Replacing the CPU fan on Helios 300 317-52

Smirnoff3l
Smirnoff3l Member Posts: 1 New User
edited November 2023 in 2020 Archives
Lately, my CPU fan has been making this horrible rattling noise. Also, its max RPM is lower than the GPU's fan and lower than it used to I think. Temperatures are higher too, but still manageable (undervolted the CPU).
I think the best approach would be replacing the fan since disassembling the fan and tinkering with it would cause more problems in my opinion. So I'm thinking of replacing it when I get the chance. From what I've gathered on similar posts, the CPU fan is the plastic one and GPU is the AeroBlade 3D fan.
Right now I could try to clean the fans and replace thermal paste while I'm there, but I want to minimize the times I have to open the laptop, so blowing the fans with compressed air from outside without disassembly should suffice for now.
To sum up. If I am to replace the CPU fan, is it worth upgrading it to the metal one? (I want to stick to OEM parts) And, is waiting for the fan to die and then replacing it then a relatively safe approach? Down the line If I'm replacing the fan, I'll replace the thermal paste and clean the fans and heatsink too.
The warranty period is over.

Best Answer

  • getskilled
    getskilled Member Posts: 12

    Tinkerer
    Answer ✓
    I wouldn't wait for your fan to completely die before replacing it if you already know there might be a problem with the one you have, since then you could end up with other issues and damage related to overheating if the fan isn't functioning well, and those might be harder to fix. Cleaning it could fix the issue if it's just something that can be blown out easily, but fans often do end up just getting nasty over time, especially if they're paired with small vents that just eventually get blocked. In my experience, no matter how much air you blow through a fan, it will eventually get dirty enough to really need to be cleaned out and/or replaced.
    As far as swapping fans goes, I've honestly have good better luck with after market parts in general. I've never done an Acer one, so they might be fine, but I've found that factory parts often cost more and take longer to arrive but are otherwise pretty comparable to getting them after market from someone reputable.  Since they're generally way cheaper when it comes to fans, I usually just replace the part if I know it's having issues. I kind of expect that at a certain point, regardless of how often I spray it out, I'll need to replace fans every few years or so, but I also have long hair, which is kind of the enemy of fans everywhere. I couldn't tell you if the metal fan for this model makes a difference, but having had some metal fans in the past, they do eventually clog up too and break. So I guess it's really a matter of how long you expect to use it and if it's worth the extra expense in the long run. Either way, I wouldn't wait to do anything until the fan flat out stops working.

Answers

  • getskilled
    getskilled Member Posts: 12

    Tinkerer
    Answer ✓
    I wouldn't wait for your fan to completely die before replacing it if you already know there might be a problem with the one you have, since then you could end up with other issues and damage related to overheating if the fan isn't functioning well, and those might be harder to fix. Cleaning it could fix the issue if it's just something that can be blown out easily, but fans often do end up just getting nasty over time, especially if they're paired with small vents that just eventually get blocked. In my experience, no matter how much air you blow through a fan, it will eventually get dirty enough to really need to be cleaned out and/or replaced.
    As far as swapping fans goes, I've honestly have good better luck with after market parts in general. I've never done an Acer one, so they might be fine, but I've found that factory parts often cost more and take longer to arrive but are otherwise pretty comparable to getting them after market from someone reputable.  Since they're generally way cheaper when it comes to fans, I usually just replace the part if I know it's having issues. I kind of expect that at a certain point, regardless of how often I spray it out, I'll need to replace fans every few years or so, but I also have long hair, which is kind of the enemy of fans everywhere. I couldn't tell you if the metal fan for this model makes a difference, but having had some metal fans in the past, they do eventually clog up too and break. So I guess it's really a matter of how long you expect to use it and if it's worth the extra expense in the long run. Either way, I wouldn't wait to do anything until the fan flat out stops working.

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