Fan Switch Clicks?

C

Crimsonnaire

Member
I've been experiencing double clicks (2 clicks at a time) eminating from the computer tower when power is on. I don't believe it's the hard drive because the click is much louder. It is identical to the single click I hear as I press the power button. A brief search indicated the fan switch on the motherboard as the only other thing possible of clicking as it turns on and off, which makes sense since the sounds are identical. The area I live in suffers from frequent brownouts, however the computer usually either powers down or restarts during a brownout. Can brownouts ever be minor enough to only effect the fan switch on a motherboard?

By the way, do brownouts fry motherboards, or is that only when there's a power surge? Do you have to replace surge protectors over time?

Any info or opinion is greatly appreciated.
 
I've never heard of a fan switch. I'd like to see what you've read that points you in this direction because nothing with fans make clicks unless they're physically dragging something or going bad. If that's the case, it would probably be a constant click.

From the sound of it, I'm wondering if it's the motherboard making sounds from the speaker. Most motherboards have external speakers connected to them, but some have build-in buzzers. If you're does have an external speaker, see if you can pull the wire from it.

As for brownouts, they really shouldn't harm your motherboard, for the most part... The power supply should keep a pretty consistent current going to the motherboard. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there's essentially a threshold where the power supply works. Once it gets below that, it'll cut off. Until that, the power going to your computer is essentially the same.

Much the same can be said regarding power surges. The powersupply should take the blunt of it. A good power supply will blow a fuse or something before sending too much current to your internal components.

And finally, surge protectors. Technically yes, you're suppsed to replace them every few years. Though I can say most of mine are probably over 5 years old... So, for good measure you may want to, but typically they will work fine...
 
Thank you so much for the detailed clarification.

I contacted the person who wrote the messages regarding the fan switch and he pointed out to me that the switches he referred to are silent, and that the clicks I was hearing were probably from power switch of the hard drive, which I've found more plausible as of lately. I just didn't suspect the hard drive at first because the monitor didn't show anything unusual like freezing when the clicks happened. I figured if the hard drive shut off for even a split second, the screen would freeze. As suggested to me, I'm gonna have to open the case and pinpoint the exact source of the sound, which was a pretty obvious solution once I thought about it.

Thanks again for your input. I appreciate it very much.
 
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