CPU Fans

CPU Fans questions

Which CPU Fans brands does Memory Clearance carry?

The most listed brands in CPU Fans are Dell, HP, IBM, Sun, Delta and Apple. Every listing names its manufacturer and part number, so you can search by either.

Are these CPU Fans products new or refurbished?

Both. Of the 7,690 listings, 3,192 state a condition: 3,023 are refurbished and 169 are new. The other 4,498 do not record one, so ask for it when you request a quote. The condition shown on a listing is the condition you receive.

How do I get a price on a CPU Fans part?

1,390 CPU Fans listings show a price you can order at. Items marked "Call for Price" have a Request for Quote button; send the part number and quantity and the sales team replies weekdays between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm PST.

How to choose CPU fans and cooling modules

This category covers three different kinds of part under one name: fan modules and bare fans built for a specific server or switch chassis, CPU heatsinks, and a smaller run of desktop and workstation coolers. The 7,690 listings here span 134 brands, led by Dell (2,278), HP (1,928), and IBM (666), plus component makers Delta (229) and Nidec (204) and desktop brands Apple (209) and Lian Li (133). Prices sit at the low end of the catalogue for a server part, but only 1,384 of the 7,690 listings carry a price online; the rest show a Request for Quote button, answered weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST on (800) 733-1169.

A server fan module is not interchangeable the way a desktop case fan is. It plugs into a specific bay and reports its tachometer signal to the server's management controller, which checks that signal against the fan curve it expects for the exact part installed. Fit the wrong fan, or one the controller does not recognise, and it can raise an alarm or spin every fan in the chassis to full speed, normal behaviour rather than a fault. Read the part number off the old fan and match it (see how to identify a part by OEM number) rather than matching by size.

Many modules here are hot-pluggable, built so one fan can be pulled and replaced while the server keeps running, like the Dell Hot-Pluggable Fan Assembly listed for the PowerEdge R710. Hot-swap chassis are designed around a set number of populated and blank fan bays. A blank is not a missing part: it closes the airflow path, and pulling one without fitting a replacement lets air bypass the components the design is meant to cool. Redundant listings, such as the HP Redundant Cooling Fan carried here, exist for the same reason, so one fan can fail without a shutdown.

Airflow direction is a specified attribute on 16 listings here, marked "Front to Back" air discharge flow, and a module moving air the wrong way works against a rack's hot aisle and cold aisle layout. The catalogue also carries 827 CPU heatsinks, standard on higher-wattage processors that a bare fan cannot cool alone, and 108 fan trays built to hold more than one fan rotor; the quantity of fans on a listing here runs from one up to six.

CPU fan buying questions

Will any fan the right size fit my server?

No. A server or switch fan module plugs into one bay on one chassis and reports its tachometer signal to the management controller, which checks it against the fan curve for the exact part it expects. A same-size fan from a different model is not a safe substitute: matching the part number is what the system is built to recognise, whatever the physical fit looks like.

What does "hot-pluggable" mean on a fan listing?

It means the fan is built to be pulled and replaced while the server keeps running, without a shutdown. Hot-swap bays are part of a chassis's airflow design: a blank bay closes the airflow path the same way a populated one does, so remove a fan only when you are fitting its replacement, not leaving the bay empty.

Is a refurbished CPU fan or heatsink reliable?

A fan has one moving part, the rotor, and bearing wear is not visible from outside, so the condition on the listing is what to check. Of the 7,690 listings here, 3,109 declare a condition: 2,962 Refurbished and 147 New. Where a listing does not state one, the catalogue has none on record. See what each condition grade means before ordering.

How do I find the right fan for my exact server or switch model?

Read the part number off the fan being replaced, or off the chassis label if the fan has failed, and search or request a quote with that number. Model name alone is not always enough: one switch fan module family here is stocked under two separate part numbers, so confirm the exact number rather than assuming one fan covers the whole model line.