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#1 2008-12-06 10:02 am
eMac fan replacement
Last month I started a job as a (basically all-Windows) school's computer tech, and my office is right next to the server room.
Last week I found some iMacs under a table, and took them back to my office. There is another tech who doesn't officially work for the school system, and who goes between this school and the school next door to it. He said there were some eMacs that I could use, but they were at the other school.
After he brought them over, I opened one of the eMacs and replaced the drive with a non-Pioneer DL DVD±RW so I could install Tiger.
I've been doing some things to quiet down the computers in my office(putting variable-speed fans in the towers and using Arctic Silver 5 with the heatsinks), and I noticed that the fan in the eMac is pretty loud.
I want to use the eMac as my main machine, but I hate noise. I bought some earmuffs for when I go into the server room, because I'd get headaches otherwise.
Does anyone know of anyone having replaced an eMac fan, or know of anywhere where I might find a quiet replacement?
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#2 2008-12-06 10:32 am
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- Flawless Cowboy
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: eMac fan replacement
If you can solve the other issues (i.e. physical replacement), I could recommend some based on dimensions and allowable power draw, or you could use a source like this and likely make a good choice. Individual fans will be spec'ed on airflow in cfm, noise in dba, power in watts and amps (current draw). Subjectively, lower rpm is better, gives fewer headaches (e.g. an 8,000 rpm fan sounds like a dental drill, but those are rare).
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#3 2008-12-06 10:51 am
Re: eMac fan replacement
I do have some knowledge about cooling. I overclocked my G3 tower many years ago, used Arctic Silver 5 between the processor and the heatsink, replaced the case fan with one with lower db, got round IDE cables, and replaced its Radeon PCI fan with a new fan(now held in place by Arctic Silver epoxy) with higher cfm and much much much lower db.
I had to remove the eMac's fan to replace the optical drive, and I did, so I know how to do it.
The main problem is that the mount of the case fan in the eMac is an odd size. I was wondering if anyone made any fans specifically for that purpose, or knew of anyone who has installed a non-Apple fan in an eMac, which might give me an idea of a fan that might fit well.
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#4 2008-12-06 11:23 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: eMac fan replacement
Sounds like you know what you're doing. I have no specific eMac knowledge to contribute, but altho the mounting be nonstandard, I doubt Apple used a nonstandard-size fan, if only for cost reasons... anyway, on the off-chance there's enough room inside, this would solve any other issue and you haven't used such before, I've used fan adapters with good results. And of course a larger fan is almost always quieter for any given airflow. You know that, just a reminder. (Whoops, almost forgot- a house-brand damping gasket like this can help the quiet, too, cheaply).
(I've used thse folks before and they've shipped small items USPS; beats heck on most options for price).
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#5 2009-07-12 8:54 pm
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- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: eMac fan replacement
A little older than some, but as this is still on the front page...
A promo sale not too long ago came back to me, relevant to this subject and noise reduction in general. Gaskets, like those I reffed above help generally, but there's still a weak link. While a silicone gasket can absorb a fair amount of vibration, metal fan screws still transmit a fair amount of fan vibration to the case, causing the walls to resonate. This residual can be largely eliminated by using similar, silicone fan retainers. The combination leaves only a small amount of case wall vibration and the fan noise itself as significant sources of fan noise; and if you've chosen the fan well, that's not much. Several products of this kind can be found on this page, and doubtless further search could turn up more. ($5 USD + free S&H for two fans' worth seems good to me.)
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#6 2009-07-12 9:10 pm
Re: eMac fan replacement
The eMac in question has been removed from the office and replaced with a 24" Core 2 Duo iMac.
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#7 2009-07-12 9:29 pm
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: eMac fan replacement
Good deal. Still, might help some folks with similar issues, without starting a new topic and long scratch recap post. The principles apply to nearly all conventional comps with fan-cooled cases.
I s'pose a few posts could be split off if thought better that way. Just getting helpful info out.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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