Gateway DX4822-01 - need new CPU cooler

The fan in my CPU cooler made a noise comparable to a lawnmower a bit ago- it did stop the noise, I shut down and blew dust out, though it did it for a few seconds after restarting as well. I ruled out the rear case fan, it's definitely the CPU fan. It actually did this once a few months ago, at the time I mistook it for the rear case fan, popping the side panel off the PC made the noise quit(I figure due to the sudden shock of popping it loose vibrating the case), so I ignored it.

So I figure the bearings are probably going out and I should buy something new right away, since there's no sticker to lift up to add a lubricant.

So then... what fan do I go with? The mobo looks to use the 4 push-in pins and the wire connector to the mobo is a 4-pin wire. So will any cooler/fan combo of that type work, or do I need some proprietary thing to fit the Gateway? The one that sits inside is a large heatsink with a cylinder around the fan that extends out to just short of the side panel.

A photo of inside the case would be useful, but I think you'll be good with any cooler as long as it will fit inside the case.

That's a stock photo but it's the same cooler with cylinder around it.

The specs I can find have the case as 7.1" wide, so you'd be best looking at a cooler that's around 5" tall. To be safe you could do with measuring the height of the cooler that's installed before going any further, you don't want to buy one that's too big.

I think this will work, I checked the specs and it's compatible with my CPU slot. It lacks the cylinder around the fan but that shouldn't be a problem.

Amazon.com: ARCTIC Alpine 11 GT Rev. 2 CPU Cooler - Intel, Supports Multiple Sockets, 80mm PWM Fan at 22dBA: Computers & Accessories

Though I haven't had that fan noise again. I suspect it may have been a small bit of dust caught in the bearing. Speccy is also showing the CPU temp at around 33C so the fan is doing its job. BUT better safe than sorry. Can't say I look forward to installing it, I'll have to mostly gut the case to get the mobo out- or at the very least, take out the PSU because there's too many wires in the way.

To be honest if your CPU temps look fine I woudn't bother, just keep an eye on the temps and listen out for noises. If the situation deteriorates then replace the cooler but if it's doing its job you're just creating a load of hassle for yourself. Your call of course.

It occurs to me that I failed to check the 60mm case fan I bashed into the front of the case. One of the bolts holding it down to the wire mesh might be a bit loose. I rigged it in securely but the case isn't really meant to hold a fan there so I had to do some cutting to the front of the case to fit the screws. Or maybe something got sucked in.

And while I was certain the noise was from the CPU fan... I also thought it was coming from the fan that sits behind me at first, then from the rear fan, so if it was buzzing the whole case it was likely echoing all around and that big cylinder is a huge echo chamber.

I may just go ahead and order the fan, and worry about swapping it if it becomes necessary, because the only shop here that would likely carry those coolers, if they even stock the type I need, would want $30 for it.

I hate to bump an older thread, but an interesting update on this issue-

The noise began again today and wouldn't quit, and got worse upon a reboot after clearing out more dust. I determined the noise was from the PSU fan and not the CPU fan, however. On the plus side, the PSU fan has a sticker + rubber cap so I was able to add lubrication to it to end the noise- and in fact the PC is running quieter than it has in some time. On the downside, this took an hour. I had to remove the CPU cooler completely just to get the PSU out, but taking the plate off the PSU wasn't too difficult. Annoyingly the PSU fan is hard-wired in so if even the fan itself goes bad I'd have to replace the entire thing. At the very least, despite the massive hassle of this(I've worked on cars that were less hassle) I didn't break or ruin anything.

But I made a discovery- the CPU cooler doesn't use the standard 4 plastic pins that push through the mobo, there are actually 4 posts coming through those holes(don't ask me if they're part of the case or some sort of flat rivets or something) and the cooler screws down. So can anyone point me to a CPU cooler that uses those same screws? That is assuming the cooler isn't some proprietary Gateway design that's now hard to get. I don't need it now, but if in the future I should I will need that info handy.