Fan Swap for Corsair VX 450

Raskol · Post by **Raskol** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:29 pm

Being a relative noob, I want to ask the forum's advice for a good fan to use in place of the stock ADDA in a Corsair VX 450. I have searched around, and had a hard time finding guidelines about what fan speeds work well, etc. Any advice would be much appreciated!

This is the noisiest part of my system right now, and should be a cheap mod once I have a good idea of what to look for.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:04 pm

Corsair VX450 has a fan controller that runs the fan at about 4.05v most of the time.

You either have to find a fan that will be happy at 4v or you have to power your fan from outside the PSU.

Many people are bragging about the Scythe Slipstream fans but I have no idea what kind of starting voltage they require.

Tzupy · Post by **Tzupy** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:05 am

According to MikeC, the SPCR Slipstream samples start very low - quoting:
"As for your fan swap, you're safe with a 1200 -- our samples start at ~2.8V -- at around 500rpm. By ~3.8V, the speed is at ~600rpm."

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:14 am

Hello,

The Slipstream 1200RPM is probably the way to go -- the 800RPM model barely starts at 5v. This might be okay, but I think the 1200 would probably be the safer choice.

Raskol · Post by **Raskol** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:25 am

Thanks guys! So once I have the fan in hand, it's just a simple matter of opening the PSU (with one hand of course!) taking out the ADDA, putting in the new fan and plugging it into the fan header, right? What a simple mod.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:20 pm

I can't tell from any of the review pics, but it the Corsair may not use a 3-pin fan header. It may only be two pin, in which case you would have to splice in the wires from the new fan.

But others who've actually seen this PSU would be better qualified to answer that question.

F for Fragging · Post by **F for Fragging** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:13 pm

Very interesting topic, I intended to post a topic concerning this question as well as I'm also planning to buy a Corsair VX450W, and I'm considering a fan swap with a Scythe Slip Stream as well.

However, even with the stock fan the VX450W was already highly recommended by SPCR, with the VX450W reaching no more than 22 dBA at 250 Watt DC output (which I assume is going to be the maximum consumption of my new PC, a Q9450, P35-DS3, GeForce 8800GT, one T166 320 GB and one optical drive).

According to Scythe's website the 1200 rpm Slip Stream which is suggested in this topic will produce 24 dBA at maximum, so that would be 2 dBA extra. Not much of course, but you get the point, is it even useful to do a fan swap if it's louder than the stock fan? Or am I missing something here?

What I don't understand either is why Raskol experiences that the VX450W is the noisiest component in his system, or is your PC pushing the VX450W beyond 250W DC output, which would cause a sharp increase of the amount of dBA produced according to SPCR's review? At 22 dBA for example, shouldn't it be hard to identify the VX450W as noisy if most 120mm fans will operate silently at a maximum of around 20 dBA?

By the way, would it be possible to use an 800 rpm Slip Stream safely if it's connected to the motherboard with a constant 12V to avoid the low starting voltage of the VX450W's fan controller? I'm not sure if the fan connector would fit through an opening of the VX450W's enclosure to connect it to the motherboard instead of it's internal connector, though?

Raskol · Post by **Raskol** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:58 pm

Hey F,

What I don't understand either is why Raskol experiences that the VX450W is the noisiest component in his system, or is your PC pushing the VX450W beyond 250W DC output, which would cause a sharp increase of the amount of dBA produced according to SPCR's review? At 22 dBA for example, shouldn't it be hard to identify the VX450W as noisy if most 120mm fans will operate silently at a maximum of around 20 dBA?

Yeah, it's the noisiest part of my system. And I have a very low power system, so it's not that the fan ramps up at all. I'm sure it's just chugging along at it's absolute minimum. But I live in a studio apartment and it is dead-silent in there, and I'm so close to complete inaudibility with my pc that I want to try the mod. The VX450 is not at all "loud" in an objective sense. But I do think it could be made quieter, considering it's ADDA fan is distinctively louder than my Noctuas, as confirmed by jamming a wire between the fan blades to stop it.

Tzupy · Post by **Tzupy** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:21 am

@F f F: you are missing the point. The maximum 24 dbA at 1,200 rpm for the Slipstream won't be reached at 250W of load.
At low load the Slipstream shouldn't go over 600 rpm (at ~4V), while the stock fan probably spins at ~850 rpm.
And since the Slipstream provides higher airflow for a given rpm, the PSU should stay cool enough.

