How long does a case fan last before it becomes noisy? Any "goldplated" fan?

[RayLopez99]

We all know that "on average" a hard drive will fail in the first 30 days or then after five years, but what about a fan for your case? When does it become noisy from all the dust accumulated? And is there a 'gold plated' fan that's super expensive and uses some sort of special ball bearings, that will last longer?

RL

 

[Yousuf Khan]

We all know that "on average" a hard drive will fail in the first 30 days or then after five years, but what about a fan for your case? When does it become noisy from all the dust accumulated? And is there a 'gold plated' fan that's super expensive and uses some sort of special ball bearings, that will last longer?

I would generally say that lower-RPM larger fans should last much
longer. But that's just an initial guess. Here's some more detailed info:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/287763-28-what-makes-good-case#2765569

He seems to imply that ball-bearing fans are longer lasting than sleeve
fans, but I've actually had ball-bearing fans go bad on me whereas
sleeve fans have lasted the entire life of the case. Of course, those
sleeve fans were larger, lower RPM fans.

Yousuf Khan

 

[John Doe]

This Google Groups troll should learn how to clean things...

 

[Flasherly]

We

all know that "on average" a hard drive will fail in the first 30 days
or then after five years, but what about a fan for your case? When
does it become noisy from all the dust accumulated? And is there a
'gold plated' fan that's super expensive and uses some sort of special
ball bearings, that will last longer?

-
Only was to go is to have a fan with a 4th wire for a RPM monitor on
the MB, and dedicated software to identify the chipset sensors on a
conditional action if the fan falls out of parameters.

Yea, right. (Most MBs have only two, if that, fan headers.)

The other option is the handy-dandy Dremel Tool. Cut an inspection
hole for readily spotting the front HD-cage fan. LED lighted is good,
too, even when the LED remains on after the motor gives out and the
blade don't spin;- helps in the spotting, as it's dark in there
without it.

Nothing of course should get that hot, but, excluding gamer vidboards,
when's the last time you've seen a CPU (or PS) fan that failed. Rare
birds, those, for sure.

There's absolutely no excuse for that crap with better HDs running the
cost of a gold brick these days, two, three, or more times the price
over a MB. ...And then some cheap piece of crap case fan is going to
bust my ass if a HD overheats and goes down hard.

I think not.

 

[RayLopez99]

Thanks Yousuf Khan, what you say about lower RPM sleeve type case fans lasting longer makes intuitive sense. Next time I'll look for such fans. Right now the fan I have, about 4 years old, only makes noise upon startup until it heats up, a not uncommon problem that's an annoyance, but nothing moreso far.

RL

 

[RayLopez99]

This Google Groups troll should learn how to clean things...

Clean up your act JD, or have the long arm of the law reach out and touch you for your trolling, lol.

RL

 

[Rodney Pont]

Right now the fan I have, about 4 years old, only makes noise upon startup until it heats up, a not uncommon problem that's an annoyance, but nothing more so far.

You could try removing the label and putting a drop of oil into the
bearing. Sometimes they last for years afterwards and sometimes it
makes no difference.

 

[Paul]

You could try removing the label and putting a drop of oil into the
bearing. Sometimes they last for years afterwards and sometimes it
makes no difference.

Not all sleeve bearings are made alike.

Panaflo fans use a sealed sleeve bearing. Regular computer
fans, the bearing may not be sealed. In the worst case I've seen
here, a cheap $1 40mm fan in a disk enclosure, proceeded to
drop all of its bearing oil, into the bottom of the enclosure
when it was new. There was a puddle in there. The fan started
to make noise, only a day after it was turned on, and had to
be replaced.

http://products.ncix.com/detail/nmb...ached-pin-w-sensor-92x92x25-rohs-8e-20619.htm

The hydrowave idea is similar to FDB motors, in that not
only is the bearing sealed, but the oil moves around
in the bearing such that the bearing is frictionless.
And this lasts, for as long as the bearing seal lasts.

Another kind of sleeve bearing, uses ceramic as a
bearing material. And the manufacturer claims such
a bearing lasts longer than conventional sleeves. And
that would also be an unsealed design.

