wire, as noted above, is always black.
Some articles give recommendations for changing the speed of rotation of the impeller using limiting resistors. Their power is about 1.2 - 2 W, and the dimensions are appropriate. It’s not quite convenient anymore. In general, this is understandable. But what criteria should be used to select the resistance value if the user with electrical equipment is, at best, only “you”? And at worst - nothing.
The author advises not to experiment and, if desired, to include a diode in the circuit. Regardless of the type, it is sure to provide a certain voltage drop on the order of 0.6 to 0.85 volts. If you need to reduce the rating even further, you can use 2 - 3 semiconductors in series. To do this, you do not need to engage in engineering calculations or consult a specialist.
Every processor, especially modern ones, needs active cooling. Now the most popular and reliable solution is to install a processor cooler on the motherboard. They come in different sizes and, accordingly, different powers, consuming a certain amount of energy. In this article we will not go into details, but will look at mounting and removing the processor cooler from the motherboard.
When assembling your system, you need to install a processor cooler, and if you need to replace the CPU, then the cooling needs to be removed. There is nothing complicated in these tasks, you just need to follow the instructions and do everything carefully so as not to damage the components. Let's take a closer look at installing and removing coolers.
Installing an AMD cooler
Coolers from AMD are equipped with a unique mount; therefore, the mounting process is also slightly different from others. It's easy to do; you just need to follow a few simple steps:
Installing an Intel Cooler
The boxed version of the Intel processor already comes with proprietary cooling. The mounting method is slightly different from that discussed above, but there is no fundamental difference. These coolers are mounted with clamps in special grooves on the motherboard. Simply select the appropriate location and insert the pins into the connectors one at a time until you hear a characteristic click.
It remains to connect the power as described above. Please note that Intel coolers also come with thermal paste, so be careful when unpacking.
Installing a tower cooler
If the standard cooling power is not enough to ensure normal operation of the CPU, you will need to install a tower cooler. They are usually more powerful due to larger fans and the presence of several heat pipes. Installation of such a part is required only for the sake of a powerful and expensive processor. Let's look at the steps of mounting a tower CPU cooler in detail:
This completes the process of installing the tower cooler. We once again recommend studying the design of the motherboard and installing all the parts in such an order that they do not interfere when trying to mount other components.
How to remove a CPU cooler
If you need to repair, replace the processor, or apply new thermal paste, you always first need to remove the installed cooling. This task is very simple - the user must unscrew the screws or loosen the pins. Before this, you need to disconnect the system unit from the power supply and pull out the CPU_FAN cord. Read more about dismantling the processor cooler in our article.
Today we examined in detail the topic of mounting and removing a processor cooler using latches or screws from the motherboard. By following the instructions above, you can easily complete all the steps yourself, it is only important to do everything carefully and accurately.
Updated – 2017-02-16
Installing a cooler on a processor is not so much difficult as it is a very important operation when assembling a computer. Any processor needs good cooling. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right cooling system. Not every cooler will fit your motherboard. It must also match the socket (connector) on the motherboard, otherwise you simply will not install it.
Different cooling systems are produced for different microprocessors. This is done, of course, not for our convenience, but in order to ensure the survival of companies in fierce competition. That’s why computer equipment changes “with a whiz.”
Instead of improving what has already been done, they come up with more and more new things so that competitors do not take over the sales market. And we only have time to change computers because all the components are not so much becoming obsolete as they are changing their forms and connection methods. You start changing one part, and it already pulls everything else along with it.
Therefore, before changing anything, read thoroughly or ask the experts what else you will have to change “locomotive”.
If you decide to repair or assemble a computer, then read these articles:
So, if the motherboard has Socket 775, then the cooler should be Socket 775. True, universal coolers have already appeared. They are much more expensive, and their installation is so confusing that not every beginner can handle it.
We will choose a simple and cheap cooler.
Cooler Socket 775
Motherboard with Socket 775
Look closely at this photo of the motherboard. Do you see white dots in the corners of the processor socket? These are the holes for mounting the cooler. In them it will be attached to the motherboard.
Again, I repeat, if you doubt that you can choose the right cooler yourself, it is better to consult with a specialist or seller. Immediately ask if there is the necessary thermal paste for it.
It is necessary for a tight fit of the heatsink to the processor crystal. You can't do without it. Often it comes with the cooler, but sometimes it doesn’t. So, it’s better to ask the seller about it right away than to look for it at the last moment.
Before you start repairing or upgrading your computer, do not forget to first turn off everything and.
