How to fix a computer fan..

[tp4tissue]

So during the winter.. my old power supply fan always rattles

The only way to fix it is by poking it with a stick @ the hub..




Any one else have this problem?

[paicrai]

tighten it?? clean it??? luuube?

[IvanIvanovich]

Why not just replace it then (just the fan I mean, not the whole PSU)? Would take all of 5 minutes... maybe 10 if you have to solder since some PSU don't use regular fan connectors. Good excuse to put in a nicer fan that is quieter, or perhaps change color if you have a theme so it matches better.

[taylordcraig]

yeah get noctura for massive SILENCE

[tp4tissue]

sigh.... m0re work......

I don't have any more sleeve fans.. sigh..... only ball bearing... which have that bzzzz noise even brand new.. sigh.......  god damn corsair sp120.. what a ripoff..

ugh......... fml..

[tp4tissue]

Ok.. if I don't care about Air-Flow... because I run this box open chassis..  is FLUID-Bearing the way to go.. ??

[eth0s]

Yeah, Corsair PSU's are noisy.  Wait, do you have a corsair PSU or just corsair fan?  Anyway, really you need a dedicated PSU fan, and the best ones are made by Sanyo Denki, i.e., the San Aces.  Google it.  But they're expensive.  And they're not that much quieter.  But they are better than what you got now. 

Also working on PSU can be dangerous.  It has high voltage inside.  Also you really should try to fully discharge the capacitors before you open it up.  If you don't you might get a hella shock, which ain't too bad, but also a burn, which is bad, or if you are dumb enough to be holding the PSU with both hands the shock will go across your chest and through your heart which may or may not be bad, depending on the amount of voltage in the charge viz. the strength of your heart.

Finally PSU fans are either soldered or they have those funky mini-three-pin molex connectors, which are not easy to source.  Best advice is to get a new PSU.  Preferably fanless, like this one (as long as your rig doesn't suck more than 520W at peak, which means no SLI):  http://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-SS-520FL-Fanless-Platinum-ATX12V/dp/B009VV56TO.  I don't have one of those Seasonic 520Watters, but I want one for my next build.  Seems like the answer to PSU noise that I've been waiting for, for 10 years now.

[tp4tissue]

This particular box is open chassis.. no case pressure.. So it's not safe to use fanless psu-s.

what bearing type are the sanyo denki..

hmm.. seems like sanyo is mostly ball bearing.. I'm looking at fluid bearings for m0re quiet.. ..

http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-F12-PWM-Rev-Dynamic/dp/B00H3T1KBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420310643&sr=8-1&keywords=arctic+fluid+dynamic+bearing


What ya'll guyz think..   

fvk it.. $8

[tp4tissue]

GDI.. the arctic f12 isn't "true" Fluid dynamic bearing.. it's fake.. damn it.. fff..

sigh................

[jdcarpe]

Why not just get a new PSU?

[IvanIvanovich]

I have one of those Seasonic fanless PSU. They really are fantastic. I was running it for a long time on my home made open air testbench style case. Never an issue, always cool to touch. Now I have it in my NZXT S340 case, mounted 'the wrong way' according to the case... but you need to have it so the vent is up so... sure it dumps the 'hot' air inside the case, but it's not actually hot since my temps are like 30c at idle and haven't hit more than 45c at full load.
As for lower wattage, it all depends on what you're running. Like for me, I have a 60w TDP cpu that actually is more like 30-40w actual power use. So I could do SLI using 600 series or better power efficiency with my 460w if I really wanted to.

And yeah, which is why I said you may need to solder, as many PSU don't use the standard 3 or 4 pin fan connector. I always would just chop off the original fan leads with the funny connector and solder THAT onto the new fan. Simple.

[Geroximo]

I replaced the fan of my corsair power supply because it was making noises. Took me about 15 minutes. Open, cut wires, solder new fan in, close, done. It's much more quiet now.
There is also a how to on the internetz. You can google it if needed.

[tp4tissue]

Why not just get a new PSU?

Because all New PSU would generally use ball bearing fans to cover their warranty period.

But sonically ball bearing is terrible.

The current fan I have in there is a yateloon sleeve bearing, which I've soldered in..

I think it's just too old now, so the bearing wear must be wonky.. as it used to be mounted in a different orientation..

So my theory is it may have more material at 1 end of the steel pin then the other..

So in this specific orientation, the more material end is above, so the clearance may be different at the ends of the bearing sleeve..



I can't really use ball bearing fans in an open case, because of the bearing noise..

[taylordcraig]

IMO fanless then, reading your specific scenario.

[tp4tissue]

Does any one have an FDB fan with the Real Matsu****a design..

Could you put your ears up to it and tell me what it sounds like vs a sleeve bearing fan ?

[rainb1ood]

Apply krytox

[tp4tissue]

Apply krytox

Lube is the solution to many things..  But this is something special which lube cannot fix..

[heedpantsnow]

Buy a new fan. Lubing it will extend the life for only a bit.

Corsair PSU's are decent enough that the fan should have a connector.

[Synjin]

Why not file a warranty claim and get it replaced since opening a PSU voids its warranty?

[tp4tissue]

Why not file a warranty claim and get it replaced since opening a PSU voids its warranty?

Because then they'll just send me "another" refurb with (unknown use/reliability) which also has a ball bearing fan..

