my dinosaur PC has a fan mounted on top of a massive heat sink and the fan finally shit the bed, can I get a new one at COMP-USA?

6/8/2009 11:29:21 PM

didn't get go out of business? are they still in liquidation? or am I thinking of somebody else?

6/9/2009 12:01:02 AM

well they did

but evidently they bought tiger direct on capital and jacked up the prices

or so i read here: message_topic.aspx?topic=568187

6/9/2009 12:02:26 AM

other way around....tiger direct bought compusa and re-branded their store

6/9/2009 12:14:29 AM

huh? the comp-usa here in raleigh has been closed forever.



here's what I was basing that statement on. i haven't been out there in a while, so i cant confirm.

Quote :

"So, I got lazy and was almost exclusively using Tigerdirect.com's store for a long time. Unfortunately since they've decided to take the store "upmarket" and rename it CompUSA (complete with overpricing) I'm at something of a loss for local places to get computer parts."

but i see what you're saying: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2008/01/back-from-the-dead-compusa-assets-snapped-up-by-tigerdirect.ars

i'm betting TD bought the name, and proceeded to slap it on the front of their retail stores

6/9/2009 12:17:51 AM

Quote :

"my dinosaur PC"

got to here and first thought was to just upgrade

why get new rims on a piece of shit when u can just buy a 2009 that already has rims...in garage terms i mean

although a better analogy would be getting a new radiator on a piece of shit when you could just buy a new car

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 1:18 AM. Reason : better analogy]

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 1:18 AM. Reason : new rims would be more like getting a new harddrive]

6/9/2009 1:16:44 AM

Every time you get lost on your way to Chit Chat it ends up a disaster.

To the OP, what CPU is it, I know I've got 1-2 old CPU fans that I could probably let go for cheap ($5) but I'm pretty sure they are AMD Athlon fans (don't remember the socket type).

6/9/2009 7:51:07 AM

not sure on the processor (cant see it under the mastodonic heat sink) it wont even boot up since I unplugged the fan either its all like "not cool, man... not cool"

the fan is a cooler master and is approx 70mmx70mmx14mm (nothing that size on the cooler master site)

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 8:32 AM. Reason : mpar]

6/9/2009 8:25:07 AM

Quote :

"Every time you get lost on your way to Chit Chat it ends up a disaster."

usually true

6/9/2009 9:11:45 AM

CompUSA still exists. I still get spam email from them, "Hurry, you only have __ hours to pay!!!". I give them credit for trying a different sales approach.

CompUSA will likely not carry a variety of items in stock. Figure out what type of fan you need, buy from newegg.com and fork over the extra $Texas to get 2-day UPS shipping.

6/9/2009 9:13:30 AM

Quote :

"the fan is a cooler master and is approx 70mmx70mmx14mm (nothing that size on the cooler master site)"

Pretty sure my heatsinks are larger than this, how old is your machine?

6/9/2009 9:33:58 AM

bought it in.... '03 I think? its a HP pavilion a220n, looks like an amd athlon somethingorother 2ghz
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us%E2%8C%A9=en&product=329076&dlc=en&docname=c00026686


Does it make sense that it wont boot after unplugging the CPU fan from the motherboard? I guess it failed the POST? It just flashes the main power light on the front of the case if I turn it on, nothing comes on the monitor at all. If it matters, I tried plugging the dead fan back in and still nothing.

6/9/2009 9:41:33 AM

You have a Socket A processor. You need a fan that fits it.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574%201371026036&name=Socket%20A

Thats Neweggs listing of Socket A fans/heatsinks. Pick one and buy it.

6/9/2009 12:33:28 PM

cool

6/10/2009 9:53:07 AM

cool


Do these fans typically run 100% of the time on a lower speed and then kick into a high speed when temps get too high? Because over the past couple years, about once a day the fan that is now dead would go to high speed and make all kinds of noise (it had a missing blade).

6/10/2009 9:56:43 AM

yeah their speed varies depending upon temperature typically

6/10/2009 10:00:16 AM

also depends on the type of fan. most fans today are PWM which are regulated based on the temp. Older ones (which yours may be) are on all the time same speed. You can also get a fan controller and theres tons of software out there which will allow you to control and/or manually set it.

6/10/2009 10:48:00 AM

scored a replacement fan off ebay for cheap and the computer is back to its former glory

meaning that it works just like before, throwing the random BSOD up to ruin my day but working nonetheless

[Edited on June 12, 2009 at 5:46 PM. Reason : thanks for all the help guys]

6/12/2009 5:45:44 PM