It happens that the paste is already applied to the radiator. Still, I advise you to thoroughly wipe it off with alcohol or cologne and apply a new one.
Good afternoon friends! Today we will talk about the topic PC cooling: where does heat come from, what is the risk of overheating a computer, and how to deal with high temperatures inside the system unit.
Comfortable temperature conditions for a computer are no less important than for its owner. The higher the temperature outside and in the room, the more acute the problem of effective PC cooling becomes.
In order to solve the problem of overheating correctly and at minimal cost, it is necessary to at least in general understand what cooling systems are, why computers need them at all, and what consequences “overheating” can lead to.
A computer, like any electrical appliance, dissipates some of the electricity it receives in the form of heat. The main sources of heat are the CPU, motherboard and graphics card GPU.
Main reasons for the increase in heat generation PC components are:
- increase in processor and memory bus clock speeds;
- increase in the number of memory cells in PC chips;
- increase in power consumption by computer components.
Thus, the more powerful your PC, the more energy it consumes, and therefore the more heat it produces. Minimization tendencies reduce the free space inside the system unit, and, at the same time, aggravate the heat dissipation problem for the PC.
Consequences of computer overheating
Very often we are dissatisfied with the slow operation of the computer or its periodic freezing. And the reason is often trivial - the computer is “hot”. In the best case, the “reflex” (protection system) will work and the computer will reboot, but if you’re unlucky, several components may fail.
High temperatures pose the greatest danger to the elemental base (microcircuits, capacitors, transistors, etc.), especially to the hard drive. When it overheats, it operates in faulty mode (records data incorrectly). After rebooting and cooling down, there is a possibility that you will not find your saved data on the storage medium.
Now, it seems to me, everyone is imbued with the importance of the issue under consideration.
Methods for determining computer heat dissipation
1. You can study the documentation for the PC components and calculate the total heat dissipation. But this is not very convenient, and in the end we will get a high measurement error.
2. I recommend using sites that provide a service for calculating heat dissipation and power consumption (for example, emacs.ru/calc). Very convenient and easy, the component base is constantly updated.
If the temperature inside the unit is above 35 degrees, and the processor temperature is more than 60 degrees (for a hard drive, a temperature of 45 degrees is critical), then it’s time to take measures to upgrade the cooling system.
1. Pay attention to the location of the system unit: ensure free air to all ventilation openings.
2. The free space from the back wall of the “system unit” should be approximately equal to two times the diameter of the exhaust fan.
3. Mandatory presence of coolers on the central processor, graphics processor of the video card and in the power supply.
4. For more powerful computers, or in hotter conditions, additional coolers are used for northbridge chips, hard drives and an additional exhaust cooler on the back wall of the PC case.
5.
The air intake should be at the bottom and front (the “coldest” zone), and the warm air should be exhausted at the top rear of the power supply.
6. Use the possibility of additional air intake for the graphics adapter through PCI plugs.
7. Use the possibility of natural ventilation of hard drive bays by slightly bending the plugs of free bays.
8. Increase, if possible, the aerodynamic resistance inside the system unit:
- provide enough space for air passage inside the computer case;
- carefully lay the cables inside the system unit using cable ties;
- Install a dust filter at the air intake point (do not forget to clean it regularly).
9. Regularly (about once every three months) clean your computer from dust.
10. If possible, change the thermal paste on the central processor once a year.
The “correct” fan
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If the noise level is not very important for you, then you can install high-speed coolers. If the “noise” of the computer plays an important role, then I advise you to install “thick” low-speed fans of a larger size.
Also pay attention to the gap between the blades and the fan rim: it should be no more than 2 mm (ideally, tenths of a mm). Otherwise, the efficiency of such a fan will be very low.
Which is better: air or water?
This question is very often of interest to people who assemble a computer themselves or are interested in the issue of upgrading it. Water is definitely better: the heat capacity is two times higher than that of air, and the density is 800 times higher. Those. All other things being equal, water removes 1500 times more heat than air.
The noise level of this design is about the same, but the complexity is much higher. Hence the big disadvantage - changing PC configurations after installing a water cooling system will be more difficult.
The most effective and interesting option are thermal tubes.
Thermal tubes
Thermal tubes are a combination of two tubes, one inside the other, sealed and filled with coolant. It works as follows: in the heated part, the conductor evaporates and is transferred as steam to the cooled area, where condensation is formed, which returns through the inner tube to the heated area.
