My server has a loud Flex ATX PSU fan. Is it dangerous to swap it out?

[OverjoyedDonut]

Hi all,

 

I got my hands on an old HP Proliant Microserver G7 with a really loud PSU fan. I plan to use it has a NAS with 5 ssds.

 

I'm wondering if its really dangerous to swap the fan out with a Noctua 40x10mm or if I'm better off getting a PicoPSU like a "Mini Box PicoPSU-150-XT."

[Gokul_P]

2 minutes ago, OverjoyedDonut said:

Hi all,

 

I got my hands on an old HP Proliant Microserver G7 with a really loud PSU fan. I plan to use it has a NAS with 5 ssds.

 

I'm wondering if its really dangerous to swap the fan out with a Noctua 40x10mm or if I'm better off getting a PicoPSU like a "Mini Box PicoPSU-150-XT."

If the fan isn't inside the Psu It will not cause any issues You can easily swap it for another fan. If its inside the psu you can still swap it but you are taking a high risk of being elecrticuted. 

[OverjoyedDonut]

Just now, Gokul_P said:

If the fan isn't inside the Psu It will not cause any issues You can easily swap it for another fan

The fan's plug is inside the PSU. That's the part that has me concerned.

[LIGISTX]

2 minutes ago, OverjoyedDonut said:

The fan's plug is inside the PSU. That's the part that has me concerned.

You can likely swap it for a better fan, but if you don't know what you are doing... PSU's, no joke, can kill you.

 

I would say if you are unsure, just buy a different PSU, or transplant what matters into a new ATX case and use an ATX PSU.

[Caroline]

Not all fans are created equal. There's a reason why the fan is noisy, it prevents components from overheating.

 

Replacing it for one that runs slower and moves less air may or may not be a good idea. A 40x10 isn't the same as a 40x25.

[manikyath]

there's fairly quiet flex atx power supplies out there, i'd just replace the power supply outright with a compatible 'enough' power supply.

[OverjoyedDonut]

From yall's comments, it seems like I should be leaning towards the picopsu.

 

If I limit myself to SSDs instead of HDDs, the difference in wattage shouldn't matter hopefully?

[OverjoyedDonut]

1 minute ago, manikyath said:

there's fairly quiet flex atx power supplies out there, i'd just replace the power supply outright with a compatible 'enough' power supply.

I don't have much experience with these smaller PSUs. Any suggestions?

[OverjoyedDonut]

6 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Not all fans are created equal. There's a reason why the fan is noisy, it prevents components from overheating.

 

Replacing it for one that runs slower and moves less air may or may not be a good idea. A 40x10 isn't the same as a 40x25.

For context, this guy has an old AMD laptop CPU in it. I hope its not getting too hot under this workload.

You're right though. I can't just say my hopes supersede the engineer's testing.

[Caroline]

13 hours ago, OverjoyedDonut said:

For context, this guy has an old AMD laptop CPU in it. I hope its not getting too hot under this workload.

You're right though. I can't just say my hopes supersede the engineer's testing.

I meant the PSU components but it also applies.

 

Those 40mm fans are noisy, I've used enough 1U and 2U units to know.

[Needfuldoer]

Quieter 40mm fans probably won't produce enough static pressure to properly cool the power supply.