in other news: my other pc fan started grinding too. unsure if it's permanent or if it's just a 5-minute thing during startup, i had to shut it down quick cuz it's the middle of the night.

the replacement i ordered hasn't arrived. the site says it's still processing my order, so who knows when or if it will arrive. i cheaped out, should've just ordered 4 fans and replaced them all at this point.