Fan swap suggestions on Antec Neo HE 550?

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:09 pm

My Neo HE 550 is pretty noisy and I thought about replacing it with a Nexus Value 430 but since I already have the Antec why not try a fanswap?

Any suggestions on what's a good replacement fan? I have seen suggestions for 120mm but this PSU uses an 80mm.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:21 pm

Noctua's 80mm fan would be a good candidate I think.

Unless you have a spare 80mm fan from a Scythe Ninja Mini heatsink laying around, this would seem to be a reasonable choice.

If you want to go with this option, let us know how it works out!

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:20 pm

Some stuff I found local:
Nexus 80 mm
Noctua 80 mm

nyu3 · Post by **nyu3** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:10 pm

I recommend the Scythe Kama Flex http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... s_id=23399

It costs same as Nexus. Can't do any sound vs air flow comparison, but it is very smooth sounding. Biggest benefit is FDB bearing, which should last longer (espeically in warmer environments).

I've used Nexus and Scythe 80mm fans (in an Earthwatts 500w). They both worked fine.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:18 am

If you are wiring the fan to the PSU header, the Nexus 80mm fan, while quiet, will probably provide too little airflow. (If you wire it the motherboard instead, it will be fine, however).

PSU fans typically spin at 5V to 7V, even under high load (unless your system draws enough watts to come close to your PSU's rated top load). This is why you need higher RPM fans for a PSU fan swap, as the PSU undervolts the fans pretty heavily.

The Noctua fan I recommended is 1800rpm from memory and should be reasonably quiet when undervolted.

I haven't considered the 80mm Scythe Kama Flex recommended by nyu3 before, but the 1500rpm or 2000rpm models could be worth looking at. If you can't find the Kama Flex locally, I would recommend the Noctua over the Nexus if you are wiring it to the PSU fan connector.

If you do go with the Scythe (if you can find it) let us know how it turns out!

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:37 am

Yeah I think the Scythe or Noctua is a better choice due to higher RPMs since I plan on using the PSU header.

I can't find many posts about the Kama Flex though

Newegg has the 1500 RPM for a good price ($10) with free ship but they're out of stock at the moment.

swivelguy2 · Post by **swivelguy2** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 10:15 am

Would a Nexus fan provide sufficient airflow (with PSU fan header) if the intake is ducted to fresh air via a 5" drive bay? SPCR's 80mm fan roundup shows it as only ~2 CFM behind the Scythe Kama Flex/Flow at the same voltage.

Specifically, I have the Earthwatts 380.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 10:54 am

swivelguy2 wrote:Would a Nexus fan provide sufficient airflow (with PSU fan header) if the intake is ducted to fresh air via a 5" drive bay? SPCR's 80mm fan roundup shows it as only ~2 CFM behind the Scythe Kama Flex/Flow at the same voltage.

Specifically, I have the Earthwatts 380.

I take it that the 380 is identical to the innards of the 430: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article684-page3.html. Given this, the Nexus will be very sufficient and you won't really benefit from the extra ~2 CFM of the Scythe.

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:55 pm

According to this post the Nexus 80 mm doesn't start properly with the Neo HE 550w. Maybe the Earthwatts supplies more power to the fan header?

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:59 pm

The other thing to worry about when swapping PSU fans is the starting voltage of your fan that you swap in.

The SPCR 80mm fan review lists the Kama Flex's start up as 4.6V and the Nexus' starting voltage as 5V.

The review of the Earthwatts 430W indicates at loads <200W, the fan voltage is 4.2V, which may not be enough to start up these two fans. I assume the 380 watt version would be the same

The Noctua page for the NF-R8 80mm fan indicates a voltage range of 4V to 13V, so the Noctua fan should avoid any problems with starting up even at idle. This is another reason why I recommend the Noctua NF-R8.

I recall seeing a few 80mm pull through PSU fan swaps with that Noctua fan on these forums with no complaints, so I would go with this option if I was in your position.

My $0.02 anyway

.

nyu3 · Post by **nyu3** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:15 pm

Starting voltage has never been an issue for me. When using the Nexus 80mm, the fan doesn't start spinning until the computer has been on for about 10-15 minutes. Then it starts spinning and never stops afterwards.