I need sleeve bearing or this hydro bearing that I'm looking into

[Bromono]

Lol mine does the same thing when it gets cold. I just slap the **** out of the case till it stops lol

[Synjin]

But at east its free and won't cost you ^^, I really like EVGA or seasonic for high power PSU since I'm using two gtx970 and building a new one with quad 980 oc and a custom loop

[tp4tissue]

Lol mine does the same thing when it gets cold. I just slap the **** out of the case till it stops lol

I also did this when I was young..  you don't actually have to slap the case..  Just push on the fan a few times..

[tp4tissue]

But at east its free and won't cost you ^^, I really like EVGA or seasonic for high power PSU since I'm using two gtx970 and building a new one with quad 980 oc and a custom loop

Umm.. ur treading into an area with really bad performance returns.. haha..  IMHO the money you spend on 2 extra 980 + water,  You're better off getting 2x asus swift monitors..  Those things are the hottest thing in gaming..  haven't been in stock for months..

[Bromono]

Lol mine does the same thing when it gets cold. I just slap the **** out of the case till it stops lol

I also did this when I was young..  you don't actually have to slap the case..  Just push on the fan a few times..

Show Image

Meh, it's on the floor and just a couple taps on the side of the computer with my shoe shuts it up. Not like I'm kicking a field goal lol.

[Synjin]

Currety googling swift monitors

[tp4tissue]

Currety googling swift monitors

If you can find one,  don't even think about it.. just Buy..  it should be around $700-800 as fair price..

Price gouging has pushed the monitor to $1500 at certain places.

[Voixdelion]

graphite seems to work best at keeping my sleeve bearing fans quiet.  Really fine graphite.    Also if the thing is sliding enough to make it wonky, you could try replacing the ring that holds it in the sleeve - if its metal, perhaps bending it a bit might close some of the wiggle room?  I've sometimes had some luck with sliding a little rubber o-ring either between the fan and the sleeve or the sleeve and the retaining ring if it wobbles too much.  The graphite makes it just as slick and doesn't stick.  Sort of like a washer functionality.   It's a cheap and easy fix. Maybe or maybe not a permanent one, depending on the situation.   

What about just buying a new FAN?   There have to be some sleeve types available somewhere with all the modding supplies out there...  What size is the fan? 

[tp4tissue]

graphite seems to work best at keeping my sleeve bearing fans quiet.  Really fine graphite.    Also if the thing is sliding enough to make it wonky, you could try replacing the ring that holds it in the sleeve - if its metal, perhaps bending it a bit might close some of the wiggle room?  I've sometimes had some luck with sliding a little rubber o-ring either between the fan and the sleeve or the sleeve and the retaining ring if it wobbles too much.  The graphite makes it just as slick and doesn't stick.  Sort of like a washer functionality.   It's a cheap and easy fix. Maybe or maybe not a permanent one, depending on the situation.   

What about just buying a new FAN?   There have to be some sleeve types available somewhere with all the modding supplies out there...  What size is the fan? 

I already got a noiseblocker and a scythe grand flex in the mail..  Hopefully they're the versions that use real fluid dynamic bearings.


The graphite is interesting.. I've used it on legos before.. but that doesn't last very long..

How long does it last on steel parts,  and will it clump with the oil that's already in there.

[Voixdelion]

I think it depends on the oil whether it will get gummy or not rather than the graphite.  I've only had problems with that in places where the oil itself tends to be causing the sticking in the first place, and didn't clean it all out.  Sometimes the old oil turns to a glue-like skin with time and polymerizes with the heat, but that has already happened before I graphite, so I dunno how it would go long term as a combo.  I tend to clean out all the old stuff with some wd-40 first just because the oil is much more likely to quit before the powder. 

Lasts practically forever if you dump enough in there... won't dry out at all after that, too.  Picked that up on a forum concerned with the silencing of PC noise since my last beast was ridiculously obnoxious with only the CPU and PSU fans going. The case mod I did way back when has a total of SEVEN fans and it doesn't make anywhere near as much noise.  I usually had my fans on 24/7 and I had oiled the fans a couple of times but once I went graphite only after cleaning out the gummy mess (which I only realized I ought to do because they seemed to get sticky in only a few months since the last time I oiled alone) I have not even thought about it at all till this thread.  but my HDD went out so I've been using the laptop for the last year and they haven't been used this WHOLE time, it has been at least two or three years since I last disassembled the fans in that machine.

[paicrai]

if ur just gonna keep going like this just ****in punch the case now and then

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

if ur just gonna keep going like this just ****in punch the case now and then

Once, I accidentally dropped an external hard disk... it stopped working.

I intentionally dropped it again, and it started working again.

[tp4tissue]

if ur just gonna keep going like this just ****in punch the case now and then

Once, I accidentally dropped an external hard disk... it stopped working.

I intentionally dropped it again, and it started working again.

Dropping is never good.. because you might crack something.. the disks are brittle..

I use the tried and true, shake-method..

[heedpantsnow]

if ur just gonna keep going like this just ****in punch the case now and then

Once, I accidentally dropped an external hard disk... it stopped working.

I intentionally dropped it again, and it started working again.

"Falls in a well, eyes go crossed. Gets kicked in the head by a mule, eyes go back. I don't know."