Loud CPU fan on HTPC

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dar124

[H]ard|Gawd
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So I recently picked up a little HTPC with a ASRock E350-M1. It has an aftermarket (I think) CPU fan with a little controller attached to it. The fan seems kinda loud, especially for a HTPC so I'm looking to replace it with a comparable, but quieter fan. I've tried to adjust the fan speed with the dial on the controller, but it doesnt seem to make any difference. The pic below is the current fan.

I've never upgraded a CPU fan. I've switched out some case fans, but only with replacements that I've had lying around. So I'm looking for some [H] advice/suggestions for an upgrade. I dont really need/want the new fan to have a controller with it. Just turn on and run when the PC is booted, but be quiet enough that I'll barely hear it!!!

Also the current fan is screwed directly into the CPU heat sink fins. Is it acceptable to screw the fan into the heatsink??



CPU+fan.jpg
 
That is likely a 40mm x10mm thick fan from iXtrema...aka Noiseblocker. Funny thing is, those are supposed to be some of the best, quiet fans out there. I bet the bearing on it is going out causing the noise.

There are thousands of replacements out there. Most won't be quiet enough since tiny fans like that have to spin faster just to put out acceptable airflow. So you have to be cautious which one you purchase.

If the case it is in has plenty of airflow, you likely won't need much. It is an AMD E-350 CPU afterall.

I recommend this one:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...LX_40_x_10mm_Fan_NFA4X10FLX.html?tl=g36c15s70

-edit- to answer your question...Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to screw it directly into the fins of that heasink. The aluminum is plenty thick.
 
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CaptNumbNutz said:
That is likely a 40mm x10mm thick fan from iXtrema...aka Noiseblocker. Funny thing is, those are supposed to be some of the best, quiet fans out there. I bet the bearing on it is going out causing the noise.

There are thousands of replacements out there. Most won't be quiet enough since tiny fans like that have to spin faster just to put out acceptable airflow. So you have to be cautious which one you purchase.

If the case it is in has plenty of airflow, you likely won't need much. It is an AMD E-350 CPU afterall.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply CaptNumbNutz. I'll look into the Noctua fan. I agree that it wont need much, but I'd rather get something quality and then not have to worry about it again.


CaptNumbNutz said:
- to answer your question...Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to screw it directly into the fins of that heasink. The aluminum is plenty thick..
Click to expand...

Sounds good. Since the fan that's in there seems to be aftermarket, I just wanted to make sure that it was installed correctly. So, the fan will sit right on top of the heatsink and then get screwed down?? Or should there be some kind of rubber gasket/standoff etc??
 
dar124 said:
Thanks for the reply CaptNumbNutz. I'll look into the Noctua fan. I agree that it wont need much, but I'd rather get something quality and then not have to worry about it again.




Sounds good. Since the fan that's in there seems to be aftermarket, I just wanted to make sure that it was installed correctly. So, the fan will sit right on top of the heatsink and then get screwed down?? Or should there be some kind of rubber gasket/standoff etc??
Click to expand...

For quality, you can't really beat Noctua. They are damn ugly, but damn reliable. And since they seem to have no problems selling, I think most people think their performance more than outweighs their choice of color palette. :cool:

That fan should sit fine directly on top of the aluminum without any sort of gasket. Those are rarely needed. The aluminum is usually thick enough and fans usually balanced with proper bearings so it shouldn't be an issue. If the fan's balance was off and/or bearing bad, the heatsink could potentially amplify the noise a little, but that is extremely rare.

You are welcome to put some thin o-rings or foam squares on the screws between the fan and heatsink if your screws are long enough, especially if you have sensitive hearing and can actually hear it. In practice though, you likely will not need it.
 
you can also try using a fan adapter to mount a larger diameter fan (which usually are quieter than small ones)
 
The biggest culprit is that it's a 40mm fan, all of which are screamers above a certain RPM. An adapter for a larger fan might work.

What case are you using? If you can generate sufficient airflow though the case using the case's larger, quieter fans, then you may even be able to get rid of the CPU fan.
 
JJ Johnson said:
What case are you using?
Click to expand...

This.

It will give us an idea of what kind of room you have to work with. Also, being a super small fan and HS, depending on mounting type and room in the case, you could probably buy a old NB HS that would cool better than that one does and be passive at the same time.
 
JJ Johnson said:
What case are you using?
Click to expand...


It's a Habey 800B case. I bought it used to set up as my HTPC and it came with this CPU fan installed. But I don't think originally it had a CPU fan. Also there is no case fan.

Not sure what a "NB heatsink" is?? I looked up google images for them and I got a pretty wide variety of images.


Edit: just looked a bit farther down on the google page and it's a "North Bridge heat sink":eek:
 
Looks like I was not the first to think about this and the mounting seems to be like allot of NB's anyway.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asrock_E350M1_system.JPG

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=63537&view=previous

Links to the HS I found online that people have used on this board, don't know if any mods are needed to fit, but might be worth the research.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5...Chipset_Heatsink_IXN-40C.html?tl=g40c16#blank

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/4..._Heatsink_-_81mm_x_37mm_x_47mm.html?tl=g40c16
 
Not sure if I wanna get into replacing the heatsink. If that "Noctua NFA4X10FLX 40 x 10mm" fan will fit and is a good quality product (as it appears to be) then I'll prob just keep it simple and go with it.
 
dar124 said:
Not sure if I wanna get into replacing the heatsink. If that "Noctua NFA4X10FLX 40 x 10mm" fan will fit and is a good quality product (as it appears to be) then I'll prob just keep it simple and go with it.
Click to expand...

