Question Excessive Fan Noise After Installing RTX A4000 in ThinkStation P3 Tower—Missing Dual Intake Fan

[akram_salim]

Hi everyone,

I've recently upgraded my Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Tower by installing a used NVIDIA RTX A4000 16GB GPU and a new 750W power supply. My system is running on Ubuntu, and the GPU works well with PyTorch. However, since the upgrade, I've been experiencing significant fan noise, when the GPU is under load.

Here's my setup:

• Model: Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Tower
• New GPU: NVIDIA RTX A4000 16GB
• Original GPU: NVIDIA T400 4GB (much smaller, less power)
• Power Supply: Upgraded to 750W (Lenovo-branded, same as the original 500W)
• OS: Ubuntu 24.04

Issue: When I checked inside the case, I noticed that the front dual intake fan (often seen in YouTube videos of the same model) is missing. I suspect that this is because my ThinkStation originally came with the lower-power T400 GPU, so the extra cooling wasn't included at the time. Now, with the RTX A4000, the existing fans are running much louder to manage the increased heat output (i think).

Questions:

1. Should I add the missing dual intake fan now that I've upgraded to the more powerful RTX A4000? If yes, what specifications or models should I look for to ensure compatibility with my ThinkStation P3 Tower?
2. Recommendations for a specific dual-fan setup that would fit my system and provide quieter operation would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your advice and suggestions!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

you'll need to determine what fan headers may be available on the current motherboard.

if none, then you'd need something like molex powered fans that connect directly to the power supply.
if this PSU even has available molex cables free to use.

it also may be possible to add a fan hub, but then you'd face similar issue of how to power it; molex, SATA, USB, etc.
and/or if you have a free fan header to use for any PWM control over connected fans.
you'd have to know what you have available to use.