Such tubes are compact and almost silent. High thermal conductivity is achieved thanks to technological features: heat spreads at the speed of sound.
One nuance that manufacturers are silent about is the boiling point of the coolant. Namely, this indicator determines the threshold at which thermopipes from ordinary coolers turn into highly efficient heat removal systems. Before purchasing, carefully study the documentation; the recommended boiling point of the coolant is 35-40 degrees.
Thermal paste fills irregularities at the contact point between the cooler and the processor, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of heat transfer between them.
1. Before using new thermal paste, remove any remaining old thermal paste from the surface of the processor. For this it is better to use special napkins.
2. Use thermal paste with high thermal conductivity and low viscosity.
3. Do not dilute thermal paste, you will thereby reduce its thermal conductivity.
4. Do not apply too much thermal paste, this will not improve the efficiency.
Every home has a lot of computer fans: CPU coolers, video cards and PC power supplies. They can be used to replace burnt ones, or they can be connected directly to the power supply. There can be many applications for this: as a blower in hot weather, ventilating the workplace from smoke during soldering, in electronic toys, and so on.
Fans usually come in standard sizes, with 80mm and 120mm coolers being the most popular today. Their connection is also standardized, so all you need to know is the pinout of the 2, 3 and 4 pin connectors.
On modern motherboards based on the sixth or seventh generation of Intel processors, as a rule, only 4 pin connectors are soldered, and 3 pin connectors are already a thing of the past, so we will see them only in older generations of coolers and fans. As for the location of their installation - on the power supply unit, video adapter or processor, this does not matter at all since the connection is standard and the main thing here is the pinout of the connector.
4 pin cooler wire pinout
Here the rotation speed can not only be read, but also changed. This is done using an impulse from the motherboard. It is capable of returning information to the tachogenerator in real time (the 3-pin one is incapable of this, since the sensor and controller are on the same power line).
3 pin cooler connector pinout
The most common type of fan is 3 pin. In addition to the negative and 12 volt wires, a third, “tacho” wire appears here. It sits directly on the sensor leg.
- Black wire - ground (Ground/-12V);
- Red wire - positive (+12V);
- Yellow wire - revolutions (RPM).
2 pin cooler wire pinout
The simplest cooler with two wires. The most common colors: black and red. Black - working negative of the board, red - 12 V power supply.
Here the coils create a magnetic field, which causes the rotor to spin within the magnetic field created by the magnet, and the Hall effect sensor evaluates the rotation (position) of the rotor.
How to connect a 3-pin cooler to a 4-pin
To connect a 3-pin cooler to a 4-pin connector on the motherboard in order to be able to programmatically adjust the speed, use the following diagram:
When a 3-wire fan is directly connected to a 4-pin connector on the motherboard, the fan will always rotate, because the motherboard will not have the ability to control the 3-pin fan and adjust the speed of the cooler.
Connecting the cooler to the power supply or battery
To connect to the power supply, use standard connectors, but if you need to change the number of revolutions (speed), you just need to reduce the voltage supplied to the cooler, and this is done very simply by rearranging the wires on the socket:
This way you can connect any fan, and the lower the voltage, the lower the speed, and therefore the quieter its operation. If the computer does not get very hot, but is very noisy, you can use this method.
To power it from batteries or rechargeable batteries, simply connect the plus to the red wire and the minus to the black wire of the cooler. It starts to rotate at 3 volts, the maximum speed will be somewhere around 15. You cannot increase the voltage any more - the motor windings will burn out from overheating. The current consumption will be approximately 50-100 milliamps.
PC cooler installation and repair
In order to disassemble the fan, you need to remove the sticker on the side of the wires, opening access to the rubber plug, which we remove.
We pick up the plastic or metal half-ring with any object with a sharp end (a stationery knife, a flat-head screwdriver, etc.) and remove it from the shaft. The view reveals a motor operating on direct current using a brushless principle. An all-metal magnet is attached to the plastic base of the rotor with an impeller in a circle around the shaft, and a magnetic circuit on a copper coil is attached to the stator.
Then clean the hole under the axle and drop a little machine oil there, put it back together, install a plug (so that dust doesn’t get clogged) and continue using the much quieter fan.
All such fans have a brushless rotation mechanism: they are reliable, economical, quiet and have the ability to adjust the speed.
In modern coolers, the connectors are much smaller, where the first contact is numbered and is “minus”, the second is “plus”, the third transmits data about the current rotation speed of the impeller, and the fourth controls the rotation speed.
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