Could I replace a stock PSU fan with a more quiet one?

9

1

I have a cheap 450W PSU with an exhaust fan at the rear. This fan, however, is very loud.

Is it a good idea to replace the stock PSU fan with a quiet fan with similar airflow? The PSU fan is hard-wired to the PCB in the PSU so I was intending on snipping the stock fan wires and sealing the loose ends with electrical tape. I would then connect the new quiet fan to the PWR_FAN socket on the motherboard.

Has anyone done this before themselves? Is it a good idea in the first place? Considering if my PSU fails, it could take out a couple of other components too.

GaryJL

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 884

@Gary, I prefer heatshrink over electrical tape. Not as easy to find, but electrical tape tends to slide or unwind over time. Also, if you have no pets you can remove try removing the fan grill as I've found that does generate some noise. – hyperslug – 2009-08-14T04:37:39.943

Please specify your PSU. – MicTech – 2009-07-20T08:45:47.407

I'm pretty sure it's a generic manufacturer. I will check next time I can. – GaryJL – 2009-07-20T09:15:59.707

Answers

14

I have done this. It works.

If you're nervous around capacitors, be aware that they can and will store residual mains power. Practice basic safety: Unplug the psu, ground yourself against the case. Snip the wires, strip them, and use a 'decent' wire splicing method. wrapping them with electrical tape is not a good idea. Solder + heat shrink, small wirenuts, "B-connectors", etc.

I've been hit by the caps, you feel it, but it wasn't horrible. As always, proceed at your own risk, but I've done this plenty of times.

I wouldn't recommend fiddling with the rest of the components, but just a simple wiresnip on the fan leads is pretty painless.

Caveat: Some PSU's run their fan on 12V, some on 5V. If you have a multimeter, check and make sure you pick a fan rated for those speeds. Most 5V 'can' run on 12V, but it's not recommended.

Keck

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 2 048

1It's possible, and the one's I've disassembled all had 80mm fans in them. You should have some basic electronics experience like described in this response. If you don't have any electronics experience maybe you can find someone who does to help you with this. – Bratch – 2009-08-14T04:15:02.773

+1 I've done it more than a few times with no issue, although I avoid splicing when I can. – hyperslug – 2009-08-14T04:31:59.627

1Plenty of experience of fiddling with electronics! I was more concerned with the long term survivability of my PSU. – GaryJL – 2009-08-14T08:07:49.873

2as long as you replace the fan with a comperable one, and don't somehow short/damage things on the main pcb, the electrical scheme is unchanged. No worries bud!

On a side note, if you arn't running a decent name brand, consider an upgrade soon. PC stability and longevity depend a lot on the quality of the PSU. – Keck – 2009-08-14T13:31:21.203

7

No, in my opinion opening the PSU is NOT something you should do.

If you do anything wrong the best case scenario is that you only destroy your computer.

The worst case is that it catches fire and you burn down your house and killing everyone in it.

Sorry to sound alarmist but messing with "out of the socket AC current stuff" is best left to professionals.

Nifle

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 31 337

1Given the nature of a PC PSU, this is excellent advice. The solution is to replace the PSU with a quieter one. – Stese – 2019-04-03T15:48:36.740

1If you know what you are doing you won't burn anything. If you made your house wiring and safety shutdown devices shield by your own hands - do not afraid to replace fan in PSU. Do not scare people. – puchu – 2019-04-28T18:55:59.800

Backup + fire extinguisher? – earlNameless – 2012-07-28T17:28:17.470

2Instead, get a quiter PSU. – pcapademic – 2009-07-20T11:09:23.100

3

It's not problem replace PSU fan, but you loss warranty.

I prefer Noctua Fans

MicTech

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 9 888

Please pay more attention to Noctua fans. There are fans for PSU - pressure optimized series or industrial. Other fans are not for PSU. – puchu – 2019-04-28T18:57:49.693

I've got a spare AcoustiFan sitting around somewhere which should do the job. – GaryJL – 2009-07-20T08:35:50.800

2

What you suggest can definitely be done. I have replaced the fan in a PSU before, but it had a standard fan connector inside the PSU which made it easier.

I question your desire to plug the fan into the motherboard. While this would work, why not just splice the fan into the old fan wires? This would cause the two systems to be more independent of each other, create less of a wire mess, etc. Plus, with many PSUs the fan speed is controlled by the amount of heat or the current draw. You lose this functionality if you draw power from the motherboard.