F for Fragging · Post by **F for Fragging** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:50 pm

Didn't notice your signature which mentions that you're using Noctua fans Raskol, after reading the review I assume it must make sense then because those seem to have a better character of noise according to the review since the number of <19 dBA isn't causing the difference then.

Tzupy, thanks for explaining.

I really hope anyone who has experience with doing a fan swap for the VX450W could post his experience here, does the VX450W indeed have a two pin connecter, meaning that we will have to lift the plastic surrounding the connector with a screwdriver as described here? Will a fan swap for a Slip Stream really eliminate a VX450W as the loudest component in a system?

omgwtf · Post by **omgwtf** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 1:45 pm

does the VX450W indeed have a two pin connecter

Yes, Corsair VX have a two pin connecter

Fanswap is really easy mod

hexen · Post by **hexen** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:33 pm

F for Fragging wrote:reaching no more than 22 dBA[/url] at 250 Watt DC output (which I assume is going to be the maximum consumption of my new PC, a Q9450, P35-DS3, GeForce 8800GT, one T166 320 GB and one optical drive).

isnt the 8800GT going to be the noisiest component of this system?
probably way louder then the VX
(unless youre going to watercool it)

Bosef · Post by **Bosef** » Mon May 12, 2008 12:50 pm

Raskol wrote:Being a relative noob, I want to ask the forum's advice for a good fan to use in place of the stock ADDA in a Corsair VX 450. I have searched around, and had a hard time finding guidelines about what fan speeds work well, etc. Any advice would be much appreciated!

I'm in the same situation

I'm waiting for the VX450W to come back from RMA (a brand new faulty unit) but in my new HTPC the Corsair is the noisiest part of my system right now. The only other fan is a Scythe Kama PWM 120mm (on a Thermalright XP-120) wich is @ 400 RPM with the Intel E8400.
I'm thinking to swap the noisy ADDA Fan of the corsair with the previous 120mm Papst fan i was using with the old cpu.

This are the specs of the original Corsair VX450W Fan:
Model Part Number AD1212MB-A71GL
Frame Dimensions 120 X 120 X 25
Bearing Type BALL
Volts (V) 12
Current (A) 0.33
Power (W) 3.96
Speed (RPM) 2050
Air Flow (CFM) 80.5
Noise (dB/A) 38.0

This are the specs of the Papst 4412 F/2GLL i'd like to use as replacement:
Model Part Number 4412 F/2GLL
Frame Dimensions 120 X 120 X 25
Bearing Type BALL
Volts (V) 12
Current (A) 0.06
Power (W) 0.72
Speed (RPM) 1300
Air Flow (CFM) 41
Noise (dB/A) 18.0

The Starting Voltage on the Papst should be 3,5V. With the default ADDA the fan controller is most of the times @ 4.05V, so the Papst should spin
at less than 500 rpm.

Do you think i could try to use the Papst or would it be a bad choice?!

Ciao,
Bosef.

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Mon May 12, 2008 2:34 pm

Since we talked about RPM vs voltage so much in this thread it might be nice to put the actual test data here.

Code: Select all

Slipstream  M 1200 12V  28dBA 1210RPM 46CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  9V  24dBA 1030RPM 37CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  7V  21dBA  890RPM 30CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  5V  18dBA  720RPM 24CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  4V <18dBA  620RPM 20CFM 
Starting voltage 2.4

Bosef · Post by **Bosef** » Mon May 12, 2008 3:52 pm

And This are the test data for the Papst:

12V 24 dBA@1m 1290 RPM 34 CFM
9V 20 dBA@1m 980 RPM 23 CFM
7V >19 dBA@1m 750 RPM 18 CFM
5V >19 dBA@1m 450 RPM 11 CFM

Starting Voltage 3.5V

Ciao,
Bosef.

kiwik · Post by **kiwik** » Mon May 12, 2008 5:06 pm

Are you guys sure that the Slip Streams are good enough for a PSU? I mean, I have some of these fans and they have a lot of trouble pushing air through anything because of their low static pressure and small blades. I'd recommend a S-Flex before a Slip Stream...

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Mon May 12, 2008 7:20 pm

Good enough yes, Perfect no.

The perfect PSU fan would sound like the slipstream series, push more CFM, and have Ball Bearings, and would already be present in every PSU on the planet.

Life is full of compromises.

Swapping the stock fan out of a VX450W is voiding a 5 year warranty. That is no small thing to trade off.

