Swap fan on a VF700

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:39 pm

Has anyone here tried it yet?
I'm getting better and better hearing

Or perhaps it's just that i'm on a quest for qietness.

So, is it possible to swap fan? What fan(s) can replace it?

nbac · Post by **nbac** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:47 am

Yes it's possible (just like the 7000 and 7700).
Cut out the frame, drill two holes and that’s it!

I have noticed that fans that run very quiet in
a vertical position may not run as quiet in a horizontal
alignment, upside down. Especially bearing noise
become evident

You can achieve lower noise levels by using a
low speed fan, but I need to test a few more fans
before I can say what’s really best.

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 6:32 am

I had some time over to try this today.

I successfully swapped the stock fan for a Nexus 80mm. The best candidate i had available.
My graphicscard is now almost silent.

Being a GF6800 GT it idles at 56°C and the fan gets 5,4V from the T-balancer. It indicates 160 rpm but i'm not sure it's correct. Anyhow, it's almost silent. I will however monitor this closely for the next few days. Perhaps it's too weak and i have to replace it for a more powerful fan. But i sure hope not.

Pictures will come up in the next few days in the general gallery section of my whole rig which is partly upgraded.

I'm still waiting for one more quieting part.

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 8:32 am

I am looking forward to your followup and pictures. My VF700 is the loudest part of my system.

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:21 am

The Nexus fan seems to have a too low max rpm. When gaming the card get's a lot hotter than before. I'll try to find a fan tomorrow that has a bigger range.
Not sure at all which one to chose. The only one i can get my hands on in a store is the Arctic Cooling Pro 80mm. Pabst is too expensive to experiment with atm. Panaflo M1A is out of stock atm. Don't know if a H1A is what i should aim for. I hope i can post some pictures tomorrow.

nbac · Post by **nbac** » Sun May 08, 2005 12:37 am

This is what the ADDA AD0812DX look like on a VF-700cu

Smoodiver · Post by **Smoodiver** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 2:59 pm

HI,
do you think anyone could post a how to for newbies to this kinda stuff? Im not really a McGuyver so I would like to see how to do this in steps. Im not a big fan of breaking my stuff hehe.

Cheers.

afrost · Post by **afrost** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 4:24 pm

search and you will find several zalman fan swap "how-to" threads.

the vf700 is the same as the 7000 and 7700 coolers for a swap.....look for those

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 3:33 pm

Does anyone have an idea whether it would be better to swap in a thinner fan? I think the stock fan of the VF700 is a 80x80x15mm fan whereas most swaps I've seen have been done with a 25mm thick fan. I'm not really sure what the benefit of such a thin fan might be, other than losing only 1 slot on your mobo instead of possibly 2...

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:03 am

I have successfully glued on a Panaflo 80*15 mm fan. It's quiter and cooler than the stock Zalman fan. I glued it because there was too little material to drill in. I used a heat and vibration resistant glue.

Laz Winterz · Post by **Laz Winterz** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:18 pm

[quote="peterson"]I have successfully glued on a Panaflo 80*15 mm fan. It's quiter and cooler than the stock Zalman fan. I glued it because there was too little material to drill in. I used a heat and vibration resistant glue.[/quote]

link to the exact type of glue please? thanks in advance.

clarkkent333 · Post by **clarkkent333** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:50 pm

Would an 80X25 fan work? I've got an L1a sitting around doing nothing.

teknerd · Post by **teknerd** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:58 pm

yes a 25mm fan will work. If you search the forums you will find someone who used a 80x25mm fan on their vf700.

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 2:45 am

Laz Winterz wrote:
link to the exact type of glue please? thanks in advance.

Couldn't find a link, but it's Plastic Pading Repair Extreme. Hope you'll find it.

Laz Winterz · Post by **Laz Winterz** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 3:52 am

That looks like the stuff. Too bad I can't read it.

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 5:58 am

That is what i used. I found that link too, but i didn't post it since i figured few would understand.

wundi · Post by **wundi** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 9:37 am

I believe the current best reference for the swap would be peterson's post. However, there aren't any temperature/noise measurements, before and after the fan swap, that I know of. Which seems kinda weird!

I think a complete DIY article by SPCR about swapping fans for various Zalman coolers would be awesome!

VF700/CNPS7700/9500... With a couple of different high quality fans for each size at different voltages.

