page_title: Computer fan
section_title: Multiple purposes
hierarchical_section_title: Computer fan / Applications / Multiple purposes
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Radiallüfter für einen Prozessorkühler
context_page_description: A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for active cooling. Fans are used to draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside and move air across a heat sink to cool a particular component. Both axial and sometimes centrifugal fans are used in computers. Computer fans commonly come in standard sizes, and are powered and controlled using 3-pin or 4-pin fan connectors.
context_section_description: A case fan may be mounted on a radiator attached to the case, simultaneously operating to cool a liquid cooling device's working fluid and to ventilate the case. In laptops, a single blower fan often cools a heat sink connected to both CPU and GPU using heat pipes. In rack-mounted servers, a single row of fans may operate to create an airflow through the chassis from front to rear, which is directed by passive ducts or shrouds across individual components' heat sinks.
caption: A small blower fan is used to direct air across a laptop computer's CPU cooler.
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