A motor-driven fan that is part of the computer case. Contrast with fans that are attached to the CPU or graphics chips. See fan and CPU cooler. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other ...

Under normal circumstances, the CPU in your desktop PC generates modest amounts of heat; a smart fan on top of the CPU runs just fast enough to keep it cool. At this speed, you barely hear the fan.

A broken fan can cause your computer to overheat and damage internal components like the CPU, video card, hard drive and motherboard. Computer fans usually adjust their speed depending on the heat ...