Spinning sound when CPU usage is high

Hi,
My CPU (Emachines T3958 made in 2005) goes into 100% usage and, when it does, I hear a whirring sound for a few seconds to up to 5 minutes at times. Is it the hard disk spinning that makes this sound? My PC runs at about 44º C especially in the recent heat wave. Someone once said it was the CPU fan making that sound.
Thanks for your help,
Angie

 

I'm going to safely say that its a fan.

 

I will also safely confirm that it will be the fan.

 

Thanks for your replys.
That's a relief that it is the fan. I saw a PC fan for $19 at Staples on the Clearance table. Maybe I'll look into it. Can I use two fans inside the PC? And also, is it tricky to install?
Angie

 

Open up your case and look for yourself.

 

Ok. So I will "open up the case and I will see for myself" whether or not I can install two fans and also whether or not it will be tricky to install a fan? Hum!

 

You might want to hold off on a new fan. Take a look at your power supply and see what its capacity is. Have you added any new hardware to that machine since you got it?

My suspicion (which you can verify when you open the case) is that the fan noise is from the fan that cools the CPU. And I also suspect that it makes a noise because your power supply is under strain when the CPU is at 100%.

So, another fan may make it worse.

 

No. It's the original hardware.

Thanks for the tip about holding off on a new fan. Everything in the PC is original hardware so I was thinking the power supply would have been able to handle the strain of the factory installed hardware. Too bad if it can't. I am no longer under the warrantee.

 

yh its the fan, you could safely get a cheap powerful PSU and a cheap good fan

 

Well, I'm not betting the farm that's it's the PSU, but you know how they are--supply the minimum they can get away with to make the most profit.

A new PSU is not too expensive. If you add any more hardware, you should consider it. Else, the fan may last as long as the machine, so take a gamble.

 

Thank you both for your replies. I guess it's a trip to Manny the computer guy down the block. He's been pretty good with my past PC's. Even put a PSU in my old Dell.
All the best,
Angie

 

Yeah opening up the case and listening to see where the sound comes from can do wonders...I know the fan of my PSU on my old comp is making noise....it took me opening the case and running the PC for a while to figure out the noise.