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:09 pm

Well in theory if the PSU is properly thermal controlled it should keep increasing the fan voltage until it achieves a target temperature. So if the Nexus spins slower at the same voltage as the Noctua the fan controller should be applying let's say 7v to the Nexus but 5v to the Noctua to get to the same temperature. Not sure if it works out that ideally though.

The one thing to be concerned about is max output. I don't know what the CFM differences are but if the Noctua can push more air at 12V it should be able to handle a higher max load than the Nexus.

nyu3 have you tried to load test the power supplies after the Nexus fan swap? How long have you been running it?

There's also a GlobalWin 80 mm for...wait for it...$3.00

Briefly discussed in this thread.

The product page confuses me, showing 2200-3200. Does that mean at 12V it's 2200 but at 24v it's 3200. I've had good experiences with the 120mm Globalwin NCB fans before, but they did seem to develop more bearing noise after a few years and I ended up replacing mine with SlipStreams[/url]

SebRad · Post by **SebRad** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:32 am

Hi, I used a Noctua 80mm fan in my NeoHE 430 PSU for around 18months with no problems. I've recently swapped it for a Sharkoon Golfball fan so I can monitor the RPM better. The Noctua doesn't output any speed signal below ~900rpm where the Sharkoon does right down to stall speed. The Sharkoon may run a touch faster in the PSU due to it being 2000 vs 1800rpm of the Noctua. I would say the noise is much the same, although the fan is rear of the case round side of my desk so I might not notice unless was much louder. Runs around 750-1100 rpm depending on load and room temp. Either fan is much quieter than the stock one.
viewtopic.php?t=43888
Seb

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:54 am

I have a question; if swapping the fan of a PSU, must the fan accept voltage from the PSU fan header, or can I route a 3-pin connector to my motherboard giving the fan its required voltage? Also, how can I know that the PSU is adequately cooled with a swapped fan, if the fan takes power through the motherboard?

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 5:59 am

LodeHacker wrote:I have a question; if swapping the fan of a PSU, must the fan accept voltage from the PSU fan header, or can I route a 3-pin connector to my motherboard giving the fan its required voltage? Also, how can I know that the PSU is adequately cooled with a swapped fan, if the fan takes power through the motherboard?

Ideally, you wouldn't want to make too drastic of a change in airflow characteristics of your replacement fan to ensure it's capable of cooling your PSU. If going off the PSU fan controller, it's best to match current ratings as close as possible while using a slower fan.

Going off a mobo header though is an art...I burned up one cheap PSU this way. You need to keep the exhaust temperature from becoming exceedingly hot, as this means the internal components of the PSU are getting too hot due to lack of cooling (airflow).

It's all dependent on what PSU and fan you have, what your power draw is, and how well cooled the rest of your system is.

roadie · Post by **roadie** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:38 am

Has your NeoHE always been noisy? I don't think mine has ever made any noise, but it is ducted and fed with cool air from outside of my case's chassis.

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:11 pm

Ok guys I just bought the Nexus. It has 3 pins but the PSU fan only has two. The Nexus has yellow,red,black and the PSU has red and black. How do I wire this up? I put in the yellow and black but the fan doesn't seem to be starting up.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:31 pm

fyleow wrote:Ok guys I just bought the Nexus. It has 3 pins but the PSU fan only has two. The Nexus has yellow,red,black and the PSU has red and black. How do I wire this up? I put in the yellow and black but the fan doesn't seem to be starting up.

Red to red and black to black.

Yellow is the RPM reporting wire, which is not used by PSU fans.

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:35 am

JamieG wrote:
fyleow wrote:Ok guys I just bought the Nexus. It has 3 pins but the PSU fan only has two. The Nexus has yellow,red,black and the PSU has red and black. How do I wire this up? I put in the yellow and black but the fan doesn't seem to be starting up.
Red to red and black to black.

Yellow is the RPM reporting wire, which is not used by PSU fans.

Yeah not sure why I decided Yellow to Red was a good idea...

I have it up and running now. As others mentioned the fan will not start right away. The PSU is much quieter now! The loudest component in my system is now the hard drive again. Not much I can do about that, it's a WD 640 blue in a Scythe Quiet Drive so it will have to do until I can get an SSD.

Thanks for the help everyone.