[SOLVED] Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo vibrating noise at specific RPMs

[Ixron]

Recently installed an Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo on my MSI B450 Gaming Plus Max.

Despite proper installation, the cooler consistently makes a vibrating noise at around 50% fan speed.

Recording of the sound at 50% fan speed (around 1200/1300 RPM range):
Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo - Rattling / Vibrating noise - YouTube

If I touch the cooler or the fans, the vibration stops, and so does the noise.

Aside from the noise, the cooler technically works: temperatures are consistently optimal. However, the sound makes me think that something might break if this keeps up.

Is the cooler at risk in any way?

 

[punkncat]

Are you certain that the cooler and fan are mounted securely and properly?

 

[Ixron]

Are you certain that the cooler and fan are mounted securely and properly?

I would assume so, because the cooler works. From what I've gathered online, if it weren't mounted properly it wouldn't cool the CPU efficiently, which it does.

It only does this at that specific speed. The vibration goes away at higher or lower RPMs.

The locking mechanism for the fans on the other hand was terrible to begin with, as I've seen several people have issues with it.

 

[punkncat]

Some fans come with some little rubber or foam isolation pads for the corners. IDK if this one did, but perhaps you could attempt a spacer or something on the corners to see if the issue resolves?

It could be that the fan is unbalanced such as a defect. Might be worthwhile to contact the manufacturer with the issue and see if they can send a replacement or have an idea to rectify. These aren't terribly expensive coolers so according to your threshold for cost and 'bother' it may be worth replacement with a different cooler or even a different fan.

 

[Ixron]

Some fans come with some little rubber or foam isolation pads for the corners. IDK if this one did, but perhaps you could attempt a spacer or something on the corners to see if the issue resolves?

It could be that the fan is unbalanced such as a defect. Might be worthwhile to contact the manufacturer with the issue and see if they can send a replacement or have an idea to rectify. These aren't terribly expensive coolers so according to your threshold for cost and 'bother' it may be worth replacement with a different cooler or even a different fan.

The rubber pads came off. Had to reattach them myself, which might potentially be the issue.

Can the fans generally be replaced with any ordinary 120mm fan, or are they specifically built for their coolers?

 

[punkncat]

Most coolers come with a bracket that attaches by way of the "standard" screw holes in the fan body. It appears this one does, so in theory any 120mm fan should retrofit.
It might be worthwhile since your fitment is fiddly to consider something like some zip ties.

 

[Ixron]

Most coolers come with a bracket that attaches by way of the "standard" screw holes in the fan body. It appears this one does, so in theory any 120mm fan should retrofit.
It might be worthwhile since your fitment is fiddly to consider something like some zip ties.

After a few tweaks, turns out you were right. The exhaust fan was imbalanced due to the rubber pads having moved (I would assume bad glue), and there are several scratches on its borders due to not being at a proper distance from the heatsink.

I'm now using the originally "duo" cooler with just a single intake fan. Temperatures are mostly the same, with some improvements here and there. This is a first for me.