Reducing Fan Noise

the 80mm i have installed in the front bottom of my case is really annoying. It vibrates a lot, and sometimes becomes intolerable.

Do any of you have any good tips for reducing fan noise/vibration?

thanks

-Bourbon

Oops, double post...I clicked submit reply but stopped it cuz i wanted to add more info...sorry

Vibration? Tighten the screws. If that doesn't work much, put thick rubber O-rings where the screws come out to the head and when they go into the case. This will dampen the effect, if the vibration isn't going on inside the fan itself.
Where is your case set up? Try moving it under your desk if its right next to your monitor.

We can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the Galaxy!

I'm afraid often the trade-off with a more powerful, better cooled machine can be noise.

I have several fans in there and a 400 W PSU. You can hear the thing going in the next room. Sometimes I think its gonna raise itself up off the desk and float in the air!

If it REALLY annoys you, you could look into some kind of water cooling kit. There are some really good ones out. Or you could make one yourself, but I think that's dicing with death a little.

Like Vehementi said, tightening the screws might sort the vibration out, and you could search the net for something quieter.

I'm afraid I've just learned to live with these things. Sadly.

i think you could add a variable resistor (or maybe it's called sth else) to it. but it'll lower the fan's performance (rpm)

www.coolerguys.com

Ali is so right!
http://www.coolerguys.com/cpucool/sensors.shtml

just slow your fan down a lil' to stop the harmonic distortion & vibration, or try putting a filter on the fan!

noiseblocker doesn't take the noise away, but it makes the sound bareable. The sound is lower and therefore less irritating. I have installed it and I'm very satisfied.

the only fan that bugs me is the CPU fan. :dead:

As for me it's definitly the Blue Orb on my GF3 :dead:

Thermaltake makes smart fans with thermistors on them, they only speed up when the air around them gets hotter. Good idea, I think. The fan on my CPU is really annoying too, its 4300 rpm's...There are worse, I know.

This site is pretty cool, if you have the bandwidth. It's called 3dgameman & it so happens they have a fan voltage control one out --> Fan Voltage Control Video

What speed is the fan, a quality fan should not vibrate a lot,
in fact, at all. it should run smoothly. If it is a very powerful fan
its just "wind" noise, then all you can do, is slow it down a bit
as uncleel suggests.
I like the suggestion of placing a filter on it - kinda kill two birds
with one stone, cleaner - slower air.

surefire way to reduce fan noise.

A good way to reduce case fan noise is to remove the “grill” that was made By the case manufacturer when they “stamped” the vent holes through the case.

I bought a Dremmel tool and cut out all the fan vents in my cases, leaving just One +- 78mm Dia. Hole(for a 80mm fan) with the 4 screw holes at the edge. I then used the standard wire type guards that you can get almost anywhere for about $1.50 and voila! A LOT less fan noise.

A word of caution! Completely remove EVERYTHING from the case before Attempting this. The iron filings created by the Dremmel tool will cause havoc. If they come into contact with ANYTHING electronic.

Oh yes…… and clean The case very well before reassembling it.
Not only did this simple mod reduce the noise from the fans but it increased the Air flow through the cases pretty dramatically.

I have the quietest Athon XP1800+ I've ever seen. This is my system:

Aopen midi tower HQ-45
ASUS A7V266-E Socket A DDR Raid
AMD Athlon XP 1800+
Taisol CGK760092
Enermax 350W EG365P-VE FCA
2 x 256MB Kingmax PC2100 DDR-SDRAM
40GB IBM Deskstar 60GXP 7200 RPM
ASUS V8200 64MB Geforce 3 Ti500 Deluxe
Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer
Plextor PlexWriter PX-W2410TA 24/10/40A
Sony 19" CPD-G420
Iomega 250MB Zip Drive int.
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
Logitech Cordless Freedom Optical
Windows XP Home

The only noise comes from the power supply and the CPU cooler. The psu has an adjustable fan speed. When it's turned down slow the pc is very quiet. The only drawback is it runs a little hot. If you want to reduce noise get a quiet cooler like the Taisol and one of the Enermax adjustable fan control psu.

Laser Eyes

LE, you must have the stock 10mm fan that came your TaiSol. What temperature does your CPU run at? I'm sure its about 50C...
I've heard they're nice.
As for the PSU's, Enermax makes VERY quiet ones. Their Whisper line, some even have dual fans, run very quiet.

My solution was to buy new fans. I have 3 ultra-quiet Panaflo fans. My case stays nice and cool, and so does everythign else. I can barely hear them too.. I think each one is rated at around 26CFM and less than 21Db in noise, which is considered noisless by PC standards.

My PSU is a switching 365 Enermax VE.. It's really quiet too.

And lastly, my CPU fan is a 4500 RPM Coolermaster. My processor stays fairly cool too (Althon XP 1500+). Even insanely overclocked, I stay in the sub 50*C range for my CPU, so it is more than enough to keep my system running decently during normal speeds.

If you have the money, I suggest replacing your case fan(s) with a Panaflo.

Vehementi
You are right. I am using the stock 10mm fan that comes with the Taisol CGK760092. Here are some reviews of it.

http://www.voidyourwarranty.net/review/review.php3?r1=cutaisol/index.php3

http://www.amdmb.com/article-display.php?ArticleID=77

http://www.amdworld.co.uk/taisol.htm

There is a B version of the Taisol that has a 25mm fan. I have thought of getting the B version and swapping the fan for the 10mm one that I am using. You can read about the B version here:

http://www.ipkonfig.com/Reviews/Heatsinks/Biggady/index.shtml

The CPU will usually run at about 50 C at rest and can get up to about 55-60 at full blast. I think the warm room adds a few degrees to that. On a warm day and playing a demanding game the hottest I have seen it get up to is 61 C.

Laser Eyes

As much noice comes from vibrations...

Did you know you get almost as much noise from vibrations of the fan rattling inside your case as you do from the movement of the fan blades and air?? An easy fix for this is to use Neoprene lined washers you can find at any home depot. They made a huge difference in residual noise in my system.

You can find them in the washer aisle. The are called Neoprene Arandelas, Bonded Neoprene Washer. The code on the box of 100, which is only $2 is 3/8OD - #8 Scr, and the stock number is H#35018. Use 8 for each fan with full 2 or 2.5 inch #8 screws instead of the tiny fan screws, they really kind of stink. Use a screw that goes all the way through both sides of the fan, not just one. And use all four screwholes, not just cheat and use the 2 diagonal from each other, cut down on the vibrations of the fan, and you will cut back on noise. Not much, but, defintely enough to NOTICE a difference for the $5 you will spend on real screws and washers...

Be COOL! :grinthumb

Kris