Originally Posted by
OverThereTooMuch
They're generally one of a few standard sizes - 120mm, 92mm or 80mm. If it's a standard, you can get a replacement at someplace like Best Buy. If it's a different size, you might have to go to a bigger place like Fry's or order it online.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...B%20Case%20Fan
That's a pic of the connector types you might see on the fan. The stubborn plugs that Loren talked about are the bigger 4 pin plugs. The ones directly on the system board are the smaller 3 pin ones.
I think the motherboard powered ones are more common these days, so that the system can monitor the fan operation. I looked at a bunch of fans, and the majority of them come with both types of connectors.
I agree they will be in both forms. However, it's been a long time since I've seen anything but a CPU fan powered from the motherboard.
Originally Posted by
Paint Horse
Even if all the fans are running sometimes the thermal seal between the CPU and the fan on top of it will fail. This connection has the most impact on CPU temperature.
His problem is a case fan, not the CPU fan.