Okay, just today my chipset fan has started being very, very noisy... sounds kind of like something's maybe grinding. I shut down the computer, opened up the case, and cleared out a bunch of dust hoping that might help, but it's still just as bad, and any time the computer's on, the metal around the base of the chipset fan is very hot to the touch - moreso than I believe is safe for the computer.
I'm worried that the chipset fan is going to fail soon, or already is failing, and not entirely sure how to go about fixing this, or how deadly of a problem it is. My motherboard's an ASUS A8N5X that I bought about a year ago, and the chipset fan's just the standard one that came with the board. I've also been thinking for about half a year that I ought to buy a quieter fan.
I've been thinking about buying this fan+heatsink, since it looks to be very quiet and quite safely cold, though I'm not sure if it'll be worth the extra cost.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108072
I'd appreciate any replies on what may be the problem, or what I should do. Most specifically, I'm wondering about how/if I should replace the fan, and with what, and wondering whether it's safe to continue running my computer for a few days with the noisy fan before the one I (may) order arrives.
Edit: It sounds like the sound's resolved itself by now, and a cursory feel inside of my computer has revealed that the fan is in fact still running. I'm still debating whether or not to get a replacement fan, and wondering what to get if I do.
Edit2: Nevermind, it just started again.