Quieter fan for GK3V?

[Funk]

I bought one of these recently and set it up yesterday. First thing I noted is that it runs hot, which means the fan kicks in. Which means the second thing I noticed is that the fan has a 'whine' at a frequency that's just enough to be annoying. I've read a lot of posts with fans mounted under the units etc and that's not really going to solve things - is there a teardown/guide for the unit somewhere showing what's inside such as fan sizes, dimensions, connectors and whatnot? I'd like to check the basics inside like putting in decent thermal paste and also swapping for a quieter fan.

The PC itself runs fine for the spec but the noise is going to be too much to live with unfortunately so I'd like to do something about it if possible...!

[Gabe]

Funk,

I don't know of a guide or anything like that, but it's fairly easy opening these up and taking the board out. The top is fairly self explanatory, removing that screw and then sliding the "switch". I can't remember if the add on HDD/SSD cage is screwed to the decorative "grille" or not, but I think it is. If it is, it will just come out along with the grille, which you can remove by taking the four screws out that are under the foot pads. Once you've got the top off and that decorative grille out, you'll be able to see the four screws that hold the system board in place. BE CAREFUL, however, as it would be best to unstick the two WiFi antennas from the case rather than trying to flip the system board over and work on it while those antennas are still attached to the case. Again, though, be careful, as those antenna leads are thin and easy to break. The antennas are those two things that are stuck to the side of the case with thin leads that go to the system board. Just use something to pry one corner up, and then work on peeling it back and off the case. And be sure to note their position. It would even be a good idea to take pictures as you go along, if you have a camera, to ensure that everything is going back in the way it was.

Once you have the board out, you'll be able to see the fan setup on the underside. I've no idea what size fan it is, nor the specs of it, nor how the housing comes off the board, but I imagine it's held on with some little screws or even tiny bolts and nuts.

With this said, it might be a good idea to first record the sound, if you can, then upload the video, or a link to the uploaded video, so that the admin can hear it and give you some advice. It would be best to make sure the video has a "before the fan is on" and after, so that the difference can be heard. Just having a video of the fan noise alone can end up sounding like background noise or something, making it difficult to discern the sound.

[EClark5483]

To add to what Gabe said, be careful of the lead for the front light. It's a little light bar/strip that connects to the main PCB. It's a fairly short wire so carefully take that out along with the PCB to get it out completely.

[Funk]

Thanks Gabe - here's a video of the sound with the device being put to sleep/woken up which clearly demonstrates the volume and frequencies of the fan:



How do I flag it for one of the Admin team to look at it?

[Gabe]

Funk,

EEK!!! That's awful! It almost sounds like the fan blades are rubbing on a wire or something. Whatever it is, it would take about two seconds before I would be annoyed to no end with that. There's no way it should sound anything like that at all.

I'd get the unit replaced, to be honest with you. That's not a questionable one, as in what might be acceptable. That's downright terrible. If you got it from Amazon they're pretty good about replacing things that are faulty, as long as it's within 30 days. At least I think it's 30 days.

[admin]

Uncomfortable voice! I'm sorry to give you a bad shopping experience. The sound in the video is abnormal. You can contact our after-sales mailbox for faster after-sales service.
service@iacepc.com

[Funk]

Hi Gabe,

I did think it sounded excessive... I've done as you suggested and initiated a return via Amazon.

I might even re-think my approach and try a fanless unit of some sort; the main reason for going this route was to have a quieter solution for audio playback as my PC's baseline noise level is audible during quieter passages of music.

[Gabe]

Funk,

If whatever your method is for playing music isn't resource hungry, a fanless unit may very well fit the bill. I mention that because fanless units tend to have lower power processors in them that generate less heat.

I'm glad you were able to get the return going. I haven't returned things to Amazon very often, but when I have it's been a pretty good experience. When I last sent something back, which was a faulty Logitech keyboard/mouse combo in February, they issued a refund the evening of the very same day I shipped it back to them. That was a nice surprise.

[Funk]

I've spotted a fanless PC on Amazon for £360 with an i5-4200U cpu so quite a bit better than the Celeron. Reality is that the requirement for audio playback is pretty minimal (the GK3V spec was fine, just that the device is excessively noisy). Fanless will definitely be the way to go for me I think, worth spending the few extra £ to get it completely silent.