A user reports that their tower PC has begun making a rhythmic grinding noise that increases in volume as soon as the power button is pressed. The noise continues while the system is at the BIOS splash screen and stops only when power is removed. No hard-drive activity LEDs flash during the noise, and the system eventually overheats and shuts down after several minutes. Which internal component is MOST likely at fault?
Because the grinding begins immediately at power-on, persists before the operating system loads, and is followed by an over-temperature shutdown, the source is most likely a mechanical cooling device. A failing CPU heatsink/fan assembly can produce a loud grinding or rattling sound when its bearings wear out. As the fan slows or stalls, the CPU cannot dissipate heat, leading the system to protect itself by powering off. A magnetic hard drive can grind, but its activity light would flash only when the BIOS or OS accesses the disk, and drive failure does not directly cause rapid thermal shutdowns. A PCIe graphics card and the CMOS battery do not normally create continuous mechanical noise when they fail.
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What is the function of a CPU heatsink and fan assembly?
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