Why is my computer making a reeving noise?

The other day my computer started making a loud noise. It sounds like a car engine revving up and down. What could be making this noise and is it serious?

Alan, Wallsend

Hi Alan,

No need to panic is isn’t a massive computer repair. It is something that should be addressed but it is a pretty quick and easy fix.

Computers run at an extremely high temperature. To keep them from melting they have fans in them that move air over heat sinks. A heat sink is a radiator, a large metal honeycomb designed to assist in cooling the components.

As the fans in your computer drive air over the heat sinks they collect dust. This blocks the airflow and reduces the effectiveness of the heat sinks. The fans are designed to only run as fast as they need to to keep the computer’s components at an appropriate temperature. As the dust reduces the effectiveness of the heat sinks the fans have to work harder to keep the temperature down.

We often see this problem coming into summer. The computer has been fine over the winter as the temperature of the air is lower. As the temperature outside goes up the dust build up over the winter causes the fans to work harder than they should producing the sound that you hear.

If you are game you can purchase Air in an aerosolised can that you can use to blow out the excess dust (make sure you wear your PPE including a dusk mask), however we do recommend getting an expert to do it. Your computer is full of delicate electronics that can be damaged by the static electricity created by the Air in a Can.

So in summary the issue is quiet common and a simple and cheap fix.