I swapped the fan for an older panaflo medium speed. And Ive got a PS duct, so I very much doubt the fan is running at any higher than 5-6v. But its still pretty loud. The panaflo is totally silent at 5-6v when Im holding it in my hand, so Im pretty sure its all vibration. Is there any way to softmount a fan in a PS? Doesnt seem like there is any room to play with, as Im pretty sure the fan bumps against the PS electronics board.
So what can I do? Should I get a new panaflo? Or try some sort of soft mounting?
SS-300 with fan swap still loud.
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MikeC
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If it was just vibration, then you'd be able to feel it. And even if you could, I am not sure there's anything you can do because the space is so tight, adding any damping would force the fan to push tightly against the edge of the PCB, which short-circuits the damping.
Besides, I suspect it is the resonance of the AIR in the enclosed space of the PSU casing & its duct that are being excited by the fan's noise.
One solution is to mount the fan on the OUTSIDE of the PSU & case. It's a little tricky but can be done, and even though it's counterintuitive to make a noise source more exposed to your line of hearing, in some cases, it can work wonders.
It's what I did with the Shuttle Zen that's used as the SPCR recording PC. That fan is really silent; fan noise is never an issue -- the seeks of the suspended Samsung notebook drive can be heard when you're close, but not the externally mounted fan.
To be sure that this will work before you do it, unplug the system, remove the fan from the PSu but keep it connected, then close everything up, leaving the fan danging on the outside. Then, holding the fan in your hand, power the system up again and position the fan at the PSU opening blowing outwards. Pay close attention to what happens to the noise.
Also, make sure the noise really is coming from the PSu and not something else.
Besides, I suspect it is the resonance of the AIR in the enclosed space of the PSU casing & its duct that are being excited by the fan's noise.
One solution is to mount the fan on the OUTSIDE of the PSU & case. It's a little tricky but can be done, and even though it's counterintuitive to make a noise source more exposed to your line of hearing, in some cases, it can work wonders.
It's what I did with the Shuttle Zen that's used as the SPCR recording PC. That fan is really silent; fan noise is never an issue -- the seeks of the suspended Samsung notebook drive can be heard when you're close, but not the externally mounted fan.
To be sure that this will work before you do it, unplug the system, remove the fan from the PSu but keep it connected, then close everything up, leaving the fan danging on the outside. Then, holding the fan in your hand, power the system up again and position the fan at the PSU opening blowing outwards. Pay close attention to what happens to the noise.
Also, make sure the noise really is coming from the PSu and not something else.
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slipknottin
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Well I was running it before without the duct. I added the duct tonight, and I swear its slightly louder than before.
And I cant feel any vibration from it at all. Though perhaps that is uh, user error. (me not being able to feel anything, heh)
I can attempt to mount the fan outside, though 3 of the 4 fan screws are covered by the case (3700-bqe).
When I did the fan swap I had the fan outside the PSU, I couldnt hear it running from a foot away.
And Im positive its the PSU fan. I used speedfan to shut the other two fans in the case off, and the noise is still there. And if I jam a piece of cardboard into the psu fan, the noise stops.
And I cant feel any vibration from it at all. Though perhaps that is uh, user error. (me not being able to feel anything, heh)
I can attempt to mount the fan outside, though 3 of the 4 fan screws are covered by the case (3700-bqe).
When I did the fan swap I had the fan outside the PSU, I couldnt hear it running from a foot away.
And Im positive its the PSU fan. I used speedfan to shut the other two fans in the case off, and the noise is still there. And if I jam a piece of cardboard into the psu fan, the noise stops.