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Replacing fans on PSU ! Possible?

Phrik

Phrik

Gawd
Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
636
I'm thinking of replacing the fan on my Silverstone Zeus 850, it's a bit too noisy for me. I believe the bearing on the fan is somewhat not good anymore. And it's only been 1 month old.

I still have to research a compatible fan. But how hard and dangerous is it replace a PSU fan ?

Any insights will help, thanks !
 
Just don't touch anything inside the PSU and you'll be fine.

yes, you void the warranty.
 
Anybody knows of a compatible or matcheable 80mm fan against the current fan on the Silverstone 850W ZEUS ? You know same CFM and so and so forth, BUT WAY MORE QUIET ;)

There is a quite rattling sound when I turn the PSU on that after a while it's like low whistle sound... it's quite annoying, and like I said it has only been a month.

Is cutting PSU wires or adding t-molex plugs a possible cause to void warranty ? If not I may be able to have this checked for warranty by the distributor.
 
Simply breaking the seal on the PSU is generally enough to void the warranty, let alone actually opening it and messing with wires.

Pretty much any 80mm fan will do--you can pick your own. The CFM and dBa ratings on fans are pretty much meaningless.
 
I mean I've just cut the wires shorter and replaced the molex plugs to T-Molex plugs.

So I guess my warranty is still okey right ? Just wanna get a second word or opinion.

Anyway about the fan, I'm just concerned that I don't reach the same CFM specification of the current fan and may end overheating the PSU at all times.
 
Phrik said:
Is cutting PSU wires or adding t-molex plugs a possible cause to void warranty ?
Click to expand...
You're kidding, right? :rolleyes:

edit: guess not :eek:
So I'm guessing you think if you bought a tv and the power cord was longer than you needed, you could cut it and then bring it back in for warranty servicing without problem?

BTW - any old 80mm or whatever size fan will do. There's no huge cfm requirement (at least nothing you'll find specd). Swap out the fan and everything will be fine. Just use common sense, unplugg it try to avoid touching anything else.
 
svc.com has some really cheap quiet 80mm fans forget the name of them but why replace it with any ole fan when you can put a really nice quiet fan!
 
agent420 said:
So I'm guessing you think if you bought a tv and the power cord was longer than you needed, you could cut it and then bring it back in for warranty servicing without problem?
Click to expand...

Yeah... that kinda thought... :D
 
you wont be able to find a fan capable of keeping the psu cool and silent... its a trade off.

you will raise the temps and therefore lower the output current.

have you thought about a 80mm > 120mm adaptor and then use a quiet 120mm fan? you get more air through and lower noise (i have done it with mine)

bear in mind you need to take out the existing fan :)

http://www.nforcershq.com/forum/3-v...=asc&highlight=power+cooling+modded&&start=20
 
gilly said:
you wont be able to find a fan capable of keeping the psu cool and silent... its a trade off.
Click to expand...
I want to see a justification for this statement as well. The PSU manufacturer found a fan that works, and PSU fans aren't always known to be of the best quality. There's no reason why you can't supply your own.

 
agent420 said:
Um, I'd like to see your references to back that statement up :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I thought it was fairly common knowledge that as heat rises, output efficiency decreases...

That's why most "mid-range" PSU's are tested at 25c, whereas higher end PSU's are tested at 40c...

This allows for mid-range PSU's to appear more powerful, even if the rating is taken under practically impossible conditions.

It means that power output capacity declines with temperature rise from maximum at 25°C to zero watts at 70°C. The gist of the issue is that a PSU in a typical computer would never see 25°C unless it was turned off. 35°C is much more realistic, and 40°C is not uncommon in a high performance low noise PC under full load. So a PSU rated for 400W output at 0-25°C and 0 watts at 70°C cannot produce its rated power in the thermal environment of a typical PC. If you assume that this power drop is linear, then max power capacity will drop by ~9W for every degree over 25ºC. At the relatively cool internal PC case temperature of 35ºC, this "400W" PSU could only produce 310W max. At 40ºC, max output would drop to 265W. At 45ºC, you're down to 220W.
Click to expand...

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article148-page1.html

I trust SPC, as they're usually dead on with their information.
 
Mohonri said:
I want to see a justification for this statement as well. The PSU manufacturer found a fan that works, and PSU fans aren't always known to be of the best quality. There's no reason why you can't supply your own.

Click to expand...


I think he meant, that you can't find a quieter fan that'll keep it AS cool...
 
http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/

the second "tip" shows as temps increase the output wattage will decrease. it isnt by a lot, but it does decrease.

for pc p&c own 510w it goes from ~550w to ~510w by increasing the temp from 25 to 50*C.

if you have less airflow through the PSU it will be warmer (less air to move over the components and heatsinks than before) so it will naturally rise in temperature. it will therefore output less current/ power, however you want to call it.

Arcygenical, thankyou for posting this information, that is exactly what i was gonna post :)

If you go for a Panaflo fan for example.... if you go for a 80mm size 25mm thick L1A you get about 25cfm @ 21dB (according to their own site).

the delta fan in my PSU is speced for 30-52cfm at up to about 50dB. If you want to run 25cfm out of your PSU thats fine, but bear in mind sucking air through something will mean less airflow than in free air.

imo, if you want to run a PSU stably, you need the same or more airflow than it has at stock. if you want to notice any audible difference but keep the same airflow you cant use 80mm fans, they dont differ that much. the way tagan (for example) get quiet PSU's is to use temp controlled fans that barely move any air until they get going!

if you want to raise the psu temps thats also fine, just bear in mind you will lose your warranty and you will reduce its lifespan anyway by making it run warmer. If you went for a 80 > 120mm adaptor (like i have) i get about 40cfm of free air (a good 10 more than the delta moves in free air) at a lot lower noise level. add that into the fact i have no dead spot either the psu runs cooler. the exhaust temps are a good 2-3*C cooler, and its a lot quieter.
 
From that myth link...
In conclusion, for systems that require more than 50% of the power supply’s capacity, a well-engineered PSU with a rear-mounted 80mm fan will provide superior performance and reliability (due to larger components) at a noise level comparable to a PSU equipped with a 120mm fan.
Click to expand...
 
jesus wept....

do you not have any idea what they mean?

have you seen the tagan psu's with a single 120mm fan in them? do they fit into the back? NO.

thats their point, if you use a 120mm fan you lose height of components, but if you put the fan on the BACK OF THE PSU LIKE MY LINK SAID then you aernt losing anything.

"Most low-noise ATX power supplies today utilize a top-mounted 120mm fan rather than a rear-mounted 80mm fan. The 120’s favorable reputation is based on the fact that under low to medium load conditions, the 120mm fan provides sufficient cooling at low RPM and low RPM fans are generally very quiet.

However, problems occur with this design when the load exceeds 50%-60%. Because the 120mm fan consumes about 1.5” of vertical space inside the PSU, heat sinks, capacitors, and other components are about 30% smaller in height compared to a PSU with a rear-mounted fan. The smaller parts can handle less current, so the maximum power available with the 120mm design is limited. And, because the heat sinks have less surface area, more air flow is needed with this design to keep the thermal situation under control. With 80%-100% load, the 120’s fan speed can double and the noise level can jump by up to 20dB."

i noticed you missed the 2 paragraphs before your quote negating your quote completely.
 
What is the quietest 80mm fan do you know that has max 40 CFM ?
 
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