If the bearing is bad in the one you have and that is what you hear, yes, it will work for you, however, if it is not, then the noctua will not help, it is still a 3k+ rpm fan, it is not loud really as its a small fan, but it is annoying as hell, I tried out a 2500rpm 40mm fan for ram cooling before, and my whole system was silent to me, but once I added the 40mm fan, good lord, it did not take me more than 10mins before I was tearing back into the case to remove it. The sound from such a small fan is very high pitched, I have said it before, a large 120-140mm fan might be louder than the 40mm, just like a ceiling fan is allot louder than a mosquito flying by your ear, but which one is more annoying?

If you have room a 60-80mm thin fan will push more air and cool better with less noise than the 40mm, and I would be willing to bet the HS does not need a fan so long as the case is well vented, so a 60-80mm fan moving air in or out would be a better idea.
 
In the Habey 800B, I don't think removing the CPU fan would be wise. If the OP can't get by either with a slower RPM 40mm fan or figure out how to mount a larger fan, he's probably SOL.
 
JJ Johnson said:
In the Habey 800B, I don't think removing the CPU fan would be wise. If the OP can't get by either with a slower RPM 40mm fan or figure out how to mount a larger fan, he's probably SOL.
Click to expand...

Would be willing to bet a 60-80mm fan fit just about anywhere in a case that size, would push more air across the HS than a 40mm screwed right to it.
 
So a couple of days ago I ordered the Noctua NFA4X10FLX 40 x 10mm fan and I just received it yesterday!!!

I'll install it in the next day or so and will report back with how it's doing.


fan1.jpg
 
The HTPC with this new Noctua fan is completely silent!!! I read some reviews where people said that they had to check to see if the fan is spinning to tell if it was running, I need to do the same thing. I'm loving it!!! I did use the low noise adapter, so it's running at 3700 RPM. I may try it without that adapter, at 4500 RPM, just to see how much louder it is.

Thanks to [H] for the Noctua recommendation!!!
 
The other fan was probably on its last leg then and a bad bearing, glad it was the right fix for you. How are the temps compared to before?
 
I'm not sure what the temps were prior to switching the fan out. Is there an easy way to monitor temps now??
 
As far as I know CoreTemp should work just fine for it just like almost all other CPUs?
 
dar124 said:
The HTPC with this new Noctua fan is completely silent!!! I read some reviews where people said that they had to check to see if the fan is spinning to tell if it was running, I need to do the same thing. I'm loving it!!! I did use the low noise adapter, so it's running at 3700 RPM. I may try it without that adapter, at 4500 RPM, just to see how much louder it is.

Thanks to [H] for the Noctua recommendation!!!
Click to expand...

That's why I picked that fan. It is difficult to find a 40mm that isn't cheaply built or isn't a screamer, they just aren't used too often anymore to warrant company's investing too much in them. But when you find a good company like Noctua, they can make a powerful and quiet fan. I'm glad to see that you spent the little extra and got the right part the first time.:cool:
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
That's why I picked that fan. It is difficult to find a 40mm that isn't cheaply built or isn't a screamer, they just aren't used too often anymore to warrant company's investing too much in them. But when you find a good company like Noctua, they can make a powerful and quiet fan. I'm glad to see that you spent the little extra and got the right part the first time.:cool:
Click to expand...

Truth be told, with how many aftermarket fans we have in the 120mm range it is hard to find good one, not because lack of choice, but because there is so much shit on the market it is hard for most people who don't keep up with it to be able to find a good model. Also, so many people fall for MFG listed specs, so sad they still get away with this.
 
dar124 said:
The HTPC with this new Noctua fan is completely silent!!! I read some reviews where people said that they had to check to see if the fan is spinning to tell if it was running, I need to do the same thing. I'm loving it!!! I did use the low noise adapter, so it's running at 3700 RPM. I may try it without that adapter, at 4500 RPM, just to see how much louder it is.

Thanks to [H] for the Noctua recommendation!!!
Click to expand...
Sorry to bring up this old thread. I have the same Asrock E350-M1 and the old fan is making very loud noise. If I buy the Noctua fan, is it going to be a direct replacement? If I remove the screws on the old fan, it will just come off? Should I reuse the old screws for new fan? Does the new fan's power cable work as-is?
 
I finally got a minute to pull out my old HTPC and look at it. See the pics below. The Noctua fan is a direct replacement. The screws (I'm pretty sure I used the old ones) screw right into the heat sink. And the power cable for the fan plugged right in. Zero issues during the swap.

Let me know if you have any other questions or want additional pics.


20201231_110851.jpg



20201231_110911.jpg
 
AirCool2 said:
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I really appreciate your help. I wonder if there are alternatives too? Is it as long as they are 3/4-pins 40x40x10mm fan, it will be okay?

Like these:
https://www.coolerguys.com/collecti...vercool-fan-40x40x10-mm-3-pin-fan-ec4010m12ca
https://www.coolerguys.com/products...0mm-12-volt-fan-ixp-11-14?variant=25860919241

Also, would the NF-A4x20 work?
Click to expand...
FWIW, I bought the Silenx Pro and it also fits well. Reusing the same screws and the fan noise from old fan is now gone for good.
 
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