Can I put a different fan on the Global WIN FOP-38?

[MrWind]

Yes, it's true, this cooler sounds like a freaking hairdrier. I'm a newbie at this stuff, so this may be a dumb question, but can I replace just the fan and get comparable performance? Or is it just better to get a whole new cooler? If I can replace the fan, which would be a good, relatively quiet, choice? If it should be the whole cooler, which would you guys recommend? AMD 1.2 ghz with an Abit KT7, by the way.

 

[mikee]

You might want to do a search for fan recommendations. I have the FOP32-1 which is the FOP38 with a quieter/weaker fan. Replacing the fan will give you lesser performance, but if you can't stand the noise it's probably worth it.

 

[Ulysses]

First, here's the specs for the FOP38.

You can do one of at least two things:

1. Replace the fan with one of the same size but turning at fewer rpm's and thus making less noise. The FOP32-1, by comparison, produces around 36 DBa. Check Plycon or 2cooltek etc.

2. Run the fan at 7 volts, which it supports, by connecting it to your PS instead of to the motherboard, like this. You connect the red wire from the fan to the + 12 volt (usually yellow) wire of the PS 4-pin connector. Connect the black wire from the fan to the + 5 volt (usually red) wire from the PS 4-pin connector. Ignore the third (rpm signal) wire coming from the fan. Check the voltage with a voltmeter or multitester and test the fan off the CPU (to be sure it works!!). This still may not quiet the fan enough!
I've done this 7 volt trick with case fans. The only downside with a CPU fan is that you can't monitor the fan's rpm's.