fan replacement in PSU ?

[bp]

Hi all,

I am new to silentpcreview, but found this site very interesting.

I bought a new computer a month ago. I am very happy with it, and my focus was low noise (or even better, no noise at all).

So the noise related specs are :
E6550 with stock cooler
nvidia 8600 gt passive
antec NSK4480 case (with antec earthwatt 380W PSU, and 12cm fan)
samsung 500 gb hdd (with AAM)

so there are only 3 fans in my case:
* PSU fan (80mm)
* case fan (120mm) (set to low)
* intel core 2 box fan

First of all, even when overclocking to 3 GHz, my intel box fan does stays between 800 and 880 rpm. That's good. On standard clocks, I get maximum 840 rpm...

from my subjective tests, the noisiest component is the PSU. I disabled the case fan and the processor fan for a minute then sit in front of my desk to compare. (could someone confirm this with similar hardware ?)

So is it possible to replace a PSU fan? Yes I know it sounds weird for my warranty, but I don't want to spend much on a new PSU.

I am a technician in my freetime, so opening my PSU doesn't scare me.
I found this about the 430W version:
www.silentpcreview.com/article684-page2.html

Could anyone advise me a good 80mm fan? I though about a Noctua NF-R8

Of course there is silentpcreview's recommended fan list:
www.silentpcreview.com/article63-page2.html

My questions are :
* howto know what speed the fan will run (maybe I should measure the actual fan voltage when idling and in burn) if I change it?
* will the fan control system of the PSU handle a new fan? if so, will it behave correctly ?
* most important of all : will it make less noise ?? what is the actual ADDA fan rated noise level in dBA ?

Thanks very much.
Best regards,
bp

[Steve_Y]

My questions are :
* howto know what speed the fan will run (maybe I should measure the actual fan voltage when idling and in burn) if I change it?
* will the fan control system of the PSU handle a new fan? if so, will it behave correctly ?
* most important of all : will it make less noise ?? what is the actual ADDA fan rated noise level in dBA ?

I've always connected replacement PSU fans to motherboard fan headers rather than trying to use the PSU's fan control. That way you can easily monitor and adjust the fan's RPM, with the possibility of a warning if it fails. I've used Nexus and Scythe S-Flex fans in a few different Antec, Enermax and Seasonic PSUs without any problems. running at a low voltage they're definitely quieter than the stock fans at their lowest operating speed.

Bear in mind that they were all used in low power consumption systems and ran cool with very little airflow. I'm not sure you'd see much benefit with a more power hungry system; you'd probably have to run the 80mm fan at a reasonably high speed to keep the PSU cool.

[bp]

ok that's a good point...

I looked at the actual fan rating (ADDA AD0812HS-70GL) :
12V
3W
3010 rpm
38 CFM
34 dBA (don"t know the distance or the measure conditions)


So .. in the PSU, I guess it doesn't run at 12V in idle, but only at full load.

If I take a Noctua NF-R8:
12V
800 rpm / 26 CFM
1800 rpm / 53 CFM

In fact, other low noise 80mm fans often have lower CFM.... you are right, it is important to check!

I am a bit surprised you connected those to your motherboard -> how do you monitor your PSU temperature and control the fan speed ?

Thanks anyway
bp

[MikeC]

If you're not scared to open up the PSU, why not start by trying dropping the voltage to the stock fan a bit -- maybe .5V or less, just enough to get the fan started consistently at turn, on but run slower than usual. We measured 4.2V starting voltage on an EW380; the 430 should be the same.

from my subjective tests, the noisiest component is the PSU. I disabled the case fan and the processor fan for a minute then sit in front of my desk to compare. (could someone confirm this with similar hardware ?)

Another caution -- try unplugging your HDD as well as the other fans to see if the PSU really is the noisiest thing. It could very well be the hard drive because unless it is soft mounted, its vibrations will certainly cause noise in the chassis.

You can also use a plastic cable tie to stop the PSU fan -- just jam it into the blades, probably easiest before you turn the power on.

[bp]

In the nsk 4480 there are silicon mounts for the harddisks ... so that's not the issue. also the samsung disk is not a noisy one.

