Unsolved
31 Posts
2
11607
August 3rd, 2020 18:00
Aurora R11, liquid cooled top fan replacement
Replaced my stock Top Fan with a Corsair ML120 Pro (no LED, no RGB) today.
Thanks for all the great info! The great news is that it's much quieter!
System specs: Aurora R11, 1000w PSU with liquid cooler / i9 10900k / RTX 2070 super / 32GB 3200MHz RAM
Also have 1TB M2 / 2TB 3.5" 7200 RPM / and (2) 2TB 2.5" 5200 RPM drives in the lower bays.
Stock fan: Speedfan RPM readings: Top fan system idle - 1137 RPM Decibels: 44 idle/balanced = 27% fan speed : 54 performance setting = 41% fan speed in AWCC
Corsair ML120 Pro: Specs: 400 - 2400 RPM / 37 dBA / 75 CFM Speedfan RPM readings: Top Fan system idle - 723 RPM idle (40% slower RPM than stock) Decibels: 41 idle/balanced = 17% fan speed / 51 performance setting = same 41% fan speed in AWCC
So the Corsair RPM's is about 40% slower at idle/balanced setting (723 RPM). With the stock fan, the 1137 RPMs was loud enough to bother me.
The upgrade results in a 3 decibel drop of noise. Might not sound like a lot, but it's significant. And it's a lower-end slight hum vs. the higher pitch 'whine' of the stock.
Temps are no problem with the upgrade.
At idle: 31 CPU / 31 GPU with balanced setting and web-browsing etc.
Far Cry 5: 65 CPU / 77 GPU @ 1440p resolution (get around 120 fps)
The bad news:
It's a pain-in-the-neck to get to the fan screws! Took me about an hour to replace. A small jeweler-type screw driver worked well to fit up through the slots. I needed to use a small pair of vice-grips to twist the screwdriver to break the screws loose.
And placing Scotch tape loosely around the screws (use the original screws) before installing new fan (with the screws not seated) was a critical step.
I was able to do it all without removing the pump etc. - just removed the connections for the pump and top fan from the board header.
I also read this helpful Dell thread here.
Thanks again to all here, and good luck to the next guy!
C H
31 Posts
1
November 25th, 2020 00:00
@AuroraHasManyFans - "The 4 fan screws (but not the 4 radiator screws) are way too tight for my comfort"
Yes, it's hard to get to those screws and they are very tight from Dell. Removing the pump will give better access and make it easier, but then will have to repaste.
That's why I used a small jeweler-type screwdriver to get in there without removing the pump. It fits through the holes with enough still sticking out to clamp a pair of small vice-grips to the end to get better leverage (see earlier picture posted), while also pushing with my thumb on the bottom of the screwdriver to keep it up tight.
The top fan is 'extra' loud due to the BIOS set minimum RPM's of the stock fan being high. Replacing it got mine down from a minimum of 27% to 17%. Much better.
AuroraHasManyFans
1 Rookie
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118 Posts
0
November 25th, 2020 04:00
Thanks for the tips.
I have the precision screwdrivers. It's the angle of the 2 mobo-side fan screws. They force me to vice-grip the screwdriver right on the CPU liquid cooler. I'm not comfortable doing that. Too much risk of damaging the cooler, CPU, and/or motherboard itself.
I'm going to give up tinkering with my new rig for now and enjoy some good times with her.
AuroraHasManyFans
1 Rookie
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118 Posts
3
December 14th, 2020 23:00
Praise the Omnissiah! I have my fan replaced. The results are great! Case fan surgery - Aurora R11
r72019
6 Professor
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5.3K Posts
1
December 15th, 2020 00:00
I really liked the first two photos with the detail on the new vrm heatsink.
r72019
6 Professor
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5.3K Posts
1
December 15th, 2020 00:00
Nice! That's also interesting to see the two VRM heatsinks are joined with a copper base. That's the first photo I've seen showing they are connected. I had thought they were two separate pieces.
greensprit
1 Message
0
May 6th, 2021 12:00
I was unable to procure the Corsair 120 pro, they seem to be out of stock everywhere. I did pick up a noctua 120 premium - which by all specs looks like it should be quite comparable. I've installed it and the top fan speed is now a bit slower and quieter - but the noise from the front fan and power supply are very noticeable; so not a huge difference. oh well. I think i'm just going to switch over to my mac mini for everyday work and only use the Alienware for gaming; it's a shame; Dell should provide more control of these fans; no reason they need to be running as fast as they are.
C H
31 Posts
0
May 6th, 2021 13:00
"Praise the Omnissiah! I have my fan replaced. The results are great!"
So is it a good bit quieter?
And the drilling out was to be able to get a full size screwdriver in there?
Thanks for the pics!
mako64
2 Intern
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676 Posts
0
May 6th, 2021 14:00
You can adjust the fans performance in AWCC. I have a game profile set up and have a thermal fan offset set to about 52-55 on the top and 42-45 on the front with the stock fans so when I start my game the case fans kick in to in those settings and they do not throttle. I also have my Default thermals set to thermal balance and power balanced so when I exit the game the machine goes to a nice idle speed. I should add that I always run my game on High performance mode and have a good blend with the NVidia Control panel.
mako64
2 Intern
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676 Posts
1
May 6th, 2021 15:00
This is my humble push and push setup for now.