Would changing the fan of a PSU make it silent?

[Socloseagain]

Long story short I got a XFX TS 650 but its loud under not even heavy gaming ( just fortnite on lowest settings with only VC on ). I'm thinking if I replace the fan is it going to make it silent? Probably not but I have to ask.. Sort of a follow-up of this thread here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3717525/psu.html Thanks in advance for answers!

 

[terry4536]

It may reduce the noise, but it will not make it silent. Some graphics cards do use a silent mode. That mode uses no fan at low usage and then ramp up the fan as needed. Seasonic is a brand that uses it (and it is very effective).

 

[Greeko85]

I know its not exactly answering your question but I'd be weary of opening up and tampering with a psu. Unless you know what you're doing it can be dangerous for yourself and your system as well.

 

[Socloseagain]

I know its not exactly answering your question but I'd be weary of opening up and tampering with a psu. Unless you know what you're doing it can be dangerous for yourself and your system as well.

Yeah I'm aware of the risks and I would be very careful if it comes to that. But I don't know if it will solve my problems. :\

 

[mitch074]

I know its not exactly answering your question but I'd be weary of opening up and tampering with a psu. Unless you know what you're doing it can be dangerous for yourself and your system as well.

Yeah I'm aware of the risks and I would be very careful if it comes to that. But I don't know if it will solve my problems. :\

I've had to tinker with a PSU exactly once: a cheapo 400W 80plus I had bought to recycle an old PC into a living room entertainment system, on which an overly large sheet of transparent plastic, installed to protect some components from dust but also blocking the airflow from the fan, would vibrate along with the very low quality fan that was shipped with it. I cut away some of the plastic sheet, replaced the fan with a better quality one I had around, slowed it down using a resistor (and then checked that it didn't overheat) and there! Silent PSU. It's been running smoothly (and silently!) for a couple years now.

However!

It's strange that a brand like XFX would require this kind of intervention but if, by chance, the PSU's fan was damaged (especially when it comes to the bearing, such as dust getting caught in it, then causing imbalance which then causes further damage to the bearing), it could be very noisy - and in that case replacing the fan would be a fast, and rather easy, fix - provided you're extra careful (don't touch capacitors, ground yourself first, wear gloves, use electrician tooling such as insulated screwdrivers etc. when taking the PSU apart, and it's better if you do it several hours if not days after its last use to make sure the capacitors have a chance to drain).

 

[Socloseagain]

I know its not exactly answering your question but I'd be weary of opening up and tampering with a psu. Unless you know what you're doing it can be dangerous for yourself and your system as well.

Yeah I'm aware of the risks and I would be very careful if it comes to that. But I don't know if it will solve my problems. :\

I've had to tinker with a PSU exactly once: a cheapo 400W 80plus I had bought to recycle an old PC into a living room entertainment system, on which an overly large sheet of transparent plastic, installed to protect some components from dust but also blocking the airflow from the fan, would vibrate along with the very low quality fan that was shipped with it. I cut away some of the plastic sheet, replaced the fan with a better quality one I had around, slowed it down using a resistor (and then checked that it didn't overheat) and there! Silent PSU. It's been running smoothly (and silently!) for a couple years now.

However!

It's strange that a brand like XFX would require this kind of intervention but if, by chance, the PSU's fan was damaged (especially when it comes to the bearing, such as dust getting caught in it, then causing imbalance which then causes further damage to the bearing), it could be very noisy - and in that case replacing the fan would be a fast, and rather easy, fix - provided you're extra careful (don't touch capacitors, ground yourself first, wear gloves, use electrician tooling such as insulated screwdrivers etc. when taking the PSU apart, and it's better if you do it several hours if not days after its last use to make sure the capacitors have a chance to drain).

Thanks for the information! If I know for sure that replacing the fan would solve my problems I will do it..
However, I'm also baffled that this particular PSU turned the way it did after having read only positive reviews on the internet. I mean the noise comes at about 280-300 watts of usage of the PSU which is 650W which is not even 50%?.. soo I don't know I wasn't expecting to be like that to be honest.

 

[terry4536]

The capacitors in the power supply are large capacity. You don't want to touch them without discharging them. And since they are mounted on the board, it is going to be difficult to discharge them safely.

After removing the power supply from the PC. You might consider attaching the ground of the power cord to an earth ground and then plugging it into the power supply. Then turn the power supply on at the power supply switch. Then let it set like that overnight. But understand that opening the cover of the power supply is at your own risk.

 

[terry4536]

The XFX power supplies are very good quality power supplies. But components are subject to defects like anything else. And components will eventually fail.

 

[terry4536]

Are you sure that it is fan noise and not coil whine that you are hearing? If it is coil whine, replacing the fan will not help the situation.

 

[Socloseagain]

Are you sure that it is fan noise and not coil whine that you are hearing? If it is coil whine, replacing the fan will not help the situation.

I think it should not be coil whine becouse the noise comes after I start playing a tougher game (like Fortnite for example) but the strange part is the PSU is not even at 50% load and the noise comes and it's really annoying

 

[terry4536]

Are you sure that it is fan noise and not coil whine that you are hearing? If it is coil whine, replacing the fan will not help the situation.

I think it should not be coil whine becouse the noise comes after I start playing a tougher game (like Fortnite for example) but the strange part is the PSU is not even at 50% load and the noise comes and it's really annoying

That is characteristic of coil whine. There is a good test for fan noise. But it may be difficult for a power supply. Fan noise will change pitch if it slows down. So while you are hearing the noise press a pencil eraser (or similar) on the hub of the fan. That will slow it down. On regular PC case fans, I just use my finger to press on the fan hub. If you press hard enough the fan will stop.

