Case fans

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 12:30 pm

My PC's case fan has finally started to drive me nuts. It's kind of loud (off some old rack-mount equipment), but it blows a lot of air. The only problem is that it's loud. Really loud. (45 decibels at 3800 RPM according to the datasheet) It didn't have a PC motherboard connector on it, and I'd rather not try wiring it to the motherboard. (It's hardwired to a 12v connector from the power supply.)
Do any of you have experience with quieter fans, such as the ones at CompUSA or Tiger Direct? (I can't order through NewEgg.

)

I'd like to get a quieter fan so I don't have to crank the volume on everything anymore. I'd prefer not dumping extra money into "gaming fans" or those ones with LEDs in them, since it's just going into the back of a $20 windowless tower under my desk, but if one of those fancy fans is cheaper than normal ones, I'll get it if it's any good.

So far I've found <a href="http://www.compusa.com/products/product ... info">this fan at CompUSA</a>, but haven't gone down to the store yet. Is it any good?

Here's my current fan's datasheet from the manufacturer's website:
http://www.etrinet.com/pdf/299D-H-S-X.pdf

The fan says "299DX1LP 13000".

Another idea would be to slap a resistor on the current fan. I know it would work, but would it quiet the fan any?

Thanks for the help, everyone!

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 12:46 pm

I have noticed that radioshack mini cooling fans are quiet as hell I think...

Joes2Silly · Post by **Joes2Silly** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:03 pm

have you tried putting some lube on the fan? After awhile they wear out and start making horrific noises.

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:18 pm

No, it's the fan blades spinning that creates the noise. (That fan was brand new, maybe a year old tops, when I installed it last January, and it's rated for 80,000 hours. The equipment it was in was never installed. Stupid wasteful corporations!

)

I bought a replacement from CrapUSA for $15. (SKU #299935 if you want to look it up) It pushes less than half as much air as its predecessor, but that's okay. (The old one was sucking in a ton of dust anyways.) The price was about the same as buying a comperable fan from Tiger Direct (including shipping).

At least it doesn't sound like there's a jet parked under the desk anymore!