Coolermaster iGreen Power 430w fan mod?

dysphasi · Post by **dysphasi** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:48 pm

Just wondering, is it possible to replace the 120mm fan on this psu to make it any quieter?

It's by far the noisiest component in my system now and don't partic want to run out and buy a new psu.

Thanks in advance for any help

***UPDATE***
ok, no reply so I went ahead and opened up the psu myself to check the connection available.
I was concerned that it would be inaccessible and/or require some soldering, but I needn't have worried.

Basically when the igreen is opened up there is a 2-pin fan connector right near the power switch side and conveniently a good few cm above the main psu circuit board.

I unplugged the fan to find to my delight that the socket on the psu is really minimal, no excess plastic etc.. to get in the way of just using a 3-pin connector, so I went ahead and tried to plug in an old 3-pin fan.

It seated almost completely, with just a little of the 'gloopy stuff' (do they use this for insulation?) blocking it right at the bottom, I scraped away a little (less than a mm probably), tried again and it fit like a glove

I've now placed an order for a Scythe Slip Stream 1200rpm fan, fingers crossed it'll all work out ok!

dysphasi · Post by **dysphasi** » Tue May 06, 2008 6:20 am

The Scythe Slip Stream 1200rpm fan arrived today.

Case opened, psu disconnected, dismounted and opened, removed the old fan, installed the new with absolutely no hitch (the fan connector really does fit superbly).

The only 'extra' effort was using a couple of cable ties to neaten things up a little and make sure the excess didn't get caught in the fan.

Really easy fan swap and a much quieter and smoother sound

Edit:
Just a quick one, so as to keep the fan at a constant speed I've actually put the fan on a 5V connector, as such I was wondering if there's anything to watch out for? The air coming out back is mildly warm, but nothing too hot, the same with the psu unit. Will I be ok continuing to run at 5v? ... it is nice and quiet

kaange · Post by **kaange** » Tue May 06, 2008 5:01 pm

Did you try the Scythe connected to the PSUs fan controller or the standard fan connected to the 5V line?

Just curious to know how the fans compare, noisewise.

dysphasi · Post by **dysphasi** » Wed May 07, 2008 1:38 pm

I used the scythe connected to the 5v. Tell you what, if I get a mo tomorrow I'll run the stock fan off 5v annd compare the difference.

Update
Ok, I've just tried running stock psu fan at 5V, it's much louder than the scythe slip stream.

BrotherEstapol · Post by **BrotherEstapol** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:40 am

Sorry to bump an old topic, but I figured it made more sense to bump this than make a new thread.

I've got the 500w version of the iGreen(purchased in May 07) and after a bit of testing I've come to the conclusion that it's the thing making my PC so noisy.

My questions are; If I bust this open should it be as simple as the original poster's (430w)mod was?
And are there any precautions I should take when opening up a PSU? I've been told they hold a charge, so I'm got keen on getting zapped...

Strid · Post by **Strid** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:10 am

It's that easy! Anyway; what precautions to take? Well, there are large capacitors inside a PSU, which can hold significant charges. One way it discharge some PSUs is to disconnect the power chord (with the PSU still attached to the rest of the PC internals and press the 'On' button. Of course the PC won't turn on with the power chord disconnected, but sometimes you will see a quick flash, which is the charge kept in the capacitors.

Apart from that, just don't touch too much on the PSU internal components - I'm not really sure which components are the dangerous ones, but I'm assuming the capacitors and perhaps the coils, maybe someone here can enlighten us on this??

But PSU fan-swaps are really simple. Pop the PSU lid open and disconnect the fan from the PSU circuit board. Then insert new fan of choice, connect and close lid.
I usually route the third wire from the new fan (yellow RPM signal) to a motherboard fan header so I can get the RPM signal from the PSU just for kicks.

BrotherEstapol · Post by **BrotherEstapol** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:01 am

Strid wrote:It's that easy! Anyway; what precautions to take? Well, there are large capacitors inside a PSU, which can hold significant charges. One way it discharge some PSUs is to disconnect the power chord (with the PSU still attached to the rest of the PC internals and press the 'On' button. Of course the PC won't turn on with the power chord disconnected, but sometimes you will see a quick flash, which is the charge kept in the capacitors.

Apart from that, just don't touch too much on the PSU internal components - I'm not really sure which components are the dangerous ones, but I'm assuming the capacitors and perhaps the coils, maybe someone here can enlighten us on this??

But PSU fan-swaps are really simple. Pop the PSU lid open and disconnect the fan from the PSU circuit board. Then insert new fan of choice, connect and close lid.
I usually route the third wire from the new fan (yellow RPM signal) to a motherboard fan header so I can get the RPM signal from the PSU just for kicks.

Cheers!
I'll have to give it a go on the weekend then!

But if anyone's got any more info I should know before cracking this sucker open, let us know!!