SI-120 and rattleing

[Lord Banshee]

OK i upgraded from a Zalman 7000 to a SI-120 with the recomended Panasonic FBA12G12L1A fan.

When my computer start up there is a rattle from the heatsink for a second and goes away. so looking for what is making it, i use SmartGuadian and up the fan speed to all the fans one by one. When i up the CPU fan speed a rattle comes from heatsink. If i hold the clips that hold the fan in the rattle stops. Do you think those clips are too long and is rubbing against some fins or is it something else?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Ping to the Pong]

maybe your fan is causing too much vibration or you stretched the clips too much during installation. Were there any rubber strips for that came with the si-120 and if they were did you use them?

 

[Lord Banshee]

Yeah it game with rubber pieces and i used them. I am going to switch my case fan with the panasonic and see if it vibrates less.

 

[Lord Banshee]

Well switched my 120mm Antec Case fan with the panasonic one and i hear no more rattleing.. I think at full spd(when computer posts) the Panasonic causes too much vibrations.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Lord Banshee
Well switched my 120mm Antec Case fan with the panasonic one and i hear no more rattleing.. I think at full spd(when computer posts) the Panasonic causes too much vibrations.

thats your problem....the antec case fan....
I would never be caught dead with an Antec case fan!!

 

[Lord Banshee]

lol... yeah thats why it solved my problem.

This one i have is louder than other fans i used but not by much, it is quiter then the stock Antec Case fan and alot quiter than FBA12G12L1A. I have tired a couple of the Antec TriCool fans and at Med/Low setting they are damn impressive

Don't be so fast to judge... Other than the antec fan that came with the sonata they have always been good to me.

 

[id3dwiz]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I have a similar problem, unfortunately I Don't have another fan, and would like to know if anyone else experience this problem and if there is a solution. Below is a copy of letter to Thermalright support, which were very unhelpful.

"Hello,
I've received SI-120 Heatsink yesterday in a mail, as a replacement for Venus 12(was not cooling well).
I'm using recommended Panaflo 120mm Low output fan. I have followed all instructions as per instructions sheet.
Additionally, I've searched review sites, for configuration photographs, just to confirm everything I Do was right,
and indeed installation of it was right.
However, I get a very loud rattling sound, and very strong vibration. It's not just the fan that vibrates, it's the whole upper
part of SI-120 Heatsink that vibrates with it. The rattling sounds doesn't come from Fan hitting the upper portion of heatsink, it is secured tight. The sound comes from Heatsink vibrating together with the fan. I've tried switching the fan holding wires, no result. ALso, I've remounted vibration dampering stips, no result. All screws are securely tight, the hooks are securely attached to K8 RM. When I put a little pressure with my finger on top of fan, the rattling stops. Additionally, when it vibrates, I can very noticeably feel that my whole case vibrates, this can't be good for my system."

 

[Thor86]

I use an SI-120 with a Panaflo U1A and even at full blast, I don't hear any vibrating noises. Case Vibrations on the other hand, a little is evident.

 

[id3dwiz]

I know, not a lot of people have this problem, but I do.
First, rattling is loud
Second, Vibration is very strong.

 

[id3dwiz]

Ok, so this is my temporary solution.

LINK

And yes, it does say "Big ass fans" on it.

 

[AntiStatic]

i have a couple of si-120's and one rattled a bit. i pulled the wire hold down out and bent it a bit so it pushed on the fan a bit more, no more rattle. you could also replace the thin rubber strips with something a little thicker.. a strip of neoprene perhaps.

 

[id3dwiz]

I tried bending the wires so they would hold down the fan more, but the problem is vibration of the heatsink together with the fan. For now I have Big ass fans donkey pressing against it, the rattle went away, but vibration is still very strong my whole case vibrates pretty strong.

 

[sumyungai]

From what I've seen first hand, Panaflos are highly overrated and vibrates more than the average fan.

 

[id3dwiz]

Originally posted by: sumyungai
From what I've seen first hand, Panaflos are highly overrated and vibrates more than the average fan.

Hi there sumyugai, you were actually first one to suggest SI-120 to me and I got it.
However, I wish I knew better about the fan.
Thermalright tech support said that they have never heard of this problem before, so no help.
How is that Yale Loon @1600rpm you have? How much CFM and dBA?

Thanks

 

[Operandi]

Sounds like you may have gotten a bad sample. You try sending it back for another Panaflo or try something else like this Delta which is probably a better fan anyway.

 

[sumyungai]

Originally posted by: id3dwiz

Originally posted by: sumyungai
From what I've seen first hand, Panaflos are highly overrated and vibrates more than the average fan.

Hi there sumyugai, you were actually first one to suggest SI-120 to me and I got it.
However, I wish I knew better about the fan.
Thermalright tech support said that they have never heard of this problem before, so no help.
How is that Yale Loon @1600rpm you have? How much CFM and dBA?

Thanks

The Yate Loon I'm using is the medium speed one running at 1600 RPM, about 70 CFM, with blue LED (but I cut the LED wires because I don't like bling bling) and very quiet with no little to no vibration. If you want complete silence, then use the low speed one running at 1300 RPM at 50 CFM. Some will say anything over 50 CFM is overkill but I can tell a little better cooler with a little more CFM and I also prefer a little leaway if I need that extra speed later on.

These are sleeved bearings so the MTBF is shorter than ball bearings but I've been running 3 of mine (intake, exhaust, SI-120) 24/7 for a year now and it's still as quiet as the first day I've installed them. If you ever worry about any fans going bad, just buy some teflon oil and oil the bearings when there are any signs of wear and they'll last forever.

 

[Spike]

I have not had any vibration issues with my Si-120 and panaflo fan but I use the M1A and not the L1A fan @ 6v. It is completly silent at that voltage and still appears to move alot of air (CPU temps max at 38c with a Opteron 165 @ 2.52ghz).

Since the antec fan worked maybe look into getting a yate-loon 120mm. They are very quiet and also push a good amount of air. Just for reference my Panaflo M1A actually caused some vibration noise in an older case I had (super lanboy) that was fixed by adding rubber between the fan and the case.

-spike

 

[anandtechrocks]

Originally posted by: sumyungai
From what I've seen first hand, Panaflos are highly overrated and vibrates more than the average fan.

I agree with this. The newer NMB MAT/Panaflo fans are way overrated.