Fan Life expectancy on different bearings question

[emp]

Hey guys, just found this section and seems the correct place to post this so here's my question:

How does running at different fan speeds (low, medium, high) affect the life expectancy of fans? I have Sleeve and Ball bearing fans right now (Sleeves running at high, balls running at medium/low), and will have a zerotherm cooler with a UFO bearing (Know nothing about this one) with a fan controller that I'd like to keep running on high if it doesn't affect the fan life too much.

 

[Evilonigiri]

Pretty much running high speeds = more voltage. You know how more voltage shortens the life right?

Sleeved bearings are the cheapest to make, with an expectancy of 30,000hours. As it ages, the it gets noisier and noisier.

Ball bearings are pretty common. They are good quality and should be expected to last for 50,000hours.

If the fan dies, it's not very expensive to replace it. Besides, are you going to keep that fan for 6 years?

 

[goodie]

which is quieter, sleeved or hydro?

 

[Evilonigiri]

Sleeved could be very quite. The only problem is it's durability, and it's noise as it ages.

Hydro is better, although more costly. I believe it's quieter than sleeve, or at least it can retain it's quietness.

 

[emp]

True... I'm a bit concerned about the GPU cooler fan to be honest, not the case fans. I want it to work fine for as long as I use it. Those 40K hours (UFO Bearing) are they TRUE life expectations for 100% fan speed or just lowest setting? or just some numbers pulled out of their asses...? That's what I want to know.

 

[Evilonigiri]

If we assume the worst, and get only 20,000 hours out of it, that would be 4.5years of use if you use it 12 hours a day.

In the best case scenario, if the fan does last for 40,000 hours, that would be 9 years of use if you use it 12 hours a day.

If you're that worried, why don't you go buy a replacement fan right now, saving it until the one in use dies?

 

[Raviolissimo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007

i thought this collection of 700 reviews on the Masscool
$2 80 mm Case Fan was interesting.

basically, a good cheap fan, and i think there were some
people talking about how the sleeve bearing degrades
over time.

 

[emp]

Ah I was just wondering if that number was a serious number and what not... Usually on specs there are important stuff and stuff you have to ignore. I guess it kinda makes sense that a fan would last that long eh...? Ok then, I'll run that little sucker on high from the beginning 😀

 

[Evilonigiri]

Heh, I know what you mean. 20,000hours is A LOT. It should outlive the cpu.

 

[Mugz]

I oil my fan bearings when I service my box. Usually about once every three to five months. [/no carpet in the flat, so thank God! minimal dust]

 

[poohball]

Rifle bearing is good too, last long and super quiet.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233009

 

[Evilonigiri]

I oil my fan bearings when I service my box. Usually about once every three to five months. [/no carpet in the flat, so thank God! minimal dust]

Hey, I do that too. I makes the fan run smoother and faster.

 

[bildo123]

balls running at medium/low

:lol: