PSU fan

[MuftiMan]

Hi there,

First off - Hexus = great site! Got reviews for all my PC parts from here and I am quite pleased with the system I built:

AMD 64 4600 x2
M2n32 Sli Deluxe
2gb Corsair xms2 ram
BFG 8800GTS OC2 320mb
2x 320gb SATA Seagate HDD's
1x 250gb SATA Seagate HDD
1x 250gb ATA Hdd
Coolermaster iGreen 600W PSU.
Antec Sonnata III

Overall was just supposed to be a budget pc but over time I added to it and made it what it is xD. So far it's been great but I've been having a few problems with noise.
I've singled out all fans and it seems that the Coolermaster fan is creating quite a bit of noise if I leave my PC on for a few hours.

I was considering opening the PSU and changing the fan with a Noctua 120mm fan from Quietpc.com, but I have no/very little idea how to do this and wether this could cause any overheating problems and maybe if anyone knew how to make the speed variable. I have a fanmate 2 controller left over from my Zalman VF900 that was on my old 7900GT and was wondering if there was anyway of utilizing this to adjust the speed.

Thanks , any opinions and comments are welcomed.

[UltraMagnus]

well, firstly i assume you know how to solder? because you will need to, to replace most PSU fans. also never touch any of the contacts, i have gotten rather large jolts from those big capacitors before...

i doubt it should cause any over heading problems, no.

i assume the zalman is one of those things that you can plug fans and heat probes into right? well although it would be possible to put the heat probe near the transistor(s) the large heat sinks are cooling, i doubt you will be able to find out what temperatures they like, so if you do do it, go on the cool side with the set temperatures.

hope that helps

[peterb]

I would be wary about modifying the internal fan in the PSU. While in principle there is no problem, in practice there are high voltages inside the PSU (for quite a while after power has been removed from it). Making the speed variable is probably not a good idea unless you have some means of monitoring the temperature. The fact that the fan seems noiier after a while does indicate that it is a variable spedd fan, and while in theory replacing it with another should work, theree is no gurantee - with possibly expensive results! If you are confident about the safety aspects, try replacing the fan with one that may be quieter.

Some of the overclocking experts may be able to offer more advice on variable speed fans on PSUs.

Welcome to Hexus, by the way!

[MuftiMan]

Thanks for the welcome!

Yes I do understand that it would be quite dangerous to change the fan, but after using google I am confident that unplugging the power cord and attempting to turn the PC on should discharge the capacitors.

The problem is that the fan on the coolermaster is not exactly variable, it's more of a load / Fan speed relationship, i.e. if the load reaches 50% the fan will go up to 70% speed.

well, firstly i assume you know how to solder? because you will need to, to replace most PSU fans. also never touch any of the contacts, i have gotten rather large jolts from those big capacitors before...

i doubt it should cause any over heading problems, no.

i assume the zalman is one of those things that you can plug fans and heat probes into right? well although it would be possible to put the heat probe near the transistor(s) the large heat sinks are cooling, i doubt you will be able to find out what temperatures they like, so if you do do it, go on the cool side with the set temperatures.

hope that helps

Good thing I do know how to solder then xD.

Edit : I opened the PSU up after making this post and was lucky enough to find the fan connected by a 2 pin connector, so if making my own variable fan is inadvisable I'll just plug into the 2 pin connecter as this fan will still be quieter than the stock fan - I hope!

[Sema4]

I don't know if you have seen this type of fan already, but another alternative could be something like this :-

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=555932

The fan has a built in thermal sensor to monitor the temperature of the air passing though it, the speed of the fan will only rise if the air temp rises...

Full spec available at the Akasa website :-

http://www.akasa.co.uk/akasa_english...k_174bkt_b.htm

[usxhe190]

good luck on your mod

[amjedm]

I would advise against using a Noctua in a PSU. Various issues (about general usage) I've read about on Silentpcreview is what I base my advice on.

You would IMO be better using a Scythe Fan - the 1200rpm would be good.

My last PSU mod - still using the PSU - Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000rpm 120mm fan in a Seasonic Tornado 400W PSU. I've hooked the fan up to a controller - voltage is 7v - I have good airflow in the case and also the computer doesn't consume too much power (so don't require high speed psu fan).

[MuftiMan]

I would advise against using a Noctua in a PSU. Various issues (about general usage) I've read about on Silentpcreview is what I base my advice on.

You would IMO be better using a Scythe Fan - the 1200rpm would be good.

My last PSU mod - still using the PSU - Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000rpm 120mm fan in a Seasonic Tornado 400W PSU. I've hooked the fan up to a controller - voltage is 7v - I have good airflow in the case and also the computer doesn't consume too much power (so don't require high speed psu fan).

=/ That's odd. I've had a look on the website you mentioned and it seems the reviewers gave it a good one.

" The best fan of the bunch was the Noctua, which overcame our skepticism and lived up to its hype by producing more airflow at lower speeds. Its airflow-to-noise ratio is its best feature, which gives it enough of an edge to make up for its slightly rougher noise character. The Noctua has seen recommendations around the web, and we have no qualms about adding our own to the list."

Reading this made me pretty sure I'd made the right choice in fan - it shoud be here tomorrow. Afterall if I don't like the fan I can just return it and get a refund ;p.

So any idea how to actually go about doing this? Because I'm a complete novice

[UltraMagnus]

well, if your psu fan is connected by a two pin connector, it should be as simple as
1) open PSU
2) take screws out holding fan in place (or, they may be rubber thingies, or something else... whatever, just remove them)
3) unplug fan
4)plug in new fan
5) screw in new fan
6) close up PSU case
7) enjoy sweet sweet near silence

[MuftiMan]

well, if your psu fan is connected by a two pin connector, it should be as simple as
1) open PSU
2) take screws out holding fan in place (or, they may be rubber thingies, or something else... whatever, just remove them)
3) unplug fan
4)plug in new fan
5) screw in new fan
6) close up PSU case
7) enjoy sweet sweet near silence

Haha! I do hope it is only that simple!

Thanks for the help guys Hexus rules!

[MuftiMan]

Oook. So I got the Noctua fan - Quiet - VERY Quiet, even at max speeds. I'm using a FanMate 2 controller I had left over from my Gfx Zalman VF900 cooler - working great so far. Just a question though, should I blow air ONTO the PSU or AWAY from it?

Not too sure bout this one as the insides of the pc can get quite warm, even when idle. I may just keep the fan at max speeds so that I don't have to worry about adjusting it.

Any tips?

Thanks again you lot!

[amjedm]

=/ That's odd. I've had a look on the website you mentioned and it seems the reviewers gave it a good one.

Sorry I didn't clarify. My information was from the Forums - user opinions.

[amjedm]

Oook. So I got the Noctua fan - Quiet - VERY Quiet, even at max speeds. I'm using a FanMate 2 controller I had left over from my Gfx Zalman VF900 cooler - working great so far. Just a question though, should I blow air ONTO the PSU or AWAY from it?

Not too sure bout this one as the insides of the pc can get quite warm, even when idle. I may just keep the fan at max speeds so that I don't have to worry about adjusting it.

Any tips?

Thanks again you lot!

The fan needs to blow inside the PSU so it can cool the PSU heatsinks.

[MuftiMan]

Excellent!

Thanks guys for all your help. It seems that this fan is going to be working just fine alongside the Fanmate 2 controller. I may end up putting the rubber fittings on to reduce vibration noise if any. Now I just need to figure out why my case makes an odd hum ( it's done this since I put the Coolermaster PSU in) when I put the side panel back on .