This is probably going to seem really obvious, but based on how many PCs end up totally failing, it's worth raising your awareness.
Is your PC making any new noises? Are the fans running faster than normal (a higher pitched whine) or can you hear a vibration from within the box?
Is it silent now when it wasn't before?
Inside virtually every PC (and notebook/laptop) are cooling fans. These fans can be as large as 15cm wide or as small as 2cm. There are many different types, but few are ball-bearing based. Most are a sleeve design and they do eventually wear out.
So fan noise is a really important sign of impending doom...
Why doom? The parts inside in a PC don't like to run too hot. If fans fail, things can overheat really quickly. Sometimes a PC will shut down to protect itself but often it won't and then we find parts fail permanently.
It can be expensive to replace parts. It's much cheaper to replace a dodgy cooling fan early on.
So whether your PC is making new noises (even if only occassionally) or it's suddenly a lot quieter - get us to take a look before it costs you a lot of money.