I will try to 'disable' the fan and listen again...
thanks for the advice ...

by the way, I ordered a 8cm noctua an hour ago... still need to confirm

bp

[jackylman]

In the nsk 4480 there are silicon mounts for the harddisks ... so that's not the issue. also the samsung disk is not a noisy one.

Silicon mounts aren't enough to damp the vibration from modern drives. Put your hand next to where you hard disk resides and see if you can feel any vibration.

BTW, the Sammy may be quiet, but in terms of vibration, it kicks like a mule. (I say that from personal experience and the SPCR review). I needed to rest mine on foam to completely isolate it from the chassis.

[bp]

ok I will take 2 rubber strips and put my hdd between. But I am pretty sure it is the PSU. (SPCR has multiples threads about antec PSU and fan replacement, about a noisy ADDA fan)

I will check if I still have a Nexus hdd silent block set... (used in an older computer).

[MikeC]

Why not just unplug the HDD and boot into the BIOS w/ all fans off? It's the easiest way to tell about the PSU. Then repeat with the HDD plugged in, and compare.

[bp]

I just did open my case ... and turn down every thing (case fan, cpu fan, hdd) ...

indead, the hdd could be more silent. Also found out that the case fan isn't an example of silence (I found out that it seems to be a Antec tricool, reviewed somewhere on this website).

So I found a tricky way to power it with 5V instead of 12. So instead of getting 12V and be held to LOW (a switch on the fan control), I feed him in 5V and the setting set to medium. The airflow seems to be less, so the noise is too. Next step is to monitor gpu temperature (yes a passive vga is very dependent on case ventilation).

From what I read, the LOW setting in 12V is in fact 5V. The noise was nearly the same when running at HIGH in 5V. So now in MEDIUM, I am a bit lower (something around 3.6-3.7V).

So yes I will find my nexus hdd silent block.


Next test is blocking the PSU fan and start the computer to check how noisy the rest is.

I keep it up

[bp]

So I did the "no fan is PSU" noise test (putting something in the fan to avoid it to rotate).


And no surprise, it is noticeably quieter then. So I think I will replace my PSU fan...

I think I will always have a noisier component in the box, it is a challenge to make the whole box as silent as possible !

[QuietOC]

I've always connected replacement PSU fans to motherboard fan headers rather than trying to use the PSU's fan control.

I've plugged the replacements fan into both the power supply and the motherboard (i.e., connect the power leads to the temperature controlled voltage outputs of the power supply (hopefully it has this), and run the RPM wire into a motherboard header for monitoring.)

[bp]

well yes... so this is similar to mine.

my PSU is thermoregulated. (as reviews show increases in noise when doing heavy load tests).

I will see if I connect the monitoring pin... I still have 2 free plugs on my motherboard.

thanks
bp

[bp]

I did my fan swap !

first thing : the internal connector for fan control did not provide enough voltage for my noctua NF-R8 to start... a little help allows it to run, but to slowly.

So I tried to connect it to my motherboard, but the cable isn't long enough (my fan connector are located at the bottom of my motherboard, near to the bottom of the case).

In the end, I connected it to a molex connector with the provided cable.

note : I found that the sticker onto the ADDA fan wasn't centered at all -> removing it already improved noise and vibration. I guess I got a bad sample.

[SebRad]

Hi, I also swapped a Noctua R8 in to an Antec PSU. A NeoHE 430 in my case. The fan is powered by the PSU so it can adjust the speed according to internal temp. Fan spins even at cold boot but below threshold where Noctua puts out tach signal, i.e. below 900rpm. Highest I've seen is ~1250rpm, my system is E6600 with X1950pro so not very power hungry, although when overclocked to 3.5GHz possibly towards 200w. Read all about it here.
Regards, Seb

[jackylman]

I used a JaPanaflo 80mm in my Seasonic SS-400 and that does the job very well. I bought an S12II-380 thinking it would be as quiet and it was not. I ended up using the old PSU in my new system, even if it doesn't have sleeved cables or fancy Molex connectors.