replacing PSU fan

[santaliqueur]

i'm going to be replacing all noisy fans in my (lian-li pc-60) case, my computer sounds like a very small jet. the loudest fan is the PSU fan. would it be worth it to switch the fan, or would it be a waste of time? doing the actual swap is no problem, but since i've never done this before, i thought i'd ask you guys. would i be better off buying a new PSU? i'd like to put as little money as possible into this computer. it's still got a couple years of life left in it (amd xp 1700+), but it is entirely too loud. thanks for any help/info.

CJ

 

[Operandi]

It's only worth if the PSU is. If it's an otherwise nice PSU you can do it, if it's junk don't bother. As for the case fans; Lian Li uses Adda fans which are good fans, maybe try a Fanmate or SpeedFan if you board supports it.

 

[santaliqueur]

" It's only worth if the PSU is. If it's an otherwise nice PSU you can do it, if it's junk don't bother"

thanks for the reply. your advice is what i figured. i built the pc a few years ago, and i didnt really spend too much time on picking out a PSU. i know it's probably not that great, but i would never have bought a clunker on wattage alone. i'll prob just replace the fan.

"As for the case fans; Lian Li uses Adda fans which are good fans, maybe try a Fanmate or SpeedFan if you board supports it"

well the only one that really makes any noise is the exhaust fan, and it's because it is definitely dying. the intake fans are on the speed controller built into the case which seems to work well so far. but the PSU fan, cpu fan, and exhaust fan...they all gotta go.

CJ

 

[Firetower]

push a screw driver through the label on the fan drop some lube on it and the noise will be gone.

 

[cyberknight]

i dunno about opening up PSU's. even when they are disconnected, they still can hold a charge.

Anyways, if you want to get a quiet PSU, consider Seasonic PSUs. they get extremely high praise by www.silentpcreview.com
There's also the Antec Phantom which is a fanless PSU. Both of these PSU's run extremely efficiently.

 

[Mucker]

If the PSU is high quality, definitely worth it. If not send it to the landfill.

Fan replacement is a piece of cake but you need to be aware of the electrical danger that lurks inside of the PSU. I recently replaced a chirping exhaust fan inside my PSU. Clipped all wires and re-soldered with zero problems. One thing you want to do is make sure you have optimal airflow through the PSU. You should check the specs on the PSU fans and try to match or exceed them in airflow requirement. Heat is a critical factor in PSU power efficiecy.

The stock intake fan on my PSU is 92mm, 57cfm and the stock exhaust is 80mm, 39cfm. When my 80 went bad I replaced it with a super quiet PC Power and Cooling 27cfm fan that was a spare I had. Although I had no problems, it simply did not pull enough air out of the PSU for my liking. I ended up buying a replacement that exceeded the 39cfm stock fan. Now when running full out, the psu blasts air out the back. :thumbsup:

There is a row of vent holes on my PSU housing facing the cd-rom bay and if I would have left the low speed 27cfm fan in there, the intake fan on the PSU would have overcome the exhaust fan, the result being, air forced out through these holes and back into the case. Not what you want obviously. Just make sure to have matched fans for optimal heat removal. A PSU is one place you absolutely do not want heat accumulation.....

m

 

[JBDan]

SPCR has a great article on how to replace a PSU fan if the PSU has a 2-pin connected fan. If its soldered (which most are) then you have a little soldering job ahead of you which is rather simple if ya know what you are doing. Otherwise like others said grab a new PSU.