i'm tired of this computer whining

For the past 4 years, this computer always whines, as in it makes a constant noise that gets higher in pitch as the cpu usage gets higher. Rarely, it'll start up not whining, and stay that way for a few minutes, only to fire up the whining again.

I was made aware that dust in the psu could cause this, so I cleaned out my psu, but to no avail. I'm just tired of this whining noise, and am wondering how to get rid of it for good (besides replacing the computer >_>)?

P3 550mhz
200W psu (don't laugh too hard)
384mb ram
16mb voodoo vid card

 

Clean out the cpu heatsink,in the middle of the motherboard theres a metal block with a fan on it,this is the cpu heatsink,blow out all the dust,this should improve airflow and cool down your cpu,the noise could also be one of any of the other fans,either its going,or its just a small noisy fan,you will have to find out where the noise is coming from and replace the fan,not the whole computer.

 

After cleaning out the heatsink fan (my computer would've worked the same without it as clogged up as it was), and cleaning the burned dust off the heatsink and the fan, it's MUCH quieter. Although I can faintly still hear that whining. Is that normal though for a computer this old, or is there anything else I can do to get rid of it?

 

after 4 years cheap generic fans with with sleeve bearings definitely start to show thier wear by clattering,it varies between computers,thats why new computers always sound quieter,no way around it really,either replace the fan thats making the noise,or add an additional fan to aid cooling,hopefully the motherboard will slow down the noisy fans.

 

Replacement shouldn't be hard or expensive -- though finding a replacement CPU fan by itself may be a challenge. It may be simpler to replace the heatsink/fan assembly.

When you're buying a replacement, pay some attention to noise specs. Unfortunately, those specs don't tell you whether it's air noise or fan noise. The latter is likely to be a whine.