You shouldn't swap the fan out of a PSU unless you are willing to toss the PSU in the trash if it fails.

If you aren't willing to take the chance then return the PSU for a refund, send it in for warranty repair, or just keep using it like it is.

I mean no disrespect. I'm literally answering your question. Some people would rather swap the fan than to listen to the noise of a stock fan. Some people will swap a fan just to do it.

Those sorts of people are willing to make certain compromises to address other concerns...

kiwik · Post by **kiwik** » Mon May 19, 2008 12:40 pm

dhanson865 wrote:Good enough yes, Perfect no.

The perfect PSU fan would sound like the slipstream series, push more CFM, and have Ball Bearings, and would already be present in every PSU on the planet.

The Slip Streams are Sleeve Bearings and will push next to no CFM when something blocks it path (such has the heatsinks in a PSU). It will have a lower RPM when placed horizontally too. The Slip Streams are NOT good PSU fans. I have a case full of these and I've tested them for a while.

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/0 ... etail.html

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Mon May 26, 2008 7:20 am

Seasonic designed PSUs aren't that tightly packed compared to other PSUs.

Number of samples tested: 2
Slipstream SH 1900 12V 39dBA 1780RPM 79CFM
Slipstream SH 1900 9V 26dBA 1340RPM 54CFM
Slipstream SH 1900 7V 18dBA 630RPM 21CFM
Slipstream SH 1900 5V <18dBA 400RPM 12CFM
Starting voltage 4.7

Number of samples tested: 6
Slipstream H 1600 12V 32dBA 1460RPM 61CFM
Slipstream H 1600 9V 29dBA 1250RPM 47CFM
Slipstream H 1600 7V 24dBA 1080RPM 40CFM
Slipstream H 1600 5V 21dBA 890RPM 30CFM
Starting voltage 4.2

Number of samples tested: 4
Slipstream M 1200 12V 28dBA 1210RPM 46CFM
Slipstream M 1200 9V 24dBA 1030RPM 37CFM
Slipstream M 1200 7V 21dBA 890RPM 30CFM
Slipstream M 1200 5V 18dBA 720RPM 24CFM
Slipstream M 1200 4V <18dBA 620RPM 20CFM
Starting voltage 2.4

I'd say the 1200 RPM or 1900 RPM slipstream would be ok for a fan swap on a PSU in a case that has no heat issues (low heat parts or has enough case fans to keep the PSU from having to play the exhaust role).

The 1600 RPM model doesn't slow down enough to be quiet at low voltage.

The 800RPM and 500 RPM models don't speed up enough at high voltage.

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Tue May 27, 2008 11:07 pm

have you tried removing the grill and plastic baffle?

how about soft mounting the fan?

Kato · Post by **Kato** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:50 am

Hi guys i just bought this power supply and i must say i am disappointed.

I expected this to be much quieter

. I bought this to replace my Tagan TG380-UO1. I bought it because i thought it was quiet, was a lot more efficient then the 5 year old Tagan and because it has a fan at the bottom since the location of the PSU in my case is at the top.

I tested the Corsair on my desk by connecting the "ground" to "power on" , this is actually the first time i tried a PSU this way, the problem is i don't know if the fan rotated at full speed or is this the speed it will rotate while the system ideals? I would say that the Corsair is much louder then my Tagan or the 430W Antec PSU that is in the Fusion.

What do you think i should do, get another PSU or void the warranty and replace the fan?

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:04 am

Kato wrote:Hi guys i just bought this power supply and i must say i am disappointed.

I expected this to be much quieter :( . I bought this to replace my Tagan TG380-UO1. I bought it because i thought it was quiet, was a lot more efficient then the 5 year old Tagan and because it has a fan at the bottom since the location of the PSU in my case is at the top.

I tested the Corsair on my desk by connecting the "ground" to "power on" , this is actually the first time i tried a PSU this way, the problem is i don't know if the fan rotated at full speed or is this the speed it will rotate while the system ideals? I would say that the Corsair is much louder then my Tagan or the 430W Antec PSU that is in the Fusion.

What do you think i should do, get another PSU or void the warranty and replace the fan?

I am not exactly sure what you did to determine the noise level of the PSU fan, but I have this PSU and in a real world installation it is very quiet.

I do have a low power system, and the PSU is installed at the bottom of the case in an Antec Mini P180, so I don't know if that makes a difference. But the fan is variable speed, so I think you need to do a real build to find out how fast the fan will normally run. Try that first, and then figure out if you really need to do anything else.

