Dell PowerEdge 2650 noise - again ;o)

I have searched the internet again and found that the fan connectors are produced by MOLEX. The partnumber is 44133-400 from the Micro-Fit 3.0 product line.

What happens if I change the fans to low RPM fans and if they are running at 2200RPM? Will the server still power off if the temperature is ok or will the servermanagement only moan about the low RPM?

Thanks for the info. I am desperate to implement your solution on my 2650 I just picked up off ebay.

Can you tell me the part numbers for the 2200RPM fans you used?

Also, if you could recommend a supplier (preferably UK), then I would be greatly appreciative.

I'm useing SilenX iXtrema Pro 60x60x25 fans http://www.silenx.com/ixtremaprofans.asp?sku=ixp-34-16.

You would also need a Dremel or any other cutting tool because you have to cut some plastic so the fans fit (see http://www.tilt-lan.com/clemens/FAN3.jpg). And don't try to cut it with a calliper - the plastic will break - happened with my first fan ;). Perhaps you can find other silent fans where you don't need to cut something off. I would recommend you this method ;) because it was really annoying. Next time I think I rather would take some stronger silent fans with about 3000RPM with about 35-40m³/h of airflow.

Besides I've choosen the simple method and onyl cut the wires of the old fans and soldered them together with the new ones so I could use the fan-power adapters.

As I said I will possibly soon also change my fans of the powersupplies. But here I'll use other fans. I'll post here again when I have done it.

Sorry, but I don't know a supplier from the UK because I'm from Austria :)

That sounds a bit warm.

The fan you suggested is a bit out of my price range - best price I can find is about £12, so buying 7 would make it too expensive.

I was thiking of this one:

AK-192BKT-B

It's around £5 and has temperature control.  Looks like it would be a bit louder when running full speed, but might had higher loads better.

What do you think?

Chris 

P.S.  Thanks for your tips so far and the photo! :smileyhappy:

hmm, I today had temperatures about 75°C (while unzipping a huge file). So there should be used more powerfull silent fans. Opening the case had a huge factor and temperature was going down to about 55-60°C. I'm now thinking about to cut a hole with my Dremel and place a 12cm fan directly over the cpus or to let the case open and only "lay" the 12cm fan over them. 

with the open case and the 12cm fan my cpu temps are now 46°C and 33°C.

Yes, I just cut the wires in half so if I would need the old fans for some reason I can easily solder them together again. You only have to watch to get the right wires together ;). With my fans it was a little bit nasty because they had all the same color.

Today I also had a quick view at the powersupply fans 10 minutes ago. There are also 60x60x25 fans used and they are really easy to change. You even don't have to cut wires or solder because they have the normal 3-pin connectors.

The order of the new PSfans is on the way to me - as soon I've changed them I'll give an update on my powersupply mod *g*

 
Part Number.................................  AFB0612EH-F00 
Manufacturer................................ Delta Electronics, Inc., China
Size, Inches................................ 2.35" X 2.35" X 1.0" 
Size, mm.................................... 60mm x 60mm x 25mm 
Voltage...................................... 12 volts DC
Current........................................ 0.48A
Watts.......................................... 5.76 
RPM .......................................... 6800 
Flow CFM (Max)............................ 38.1
Noise (dBA)................................. 46.5 
Bearing Type............................... Dual Ball Bearing 
Material-Venturi........................... UL94V-0 Plastic 
Material-Propeller......................... UL94V-0 Plastic
Power Leads................................. 3- 10"-22AWG BARE leads w/ tachometer
Termination ................................ NONE- BARE wire leads. Select optional termination
Life Expectancy-MTBF...................... 50,000 Hours 

 

• Application  PC Case fan
• Fan dimension  60 x 60 x 25mm  
• Fan speed  1500-4500 R.P.M.  
• Fan airflow  7.5-22.49 CFM  
• Fan air pressure  0.50-4.54mm H20  
• Fan life expectancy  50000/hrs  
• Bearing type  Two Ball bearing  
• Connector  3-pin with RPM sensor  
• Voltage rating  12V  
• Noise level  19-30 dB(A)  
• Product code  AK-192BKT-B 

I'm not so sure the sound is going to be that much quieter (or if they will work).  I guess I will find in a couple of days.

Chris 

Finally today I changed the PSU fans. Now the server runs with less noise than my other servers :). The only thing you have to do is to change the pin layout of the fan-plug otherwise the fan will not turn and the server will instantly shutdown after a few seconds. See here: http://www.tilt-lan.com/clemens/PSU-FAN.jpg the right layout is on the right fan in the picture. The left fan shows the normal layout.

Hi DeafInBothEars,

I'm just wondering how you've got on with the variable speed fans you've bought. I'm in a similar situation to you, and would like to get my PE2650 to be much quieter. My research has not found much in the way of suitable fans and the BIOS route hasn't turned anything up, so I'm interested in the fans you've got. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

aiw_2000

 I have one of those noisy 2650s as well. Its running Windows Home Server and I really do like the 2650... just not the noise.. I tried different fans as well but the computer doesn't like them... fan led's turn amber to warn they are too slow and so on and I don't want to run the puter that way, I still want an actual fan failuure to be able to read out on the display and or turn the front cover Dell badge amber. What I am considering doing is to build a small circuit that will in effect make the slower fan's speed look like its going faster... a sort of frequency multiplier if you will. This could be adapted to each fan and the result would be an extremely quiet server. The slower speed fans draw such little current that there is plenty from the same "tap" at each fan to drive a small circuit. I will research this over the next few weeks as time permits and get back to you. If I get something that works then I'll put up instructions for you guys on the Home Server and post the link here. Weather is getting nice here in Utah and I allow less "computer time" when it does.

 BTW: If you want a quiet full size server get a 2450. They are VERY quiet servers... ya just have to be able to live with a maximum speeg of 1ghz on the CPU's. I have a 2450 that even has the rare 5th drive bay and a DVD drive. I can imagine a room full of 2450's whirring away but a room of 2650s..... That is a deafening thought!

BTW: You don't have to cut the connectors off the old fans at all. Just get yourself a bunch of female really tiny Molex pins and solder them to the new fan's wiring. Then heat shrink them. The tiny Molex pins slide right over the male pins for the fans on the motherboard and stay secure.

I finally finished my summary. You may have a look at it here: http://www.steinkogler.org/hardware/silent-dell-power-edge-2650

You'll also find a movie-howto for the PSU-fan-change and links to a vendor where you can buy the Molex-adapters, etc.

Hey guys,

I just bought a 2650 second hand and - being newbie - was shocked by the noise. We have to use the maschine in the office and cannot put it somewhere else, so I am very desperate to find a good solution to reduce noise as much as possible. 

I followed this thread and am very happy that there seems to be a good solution around. BBQigniter did superb pioneer work, but this seems a bit too much "change" in the system.

Did anybody try the Akasa AK-192BKT fans??To me, they sound great, but none posted any success message here... Could anybody post his/her experience? I would really really appreciate that ;)

Thanks!