Hey everyone! I'm in the process of building a super mini ITX PC using a Silverstone FX500 power supply. My setup includes an i5 12400f, a GTX 1070, a 2TB NVMe SSD, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. While assembling, I found the power supply fan to be extremely loud. I recently purchased a Noctua NF-A4x10 fan and I'm considering swapping out the stock fan. Is it a good idea to connect this Noctua fan to my motherboard via the 3-pin header so that I can control the fan speed?
2 Answers
You might run into issues if you do that. Silverstone indicates that their PSU uses a specific fan curve based on voltage and temperature. If you connect the Noctua fan to the motherboard, it won't adjust automatically based on the PSU's temperature, which could lead to overheating if you're not careful. Just make sure you can keep the fan running at a speed that provides adequate cooling.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. Power supplies are not meant to be opened up, and connecting the fan to the motherboard might lead to performance issues because the original PSU fan has a specific fan curve. If it's really bothersome, you might want to look at getting a better PSU instead. Good PSUs are worth the investment and can last a long time!
Totally agree! In some areas, finding odd-format PSUs can be tough, so I see why you'd want to make do.
I'm planning to run it at around 70-100% depending on the noise, so I'll keep that in mind!