I understand that it's a lot of work and probably not going to happen, but at least it would make Zalman realize there's more to a winning HSF than the HS.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 9:56 am

wundi wrote:I think a complete DIY article by SPCR about swapping fans for various Zalman coolers would be awesome!
VF700/CNPS7700/9500... With a couple of different high quality fans for each size at different voltages.

I understand that it's a lot of work and probably not going to happen, but at least it would make Zalman realize there's more to a winning HSF than the HS.

I believe Ralph Hutter has a post in one of the forums thats one of the first "article like" post of actually swapping a fan in a CNPS-7000alcu. He'd probably be the best candidate out of all the SPCR review guys to do this. mabey PM him and ask him.

zalman may choose their fans on more criteria other than just acoustics that cant be ignored. like the ability to start consistantly with their included fanmate at its lowest setting (5v). cost may also be an issue, sure most people here wouldnt mind spending an extra 5-10bucks for a quieter product, but most people are more than content the way they are now.

personally i think zalman makes good choices for the mass's. you wont always please everyone, but i think their fan choices will please most of the people most of the time, which is the best outcome anyone can hope for.

wundi · Post by **wundi** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 11:27 am

Aris wrote:zalman may choose their fans on more criteria other than just acoustics that cant be ignored. like the ability to start consistantly with their included fanmate at its lowest setting (5v). cost may also be an issue, sure most people here wouldnt mind spending an extra 5-10bucks for a quieter product, but most people are more than content the way they are now.

personally i think zalman makes good choices for the mass's. you wont always please everyone, but i think their fan choices will please most of the people most of the time, which is the best outcome anyone can hope for.

You're right, I might've exaggerated a bit. I was speaking of a "winning HSF" indeed from a silent enthusiast's point of view and should've stressed that more. Zalman is a pioneer in quiet computing, but their recent (CPU cooling) products have fallen from the level of some of their competition in this perspective. As SPCR's reviews have pointed out.

afrost · Post by **afrost** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 4:45 pm

it would be really easy for them to release an "extra quiet" version for a few bucks more with a better fan....maybe even a taller copper heatsink for those of us with room.

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 3:16 am

double post

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 3:17 am

wundi wrote:However, there aren't any temperature/noise measurements, before and after the fan swap, that I know of. Which seems kinda weird!

Sorry. It's cooler and quieter. Not much cooler, only a few degrees, and only noticable quieter. I don't remember how much now, and can't check it atm since i'm in the middle of a move. But absolutely worth it.

wundi · Post by **wundi** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 5:41 am

peterson wrote:
wundi wrote:However, there aren't any temperature/noise measurements, before and after the fan swap, that I know of. Which seems kinda weird!

Sorry. It's cooler and quieter. Not much cooler, only a few degrees, and only noticable quieter. I don't remember how much now, and can't check it atm since i'm in the middle of a move. But absolutely worth it.

Uhh. Sorry, I wasn't trying to oblige you to anything by mentioning your post, I hope you weren't offended. Was rather just wondering why no one has made any measurements of such a swap because many people would likely be interested in that data. Or maybe I've just missed it.

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 3:07 pm

I apologize in advance for bumping my own question, but I am still very curious: is there any benefit (noise-wise or cooling-wise) to be had from using a 15mm thick fan as opposed to a 25mm model?

I understand both fit equally well, I'm just interested in which one would yield the best results.

peterson · Post by **peterson** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:32 am

No offence taken at all

15mm vs 25mm is also a space issue. The 25mm takes up an extra PCI-slot.
And maybe the layout of the fins means that they're optimised for airflow from a 15mm fan. I'm just taking a guess here. But i went from a 25mm Nexus to a 15mm Panaflo and i think they have similar cfm, but the panaflo cools better. The Nexus was quieter at higher speeds though.

I'd really like to a see a thourough test too

nbac · Post by **nbac** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:19 am

Going back to main topic:

I tried 3 fans (ADDA, Globe, Panaflo) until I went for the
Nexus. What a waste of time! Why didn't I start with the
Nexus? Anyway, it seems to be the perfect companion for
the vf-700. I've had my system untouched for the last 6
months, and I'm very satisfied with noise level. Can't
remember what temps, I had before, but it's cooling
performance is sufficient. (peaks at 70-72 degrees C
after hour of gaming, on my OC'd GFX)

I should be happy, and I am, having learned so much from
you guys. But I can't help feel a little empty. Do I have to
wait for the next upgrade (which won't help me as the 7800GT
consumes less power

).