Anyone Replaced PSU Fans (Enermax Whisper or Other)?

[tazdevl]

Hey all,

Enermax 431 Watt PSU fans are the loudest part on my LianLi PC60 case. Definitely not the CPU fan. I"m thinking about replacing them with a Panaflo H1A 40 CFM 80MM fan and Panaflo L1A 43 CFM 92MM fan.

Has anyone switched out their PSU fans? If so, did you achieve a reduction in fan noise? Also how long do the capacitors hold a charge? I unplugged my PSU and hit the power button (powered up briefly), turned the PSU off and will wait until tomorrow... say 18 hours or so before opening it up. Is that safe?

Thanks!

 

[SilverThief]

I was sure contemplating doing it with my 431w Enermax PSU.
Might still.

 

[skrill]

Let us know how it works out. I am thinking about replacing my Antec 400w PSU fan with something quieter.

How many CFM's do you think the PSU needs?

 

[tazdevl]

Don't know... but I'll bet that the Panaflo fans are pushing more air than the stock Enermax fans.

I'd think 40 CFM would be more than adequate. But might want to send an email to the PSU manuf and see what they say.

 

[Dan]

I replaced a faulty fan on a power supply unit a few months ago. just opened the unit, snipped the leads to the fan and removed it. I replaced it with an untailed 80mm fan. A little wire stripping, a couple of wire nuts, and I was good to go.

 

[mechBgon]

I've done several. I like good connections so I tinned and soldered the wires, and finished up with heat-shrink tubing to cover the soldered wires. Although the capacitors can store a lot of power, it's not dangerous to replace the fans if you exercise common sense and keep your hands, metal implements and necklaces/bracelets away from the internals.

I was on a quest for quietness so I used Panaflo L1A 80mm fans for the ones I converted, except for one where I used a PC Power & Cooling "Silencer" 80mm. The Panaflos move about 24cfm and are still in use with no problems AFAIK. If you wanted to split the difference, you could go with the M1A 80mm and the L1A 92mm. That wouldn't be too loud, but it would still be capable of moving a lot more air than any PSU should need for cooling (the 92mm alone is rated for 42cfm).

Good luck, just take your time with it.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

I replaced the fan in my Sparkle PSU with a Panaflow L1A (the quietest). It moves less air than the stock fan, and I don't have any other exhaust fan so my PSU gets a little warmer, but it sounds a lot better than the fan that was in there rocking on it's worn bushing...