Cooling & noise glossary

A heatsink is a block of thin metal fins attached to a hot chip, like the processor or the graphics chip. Heat moves into the fins and fans blow it away. When dust clogs the fins, temperatures and fan noise go up.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud

A fan curve tells the fans how fast to spin at each temperature, for example 30% at 50°C and 75% at 80°C. A gentler curve keeps the PC quieter; a steeper one keeps it cooler.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud

Many graphics cards and power supplies stop their fans entirely when they're cool and only start them when needed. Fans that don't spin at idle are usually this feature, not a fault.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud

Thermal paste fills the tiny gaps between a chip and its cooler so heat flows well. It can dry out after several years, which makes the chip run hotter.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud

Undervolting lowers the voltage a processor or graphics card runs at. Less voltage means less power, heat and fan noise, often with little or no performance loss. It's an advanced tweak and should be tested carefully.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud

Coil whine is a high-pitched electrical buzz from tiny components on the graphics card or power supply. It isn't the fans and is usually harmless. It often gets louder at very high frame rates, such as in game menus.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud

The bearing is the small part at the center of a fan that it spins on. As it wears out, the fan starts to grind, rattle or hum, especially when cold. A worn bearing means the fan needs replacing.

Mentioned in: Why Is My GPU Fan So Loud