I'm having some trouble with my AIO cooler fan and could really use some help. I wouldn't say I'm a hardware expert—I'd just rate myself as somewhat familiar with computers, but I'm not totally lost either. My roommate built this PC for me less than a year ago, and just a few days ago, the middle fan of my NZXT Kraken Elite 350 RGB cooler (75.12 CFM) started acting up. At first, it was a slight jitter during boot that corrected itself, but it soon escalated. Now, when I boot up, it struggles and makes an aggressive noise, then stops and starts over. Sometimes it won't work at all, and I noticed that the fan feels quite hot. I've been trying to troubleshoot: I cleaned it with compressed air, checked for any obstructing wires or dust, and looked for driver updates but found nothing. I can adjust fan speeds in the NZXT CAM software, but can't control individual fans. The CPU temps are fine, so I'm thinking it might be a specific issue with that fan. I've read it could be a bearing problem, but I'm unsure how to confirm that. I'm also hesitant to mess with the internal components without guidance, so I'm looking for any advice or troubleshooting tips. Thanks for taking the time to read this! My full build includes an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, Gigabyte X870 AORUS ELITE motherboard, and Corsair Vengeance RAM, among other components.
1 Answer
It definitely sounds like a bad fan bearing to me. If that's the case, you might need to replace the entire cooler since AIO coolers usually aren't designed for individual fan replacements.
Yeah, that's what I was worried about too. If it is a bearing issue, the whole cooler replacement is a bummer! Hopefully, it’s something simpler, though.