I have a cheap 450W PSU with an exhaust fan at the rear. This fan, however, is very loud.
Is it a good idea to replace the stock PSU fan with a quiet fan with similar airflow? The PSU fan is hard-wired to the PCB in the PSU so I was intending on snipping the stock fan wires and sealing the loose ends with electrical tape. I would then connect the new quiet fan to the PWR_FAN socket on the motherboard.
Has anyone done this before themselves? Is it a good idea in the first place? Considering if my PSU fails, it could take out a couple of other components too.
Best Answer
I have done this. It works.
If you're nervous around capacitors, be aware that they can and will store residual mains power. Practice basic safety: Unplug the psu, ground yourself against the case. Snip the wires, strip them, and use a 'decent' wire splicing method. wrapping them with electrical tape is not a good idea. Solder + heat shrink, small wirenuts, "B-connectors", etc.
I've been hit by the caps, you feel it, but it wasn't horrible. As always, proceed at your own risk, but I've done this plenty of times.
I wouldn't recommend fiddling with the rest of the components, but just a simple wiresnip on the fan leads is pretty painless.
Caveat: Some PSU's run their fan on 12V, some on 5V. If you have a multimeter, check and make sure you pick a fan rated for those speeds. Most 5V 'can' run on 12V, but it's not recommended.