Features

Fans are attached to processors in a number of different ways, and there's no standard method. However, they are all relatively easy to remove, and replacing an older fan is the quickest and easiest way of quietening your computer. Be aware that this upgrade will invalidate a PC warranty. Also, static electricity that might not even be noticeable to us can damage the electronics in your PC. The best way to avoid this is to wear an anti-static bracelet.

	1 If you've bought an Intel Celeron or Pentium 4 processor in the past two years, you're in luck - Intel has used the same mechanism consistently during that time. Simply lift the levers on either side of the processor, take out the fan and heat sink and replace them. These come as a single unit, so to replace the fan you must also replace the heat sink.

2 If you replace the heat sink as well as the fan, you may find that the manufacturers have used thermal paste. You must remove any residue from the processor before you fit the new unit. The best method is to use a CPU cleaning fluid such as Akasa's TIM-Clean. However, if you can't find any such products in your area, you could try using isopropyl alcohol. Just squeeze a little fluid on to an ordinary tissue and carefully wipe the top of the processor clean. If for any reason you have taken the processor out (although you shouldn't need to), hold it by the edges, and avoid touching the pins underneath. In picture two, above, you can see two processors, one that is shiny and clean, and one that still has a film of thermal glue.

	3 In some computers, particularly older ones, you may be able to detach the fan from the heat sink. If so, you could replace it with a new, quieter fan. There are two shown here: an 80mm fan and a larger 120mm version. For extra noise reduction, install a fan adaptor. Position the adaptor on top of the heat sink, place the fan on top of that and screw the lot into place.

	4 You need to plug the fan into the power supply. Shown in picture four are three types of power connector that you will come across. Both the smaller connectors plug into pins on the motherboard. The larger four-pin plug attaches directly to one of the connectors from the system's power supply unit (PSU). The next two steps show the pins and PSU connector.

	5 On most motherboards, the pins for the CPU fan are clearly labelled and are located near the processor slot. Just slide the connector on.

	6 The PSU is usually encased in metal, and can be found in a corner of the system box. It has a fan on the outside of the case and lots of multi-coloured cables coming out of it. To take the picture we removed the PSU from the case, but normally some of these connectors would be plugged into the hard disk, DVD drive and so on.