Replacing the case fan 5

[livesfreely]

The computer makes a noise on startup. After a minute or so the noise goes away. I have determined, to the best of my knowlege, that the cooling fan is making the noise. The current model is: DC Brushless #ASB0812HH; 12V, 3 pins manufactured by Delta Electronics, Inc.

If I want to replace the fan, do I need the same model or will any 12V, 3 pins, 80X80X25 fan will do? Will this be available in stores or should I buy it online?

Thanks.

 

[franklin97355]

Most any 3 pin fan will work. Depending on what you mean by store you might find it at RadioShack or your local electronics store. Most computer shops will have them. Don't go cheap as the bushings in those are not very robust but an 80 mm fan does not cost too much so get a good one.

The answer has always been 42

 

[paparazi]

livesfreely
Yes any 12volt 80X80X25mm fan with 3pin will do but I notice this model is a pretty powerful 3watt unit (thats usually well over 40cfm) and as most replacements are between 1 and 1.5watts you can see you will need to shop around for a high powered replacement of similar (not necessarily exactly the same) spec.

Martin



We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[paparazi]

Oh yes and ball bearing if possible (higher quality and quieter) than sleave.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[electronicsfreak]

A little trick ive learned, old power supplies that arent any good if there fans still work, pull one of them apart and yank the fan out and just wire a connector onto them. They make excellant case fans and save you money lol.

 

[paparazi]

electronicsfreak
Power supplies don't use fans this powerful and besides I get the impression that this is not a case fan we are talking about.
Seems to be the type used on a Dell ducting "or similar" for the CPU (I know thats a stab in the dark but you rarely see ordinary 80mm case fans this powerful unless used to cool the CPU in some way)
Maybe livesfreely can enlighten us?

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[livesfreely]

I have a few more questions:
Does Lower dBA mean less noise?
Does Higher rpm mean better cooling?
What does cfm mean?

Thanks for all your help so far.

 

[livesfreely]

This fan is connected to the motherboard with a 3 pin connector. I have another fan in the PC that is used with power supply.

I have HP Pavillion 9680C and the ASB0812HH is the original fan this PC came with.

 

[electronicsfreak]

db decibles, which is how noise is measured, lower the number quieter it is. more rpms can mean cooler but size also depends on that factor, rpm means rounds per minute. a bigger fan can cool just as much as a smaller one can with less rms. As for cfm ill let someone else answer that for i have no clue.

 

[franklin97355]

CFM = cubic feet per minute or how much air the fan pushes.

The answer has always been 42

 

[paparazi]

1)decibels (noise measurement)more of them is louder

2)Higher rpm with the same sized fan usually means more air is moved but that also generally means higher noise.

3)Cubic feet per minute (how much volume of air is moved in a minute)

Can I ask you to clarify where exactly this fan is fitted? is it sucking or blowing of/onto the processor heatsink? is there like a plastic shield/shroud guiding the air flow?

A more powerful fan will cool better but there is always a trade off and that is noise and if the recorded temperatures are acceptable there is no need for a more powerful fan to be fitted.
If on the other hand you fit a less powerful fan your CPU temp could rise above acceptable limits causing system instability and lock ups.



We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[seanform]

You do not need to buy a new fan. Disconnect mains. Open PSU and remove the fan screws. On the side of the fan you'll see a sticker. Remove it and than you see a small plastic lid which you can clip off. Put some oil in the nipple and put the lid back on. Put everything back in place. Switch on the PC and most probably you never heard it that silent before!!

 

[gbaughma]

Don't re-use a fan. Get yourself a nice ball-bearing fan... look for one that has a temperature sensor right on it, for speed control. You'll find that it's MUCH quieter, only "speeding up" when the case temperature rises.





Just my $0.02

"In order to start solving a problem, one must first identify its owner." --Me
--Greg

 

[livesfreely]

Yes Paparazi, there is a plastic duct guiding the air flow. This fan is fitted right above the rectangular box that contains power supply and power supply fan.

Seanform - What kind of oil can be put in it? Does anybody else think putting oil in it might work (even if for a short period)?

I thank all of you for answering all my questions patiently.

 

[paparazi]

seanform? power supply? there was no mention that this was the PSU fan?
livesfreely
I suspected as much

3/4 drops of fine oil can very often extend a fans life as long as the bearings themselves are not excessively worn.
The noise may well disapear once a few drops are applied.

Don't go in the power supply (this is very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing) and besides we have already established that it's this system/CPU fan that is noisey not the one in the PSU.

Martin



We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[livesfreely]

Thanks Paparazi. Yes, it is not the power supply fan.

Besides this is a sleave fan (found the info through google search), not the ball bearing one. I don't really know what a sleave fan is though. So, does the oil still work with a sleave fan?

 

[paparazi]

Yes a few drops of fine oil work just as well for sleave bearings as they do for ball type.

Sleave bearings: The steel chrome plated shaft of the impeller literally locates (close machine tollerance) through a sintered metal or phosphur bronze sleave, these metal types have a low coefficient of friction but as you can image the fact that the shaft directly touches and turns on the bearing surface does mean they wear.
Generally bearings "dry out" increasing the friction and thus produce bearing noise so a few drops of oil certainly do make a dramatic differance.

Ball bearings on the other hand have an inner and out race seperated by perfect round spheres (balls) ball bearings.
The impeller shaft is located through the inner race the same as the sleave but in the case of the ball bearing the inner race actually turns with the shaft.

Ball bearing types have less friction and run quieter, these are fitted to the better quality fans.

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[edfair]

Pulling the fan and cleaning the bearing and shaft will also help the oil extend the life. Most have "C" clips accessed under the label, remove the clip and the fan shaft slips out.
Any medium weight machine oil will help. Even the stuff dripping off the auto dipstick if that is the last resort.
Ball bearings expect grease. But the usual DowCorning DC44 costs about $50 for a toothpaste sized tube so it may be cheaper to replace a fan using that style. I have heard of someone using ear-wax as an emergency lubricant for a bearing, but I don't know if there has been any follow up tests on efficiency.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[livesfreely]

Thank you so much paparazi and edfair. I will try the oil first and then if it doesn't work, I'll replace the fan.

I thank all of you for you suggestions and explanations.

livesfreely