Kato · Post by **Kato** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:07 am

Ya i will do that, the thing is i am just putting it all off. I have just bought a new disk and this PSU. First of all i am tiered of installing windows and the PSU installation could be a problem , because i have to either remuve the motherboard or cut up the case (i am lining toward the latter)

Kato · Post by **Kato** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:44 am

Ok i changed the PSU and it is indeed louder then my old Tagan. This PSU is now the loudest part of my system so witch fan should i use for the swap?

https://www.cool-pc.org/productdetail.php?prodid=3965

https://www.cool-pc.org/productdetail.php?prodid=3879

By the way has anyone actually changed the fan and what are the results?

Kato · Post by **Kato** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:44 am

Ok so i opened up the PSU today and voided the warranty. Guess what. The fan has a 2-pin connector , and the Slipstream has a 3-pin connector. I tied the fan into my fan controller. The cable was just long enough. It now stretches diagonally from my PSU to the controller. The rheobus adjusts voltage from 0-12 Volts , so i am operating the PSU fan at 6-7V (i dont know exactly). The overall improvement is very much noticeable, the computer is now what i would call quite. Oh and i removed the fan grill and placed the fan on rubber silencers.

Licaon · Post by **Licaon** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:38 pm

no one will believe you without pics

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:44 pm

Kato wrote:Ok so i opened up the PSU today and voided the warranty. Guess what. The fan has a 2-pin connector , and the Slipstream has a 3-pin connector. I tied the fan into my fan controller. The cable was just long enough. It now stretches diagonally from my PSU to the controller. The rheobus adjusts voltage from 0-12 Volts , so i am operating the PSU fan at 6-7V (i don't know exactly). The overall improvement is very much noticeable, the computer is now what i would call quite. Oh and i removed the fan grill and placed the fan on rubber silencers.

Assuming you don't have a glob of glue holding it on you can remove the plastic shroud around the 2 pin connector inside the PSU and let the fan controller built into the fan do the job.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article83-page1.html

Kato · Post by **Kato** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 3:54 am

no one will believe you without pics Very Happy

Dam you with your proof

Here you go:
Desk, comp, monitor, other stuff..
http://shrani.si/f/1I/3e/4fHBKdE6/img0710.jpg

Case with the door open
http://shrani.si/f/U/10t/2Kbggl25/img0715.jpg

Inside of this small f***** up case
http://shrani.si/f/3Q/K/4ENjbrQv/img0712.jpg

The PSU, it is actually spinning, but i guess my exposure time was two short
http://shrani.si/f/1z/Bd/3p0UK241/img0713.jpg

This is what i had to cut off just to get the PSU in without removing the motherboard
http://shrani.si/f/2p/Bs/U9TnRTN/img0717.jpg

dhanson865:

Thanks, i didn't see any glue but the plastic shroud is v in a very crowded place not easily accessible like in the picture. Maybe i will change it the next time i tinker in my PC. The plan is to get rid of does two hard drives. I actually have a laptop disk already inside but i haven't yet installed a system on it.

Licaon · Post by **Licaon** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:17 pm

Kato wrote:Dam you with your proof

the swapping process itself man!

Vicotnik · Post by **Vicotnik** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:43 pm

Kato wrote:Ok so i opened up the PSU today and voided the warranty. Guess what. The fan has a 2-pin connector , and the Slipstream has a 3-pin connector. I tied the fan into my fan controller. The cable was just long enough. It now stretches diagonally from my PSU to the controller. The rheobus adjusts voltage from 0-12 Volts , so i am operating the PSU fan at 6-7V (i dont know exactly). The overall improvement is very much noticeable, the computer is now what i would call quite. Oh and i removed the fan grill and placed the fan on rubber silencers.

I replaced the original fan in my S12 with an S-FLEX 1200RPM. Connected ground and the "plus wire" to the PSU internal fan controller, added a little length to the RPM wire and connected it to the motherboard to be able to get a RPM reading on the fan. Works nice, it's at ~340RPM at the moment.

Why would you connect the PSU fan to an external controller? Seems like a lot of hassle. It's also probably safer to let the PSU power the fan directly, not that the risk of accidentally disconnecting the fan is that great, but still.

Fan Swap for Corsair VX 450

Fan Swap for Corsair VX 450

Re: Fan Swap for Corsair VX 450