 

[terry4536]

Here is a video of coil whine on a graphics card (pcb's have coils mounted on them too).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP73edpQwgc

 

[mitch074]

one easy way to see if it's coil whine: when the PSU is getting noisy, slow down/block the fan (pushing a pen to it; don't touch the foils, only act on the axle): if the noise keeps going, it's coil whine (and you're in for a new PSU). If the noise stops, it's the fan.
Don't keep it blocked too long, though - that PSU needs cooling.

 

[terry4536]

one easy way to see if it's coil whine: when the PSU is getting noisy, slow down/block the fan (pushing a pen to it; don't touch the foils, only act on the axle): if the noise keeps going, it's coil whine (and you're in for a new PSU). If the noise stops, it's the fan.
Don't keep it blocked too long, though - that PSU needs cooling.

That suggestion was made an hour earlier..

 

[Socloseagain]

Here is a video of coil whine on a graphics card (pcb's have coils mounted on them too).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP73edpQwgc

Oh god no!! This is not my issue at all, now I am certain of it, haha! This noise in the video is awful holy cow! Now I'm sure that it's fan noise and not coil whine, maybe I will try replacing the fan with quality Noctua one.

 

[terry4536]

I'm a big fan of Noctua fans and coolers. Good luck with the installation.

 

[Socloseagain]

I'm a big fan of Noctua fans and coolers. Good luck with the installation.

Yeah same here, ever since I had to replace the stock cooler&fan of my fx8350 I replaced it with Noctua NH-U12S I absolutely love it! Now for the PSU fan replacement I'm leaning towards this -> Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 3000 PWM

 

[Socloseagain]

P.S. quick update: I've actually contacted Noctua support and they told me the best fan for this PSU would be NF-S12B redux 1200 fan. What do u guys think?

 

[terry4536]

P.S. quick update: I've actually contacted Noctua support and they told me the best fan for this PSU would be NF-S12B redux 1200 fan. What do u guys think?

I would trust their recommendation. If it is a lot more expensive, then it is up to you.

 

[mitch074]

P.S. quick update: I've actually contacted Noctua support and they told me the best fan for this PSU would be NF-S12B redux 1200 fan. What do u guys think?

Yeah - I'm a big fan of Noctua stuff, excellent support. Go ahead.

 

[Socloseagain]

P.S. quick update: I've actually contacted Noctua support and they told me the best fan for this PSU would be NF-S12B redux 1200 fan. What do u guys think?

I would trust their recommendation. If it is a lot more expensive, then it is up to you.

P.S. quick update: I've actually contacted Noctua support and they told me the best fan for this PSU would be NF-S12B redux 1200 fan. What do u guys think?

Yeah - I'm a big fan of Noctua stuff, excellent support. Go ahead.

Guys I bought what the support from Noctua recommended me but.. there is a problem the noctua pin is bigger than the original pin?! Soo am I screwed? Here is a picture to get an idea: https://imgur.com/a/C0A3BHJ not best quality but I hope u get the idea.. the pins are not the same :S

 

[mitch074]

Guys I bought what the support from Noctua recommended me but.. there is a problem the noctua pin is bigger than the original pin?! Soo am I screwed? Here is a picture to get an idea: https://imgur.com/a/C0A3BHJ not best quality but I hope u get the idea.. the pins are not the same :S

If you're going as far as taking apart a PSU, hacking together an adapter shouldn't be too hard - take the old fan's wire, cut it on the fan's side, denude the wires, and insert them in a connector of the right side. You can either try to find one online, or (if I'm not mistaken) the Noctua fan came with a bunch of extra wires : dismantle one of the male plugs on one adapter you don't need and adapt it on the former fan's wire. There! Instant adapter and your Noctua fan can still be used somewhere else if you decide to change your PSU one day.
As long as you make sure the black wire and the red wire go in the proper place, you' all set.

 

[terry4536]

As above, use the old fan connector. You can use crimp wire union or wire nuts. For a more professional job, slide some heat shrink tubing on the wires, solder the wires together (maintaining the polarity), and then position the insulating tube over the joint and shrink with heat. Then just finish the install.

 

[Socloseagain]

Guys I bought what the support from Noctua recommended me but.. there is a problem the noctua pin is bigger than the original pin?! Soo am I screwed? Here is a picture to get an idea: https://imgur.com/a/C0A3BHJ not best quality but I hope u get the idea.. the pins are not the same :S

If you're going as far as taking apart a PSU, hacking together an adapter shouldn't be too hard - take the old fan's wire, cut it on the fan's side, denude the wires, and insert them in a connector of the right side. You can either try to find one online, or (if I'm not mistaken) the Noctua fan came with a bunch of extra wires : dismantle one of the male plugs on one adapter you don't need and adapt it on the former fan's wire. There! Instant adapter and your Noctua fan can still be used somewhere else if you decide to change your PSU one day.
As long as you make sure the black wire and the red wire go in the proper place, you' all set.

As above, use the old fan connector. You can use crimp wire union or wire nuts. For a more professional job, slide some heat shrink tubing on the wires, solder the wires together (maintaining the polarity), and then position the insulating tube over the joint and shrink with heat. Then just finish the install.

But the original XFX TS 650 fan is 2 pin and the Noctua one is 3pin.. Sorry I'm not an expect and I dont know how can I do this..

 

[mitch074]

[
But the original XFX TS 650 fan is 2 pin and the Noctua one is 3pin.. Sorry I'm not an expect and I dont know how can I do this..

The third wire is only used to report the rotation speed of the fan (sensor). You can happily ignore it.
Here's a schematic of a standard pinout: http://www.interfacebus.com/ATX_Motherboard_Fan_Connector_Pinout.html
Simply make sure that the GND (black) one goes into the former wire's black connection, and you're done.