• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Question about GT AP-15s

MavericK

MavericK

Zero Cool
2FA
Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
33,053
So, recently I got a new case and some new fans to improve my cooling/noise situation. I'm using a Fractal Define R3 with a Kuhler 620 and a GT AP-15 pulling through the radiator and exhausting out the back. I have another GT-15 currently in the side panel pulling in (I didn't have the proper hardware to mount it for push/pull so for now that's where it is). When I have the machine running, I can barely hear the AP-15 behind the rad at all, but the one in the side panel makes a pretty audible "humming" noise. It's not just like a low air movement sound like the other AP-15, and it's actually pretty annoying. I've got the radiator AP-15 running off the Kuhler 920 connection, and the other one running straight off the motherboard.

My question is, is something wrong with the other AP-15, or is it just somehow running faster than the other one and thus making more noise? I've never used AP-15s until now so I'm not sure what they're "supposed" to sound like. Thanks for any help. :)

EDIT: According to SpeedFan (which I don't know is accurate since the fan is passing through the Kuhler 620), my CPU fan is 1400 RPM, which is quite a bit less than the 1850 the AP-15 is capable of. I guess I may just have to stick the other one on a fan controller.
 
Last edited:
the fan on the rad is being controlled by the temp of the cpu, so its going to be lower. problem is the one on the side of the case is sitting at 100%. two options. 1 you can modify the wiring so you can voltage control the fan using the molex from the psu, or you can try and control the fan speed in the bios if theres an option.
 
Yeah, the case I bought comes with one so I think I'll just try that first. Eventually both will go on the rad anyway so it's not a huge deal, but I need to find screws that will work with it (kinda lame the Kuhler 620 doesn't come with two sets of fan screws for push/pull).
 
So I stuck the other AP-15 on the rad for push/pull and on the included fan controller. Seems to be doing great, and even at "max" on the controller they're barely audible. Though I don't feel a ton of air coming out the back of the rad...is that normal? I know you need a lot of static pressure but the AP-15s should be good for that.
 
Make sure the controller isn't limiting the speed of the fan, plug it directly into the PSU and see what you get then.
 
Well it's getting power directly from a Molex, so I can't imagine it's voltage limiting too much. But I'll try them both on direct power and see what happens. Currently they still keep me around 60c during Prime95, so it's not bad for how quiet it is.
 
Okay, I tried plugging the AP-15s directly into a Molex, and they are definitely pushing more air now. Not sure why the fan controller on max was limiting them so much.

Not sure how I feel about AP-15 noise @ max yet...there seems to be this slight "whirring" or "droning" sound that is a little annoying, but I'll use them for awhile and see if I need to invest in a fan controller or not.
 
Does the side panel have anything obstructing air from getting to the fan? I don't stick any fans on the side of my Scout, because they all make this "chopping air" sound if I do, because of the stupid extra plastic bits.
 
No, first I had a fan in there but off, then I had the fan on so there shouldn't have been any issue there with airflow. The sound is almost certainly coming from the AP-15s. It's not unbearable but it's just this humming noise that I can hear constantly.

I was thinking about picking up something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Sentry-Mesh-C...1G30/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334622711&sr=8-2

Should be able to push full power to the AP-15s I'd guess. Also, the face is more or less flat, which is important since the R3 has a door with thick foam in there.

I will say, though, at full tilt the cooling performance is awesome. Processor running at 3990 MHz on Prime 95 won't ever break 60C. I have a feeling though, based on the performance when it was "limited", I could probably turn them down to 90% or so and eliminate the noise while still keeping most of the performance.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Check to make sure the screws are not to tight on the GT, if you put it tight on some rads (no less on a side panel) it can cause it to stress the fans frame making it hum or do other odd noises.
 
I'll check that out. I don't think I made it too tight but I'll make sure that's not what's causing it.
 
Update:

So, as it turns out, it wasn't the AP-15s making that noise. It was one of the stock Fractal fans that I put in the side door slot. I tried loosening the screws but that didn't do anything. When I pulled the fan out of the slot, it was perfectly quiet, which leads me to believe that the side case mesh is causing the noise. Actually this makes sense, because at first I had an AP-15 in the side panel and it made a similar noise, but I thought it was just due to the fan running at high power. Apparently it is the design of that side panel or something... :rolleyes:

So now I guess my question is, what kind of fan do you have to use for those side panels to make it quiet? I already ordered a fan controller so maybe I will just try it at a lower speed, but...meh. Annoying.
 
Also note that AP15s do best (with one fan) pushing air through a radiator.
 
That's what I'm using them for now...push/pull through the rad. The only reason I had one on the side panel was because I didn't have the mounting screws for a second fan on the rad yet.

Now I just gotta find a decent fan that will do the side panel without annoying noises.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top