Steve Rowe

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 3 729

Please do not use fan headers. Soldering fan is more reliable. – puchu – 2019-04-28T19:05:00.983

There is a socket on the motherboard labelled PWR_FAN... – GaryJL – 2009-08-14T08:04:23.097

And for RPM monitoring. – GaryJL – 2009-08-14T08:08:32.743

1

Can it be done? Yes.

  • Many people (including myself) have simply cut the wires to the old fan and used some electrical tape to connect the wires to a new one. Works like a charm.
  • Its not rocket science.

Should it be done? No!

  • As some people have already said, the capacitors hold some charge even when the machine is switched off, which could discharge and deliver quite a significant electrical shock.
  • I don't know about other countries, but over here (Australia) only certified electricians are supposed to work on cables that are made to carry a 250v current (Technically we are not allowed to change light bulbs). Tinkering with the inside of a PSU is no exception to this. We can do other stuff with our computers because the cables coming out of the PSU are only 12v or something like that.

Nippysaurus

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 1 223

I made you a dislike. You can do all electrical wiring and shield in your own house in almost any country including Australia. You have just to made and approve electrical wiring and protection shield project. And after that you can do what you want with your 250v line including short circuit. Nothing will burn. Do not scare people. – puchu – 2019-04-28T19:03:23.930

Why not? Please elaborate. ;) – Nikhil Chelliah – 2009-08-14T15:21:23.990

Elaborated a bit :) – Nippysaurus – 2009-08-17T23:51:47.993

You can't even wire a plug? :O – Kurru – 2011-10-10T03:34:30.860

Depends who you ask. The "right" thing to do is apparently get an an electrician to do it. Like if a business if trying to set a good example to their employees they will hire an electrician to wire a plug or change the light bulbs, but a lot of people also realise how stupid that is and just do it themself. – Nippysaurus – 2011-10-10T03:55:20.107

Oh thats really stupid. In the UK I mounted 6 240v switches in a PSU case and made an elaborate switch panel for my external harddrives. Worked very well with no fire or anything ;) Dont use it anymore since getting a file server in anycase – Kurru – 2011-10-12T04:32:25.257

0

Some expensive PSU (like Seasonics platinum) requires fan (Hong Hua fan) replacement. It is not only a problem for cheap PSU. Lets describe how to replace Hong Hua HA13525H12F-Z with proper fan.

You should select fan carefully:

  1. Find your stock fan product number (like HA13525H12F-Z).
  2. Find characteristic curve for this fan.
  3. Characteristic curve for Hong Hua is not available. You should select another PSU with same characteristics and same amount of heat (old Seasonic platinum platform with Sanyo Denki 9S1212H403 fans).
  4. Open Sanyo Denki 9S1212H401 (9S1212H403 has same characteristics) characteristic curve.

Sanyo Denki 9S1212H401

  1. Now you should select fan with characteristic curve above or equals to Sanyo (12v) curve. My solution is Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000.
  2. Ask Noctua to send you a characteristic curve for selected fan.

Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000

You can see that curves are about the same, difference is low.

  1. Buy your fan. Use any buck boost step down converter like LM2596 to test your fan. Starting voltage should be low <= 5.0v. My Noctua industrial fan has about 4.85v starting voltage, it is fine.
  2. Shutdown your computer, remove PSU from computer case and wait for 10 minutes. All your capacitors will be discharged during this time.
  3. Open PSU, remove Hong Hua, drill additional holes, solder Noctua directly to PSU mobo. It is better not to use fan pin headers, because Noctua motor starting current is high. Soldering is more reliable.
  4. Test how your fan controller is working using auto transformer on 100-250v with different load. You can use regular bulbs as a load.
  5. You can attach additional temperature sensors on radiators during tests. Sensors under load can be under high voltage. Just do not touch them and everything will be fine.
  6. Remove sensors and install PSU back to the computer case. Enjoy.

Results:

  • Hong Hua HA13525H12F-Z - 51.7 dbA
  • Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 - 31.5 dbA

I think it is a safe solution for Seasonic platinum/titanium <= 850w/1000w. But of course it is your own risk, nobody is in charge.

puchu

Posted 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Reputation: 1 202

Asked: 2009-07-20T08:26:22.180

Viewed: 15 997 times

Active: 2019-04-28T22:05:43.237