How important is the fan on a stock HSF for a C2D, Pentium Dual computer?

[tracerit]

My uncle has a Dell Optiplex 380 computer that has given him a CPU fan failure warning on bootup. I don't know the exact specs of the CPU, but it could be a Core 2 Duo or a Pentium Dual Core CPU with most likely the stock fan? Just curious how long these CPUs can last without a working fan, relying only on the heatsink?

The computer is used in a POS cashier lane in the market. So I would like to think it's for extremely light use and idle most of the time.

 

[Burpo]

It's probably a 65 watt cpu, and will last awhile, but you really should clean or replace the fan.

 

[sdifox]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Dell-Optiple...798211?hash=item5b28477f43:g:B~MAAOSwtnpXmPA2

 

[Sheep221]

Replace the fan

 

[tracerit]

I'm planning on replacing the fan, but I won't be able to do it for a month (out of state market). We could bring it to a shop, but they'll charge probably what the computer's worth now. I just want to make sure it'll work wit no issues until then.

 

[NTMBK]

It will work, but be very slow. Modern Intel CPUs throttle down if they start to overheat.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That CPU was released sometime between 2006 and 2010. They released a C2D in 2010 that was a Wolfdale with the recycled model-code 6700, but it was also called a "Pentium."

Either way you cut it, it's old -- probably no worse off if the fan is only recently showing failure. You would just do well to replace it with a stock fan issued for that CPU, or a beefier stock cooler which has the same motherboard fittings. I remember some C2D processors that came with an all-aluminum heatsink which were easily replaced with a C2Q heatsink with a copper core. If you were to purchase something like a CM Hyper 212 EVO for $30, it would only be justified if you planned eventually to replace the motherboard and processor for something newer which could use the 212 EVO.

 

[sdifox]

Aim a fan at the computer if you are concerned about heat til you can replace the cpu fan

 

[sm625]

As long as it is truly idle, with no windows update threads gobbling away in the background, then it could probably sit idle indefinitely at around 70C without ever crashing.