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A computer cooling fan is a component that creates airflow to dissipate heat and prevent hardware overheating by either drawing cool air into the computer case, expelling warm air, or moving air across heat sinks to cool specific components like the CPU or GPU. These fans use a rotating impeller with blades to create a pressure difference, forcing air through the case. They are powered and controlled through 3-pin or 4-pin connectors on the motherboard and are available in various sizes, such as 120mm or 140mm, with different designs for general airflow or high-static pressure applications.

How They Work

Pressure Difference: A motor-driven impeller with blades spins, creating high pressure in front and low pressure behind it.

Airflow: This pressure difference forces air to move through the fan.

Cooling: Fans bring cool air into the computer case, push hot air out, and circulate air across heat sinks to draw heat away from components like the CPU and GPU.

Component Cooling: Fans are essential for maintaining optimal operating temperatures, preventing performance loss and hardware damage caused by overheating.

Types of Computer Fans Case Fans: Installed in the computer case to circulate air throughout the entire system.

CPU Fans: Mounted directly on the CPU to cool the processor.

GPU Fans: Located on the graphics card to cool the GPU, especially during intensive tasks like gaming.

Power Supply Fans: Housed within the power supply unit to expel hot air from that component.

Liquid Cooling Fans: Used with a radiator in a liquid cooling system to dissipate heat from the liquid coolant.