Yes. I do this all the time.
Why? Athlon CPUs are a tad "fragile." So it'a safer fix.
bob
The fan on my AMD 900 Mhz cpu is going bad and I need a replacement. Can I just put a new fan on and still use the existing heatsink?
Is there anything special about the cpu fan compared to a case fan or powersupply fan? Or will any fan that fits be OK?
Thanks

Chowhound
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