And I'm not going to guess at how long all of these types
are going to last. All I can tell you is, at work,
the guy who selected fans for cooling the things
we used to build, he would tell us the maintenance
interval on fans was three years. In other words,
using the good quality fans we were buying, he
would tell customers, via the user manual, to
change the fans every three years of 24/7 operation.
3*24*365 = roughly 25000 hours. I expect the fan
manufacturer would be quoting a number a bit higher
than that, as our figure was a "preventative maintenance"
figure intended to avoid inconveniencing the customer.
It would look bad, if the product ran for five years,
and all the fans wore out on the same day causing
down-time. You were supposed to replace them, before
their predicted failure time.

Paul

 

[RayLopez99]

Rare birds, those, for sure.

Yes, rare birds are cute Thai girls that speak good English and are *not* scamming Westerners. Not only rare, but methinks extinct.

RL

 

[Flasherly]

Yes,

rare birds are cute Thai girls that speak good English and are *not*
scamming Westerners. Not only rare, but methinks extinct.

-
True, although no different once adapted, brought over to means and
ways, relocated to Western countries. Beneath the skin, scalped, as
biologists proverbially say, DNA sequencing between human races,
peoples, is effectively indiscernible.

 

[RayLopez99]

rare birds are cute Thai girls that speak good English and are *not*

scamming Westerners. Not only rare, but methinks extinct.



-

True, although no different once adapted, brought over to means and

ways, relocated to Western countries. Beneath the skin, scalped, as

biologists proverbially say, DNA sequencing between human races,

peoples, is effectively indiscernible.

Or vice versa. I've seen many a Westerner "go native" in Thailand, and, like the famous scene in "Apocalypse Now" involving Marlon Brando, it's a bitdisturbing to a Westerner to see another fellow Westerner in that state, until you realize that's the choice they made, presumably voluntarily.

Now I'm starting to talk like Flasherly...help me...

RL

 

[Flasherly]

Or vice versa.

I've seen many a Westerner "go native" in Thailand, and, like the
famous scene in "Apocalypse Now" involving Marlon Brando, it's a bit
disturbing to a Westerner to see another fellow Westerner in that
state, until you realize that's the choice they made, presumably
voluntarily.Now I'm starting to talk like Flasherly...help me...


-
I hear you. No words necessary. Or, is that better phrased for no
unnecessary words. I studied the language well enough to "get
around," just not well enough to communicate;- however that's done in
any generally acknowledged manner accorded by philosophical essence.
How do I know these things? . . . I lived with a fellow human, neither
of us effectually being able by words uttered alone, over a duration
of two years.

Few clicks south, shy of Bangkok.

And, yeah, Thais though to my mind an agreeable sort can be very set
about keeping foreign elements at some distance from their culture. An
unlikelihood to visit just any foreign expatriate, freelancing, with
expectations such a meeting might entail a village tribal gathering.

Apocalypse Now and Deer Hunter, though dramatic pinnacles are among my
favorites for their very uniqueness.

-
Old Greek Proverb: A woman has two mouths.

 

[RayLopez99]

How do I know these things? . . . I lived with a fellow human, neither

of us effectually being able by words uttered alone, over a duration

of two years.



Few clicks south, shy of Bangkok.

I was north by northwest of BKK for almost a year. I switched to the Philippines and like it better due to English being spoken among other things.

RL

 

[Flasherly]

I

was north by northwest of BKK for almost a year. I switched to the
Philippines and like it better due to English being spoken among other
things.

-
Sounds nice. 71F now in the US is nowhere near to the heat I'm used
to, even if the summer here is mostly long. Never been to PI, but
sure I'd like it, too. Can't say I've really considered that option
when living either in the Far or Middle East. More or less take
what's given for whether or not words are communicable;- heh, just
fewer and limited ideas without them according to circumstances;- A
language all of its own, expressive of potential, patience, courtesy
and care, uniquely from the heart and spirit and eyes. Nope, not
always such a bad thing - full of all kinds of profoundness and
mysteries!