Quieting a P/S?

[Geek]

I have a PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 300, and boy is this puppy loud! Have any of you ever swapped out a fan within a power supply to quiet it down, or are they that loud for a reason?

 

[Kp99]

That fan in there is a REALLY good one, i wont recommend changing it out, as far as the noise level I think of it as the louder the more air its sucking though...keeps the system cooler..hehe, tare care.

 

[ZetaEpyon]

I replaced the fan in my power supply with a nice 80mm Panaflo L1A that I got from TeamAwe. I also removed the stamped metal grill on the p/s and replaced it with a chrome wire grill. It doesn't move as much air, and is a bit warmer, but it seems to be a whole lot quieter. I'm still going to get an Enermax though.

 

[lifeguard1999]

Simply replace the fan in your powersupply with a fan that is very quiet. An 80mm Papst 8412NGL fan moves 19CFM at 12 dBA. A wisper is 23dBA. You won't find a better fan, though the Papst does cost ~$20.

Other possibilities are :

Adda AD0812DB-A70GL (20CFM @ 15 dBA)
Papst 8412NL (19.4CFM @ 17 dBA)
Papst 8412NGML (26.5 CFM @ 19dBA)
Enermax thermal controlled fan (22CFM @ 18 dBA @ 25C).


You can get the Papst from EBM and the Enermax for $10 + $4 S&H from Pham Computer

 

[rondeemc]

Does anyone know where to get the temp sensitive fan that comes in the Antec pp303 power supply? Is this a standalone or does it have to communicate with the power supply in some way?

 

[shiznut123]

You can always cut airholes to quiet the noise. I did it on my PS and it increased airflow and quieted down. I used a Dremel Multipro tool.

 

[Geek]

One has to wonder if the noisy fan supplied with the p/s is needed to maintain one of the specs. Intuition says that noise is proportional to airflow, which is proportional to the rate of heat removal, which ultimately determines the temperature inside the case. Albeit loud, this system (Duron 700) seems to run with the CPU at 95 F maximum, and the case at 80 F maximum. Where could I expect that case temp to go to if I were to lower the noise and CFM rating of the p/s fan by 50%?

 

[Jhhnn]

They list that model as "high performance" meaning that the fan is sized to keep it very cool near full rated output for a very extended period of time. Depending on your system, you may not need that.

If you can determine the make/model of the fan, you can then make valid comparisons, possibly go to a much quieter fan with about 75% as much airflow. The warranty would be gone along with the noise, of course...

Enermax temp-controlled fans are available on that unmentionable auction site, I've never used them, but they might serve your purposes...

 

[rondeemc]

Here is the Enermax fan specs that was listed earlier. Seems like this would be an option for the PS if the voltage was the same.

Bearing Type: Ball
Size: 80 x 80 x 25mm
Voltage: 12V
Current: 0.23A

Temperature and Fan speed / estimated airflow and noise
85C - 3100 RPM / 40CFM - 34dBA
65C - 2600 RPM / 33CFM - 29dBA
45C - 2100 RPM / 27CFM - 23dBA
25C - 1800 RPM / 22CFM - 18dBA
Price: $ 10.00

problem is 85C or even 65C is much higher then I would want to see in my case.

fan

 

[twong82]

The Enermax fan that are in Enermax ps's are your best bet.

 

[JokerJKNY]

If heat isn't a problem then try it. BUT be warned cause even PS fans can affect the cpu and mobo temps by 5 degrees!!

So, i wouldnt take the chance of swapping out the fans ONLY if you're temps inside the case and your CPU are already really high. THat would be a big no no. If that's the case then get an Enermax 330. Really quiet but damn cool with that second fan. Love mine.

if noise is an issue, then do what i do. just wrap up your comp inside a cardboard box. Sounds ghetto, but it works and you're ears (not to mention your sanity) will thank you for it. The box should be a bit bigger than the case to accomodate heat generation and escape. Try it, you'll be surprised. i do a lot of harddisk recording and editing and i got tired of using wrapped headphones.