Fixing a loud PSU fan without dying • Hacker News Board

Re: Fixing a loud PSU fan without dying

#61

Post by JonChesterfield » Thu, Aug 14, 2025, 1:05 AM UTC

ziml77 wrote: post #21

I see they have the exact same frustration with the results of trying to research how to safely work on a PSU as I've had. I know there's plenty of info out there about working on CRTs; are the caps in PSUs really more dangerous than that?

It hurts if you poke the wrong part with a finger while it's live. I'm still here, ymmv.

Re: Fixing a loud PSU fan without dying

#62

Post by mrbigbob » Fri, Aug 15, 2025, 1:35 PM UTC

ahartmetz wrote: post #9

tcdent wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will put hundreds of dollars in Noctua fans into a second-hand chassis without thinking twice. It's sometimes uneconomical from a cost-ratio perspective, but it is crucial to making datacenter-grade equipment actually useable at home.

If you need pretty good fans for cheap as dirt, there is also Arctic Cooling.

while arctic make fairly good high performing fans for cheap their bearings/acoustics are kind of bad. i bought 5 of the original p12 max fans with the ball bearings. they all made a chirping noise at various rpms (even after getting 5 new ones from arctic). the new p12 pro fans perform great but around 1200 rpms the motor is very loud and annoying

really wish arctic would now focus on the acoustics of their fans because its there weakest point. i wouldnt mind spending a bit more per fan if the sound profile wasnt just straight terrible which personally theirs are to me at the moment

Re: Fixing a loud PSU fan without dying

#63

Post by mrlonglong » Mon, Aug 18, 2025, 8:00 PM UTC

JonChesterfield wrote: post #61

ziml77 wrote: post #21

I see they have the exact same frustration with the results of trying to research how to safely work on a PSU as I've had. I know there's plenty of info out there about working on CRTs; are the caps in PSUs really more dangerous than that?

It hurts if you poke the wrong part with a finger while it's live. I'm still here, ymmv.

I was once told about a chap who got his ring finger blown off because the spanner he was holding inadvertently made contact with a car battery terminal and the engine. Ouch.