A CPU FAN QUESTION and request for help

Lkdog

Lkdog

Power User
I swapped out the stock fan a few days ago for a SILENX IXP-34-12.
It is rated at 1700 rpm/CFM 14/12db/12v which is within the specs stated by Cliff.

BUT....there is some concern that the SILENX fans (while they worked well for the Ultra) may not really be enough actual CFM air pushing power for the dual CPU AXE FX II.

The stock fan is a HUI TONG which is rated at 3800 rpm/CFM 18/28 db/12v at LOW speed per this spec sheet:
http://www.htfanner.com/file/2008_8_15_16_47_832.pdf

As for the SILENX fan- seemed to work fine in light use for a few days in 45 minute sessions.
Yesterday I was using the AXE FX in heavier use for about 90 minutes or so-mostly on the RECTO patches.
When I moved to the stock EURO Blue patch after some jamming- the unit started rebooting for some reason.
Have no idea if this was an indication of some overheating- or a USB connection to the PC issue (AXE EDIT was not hooked up), or a bug in the new FW 1.5.

I turned the unit off for just a few minutes and restarted it, and it was fine even after I played for another several minutes trying to reproduce the rebooting on that patch.

Any input is welcome on the rebooting issue and an alternate replacement fan other than the SILENX.
One thing I was thinking was using a 60mm-80mm adapter and using a larger fan that pushes more air and is still quiet.

Thanks.
 
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The unit will reboot if there are data errors. It is possible that the unit is overheating. Those SilenX fans are crap. The airflow is way under the rating and I vehemently advise against using them.
 
Have never understood the obsession with silent stuff. I've had many " silent pc " fans which sure as hell werent anything close to what I'd call silent and my pc's would happily overheat and crash. As for the Axe II, when your headphones / amp is on, the idea that you'd ever hear the noise of a fan above what you're playing seems very unlikely. And that's still a moot point. If something needs to be kept cool, why encourage any act that would sacrifice it's safety and functionality ?
 
javajunkie said:
As has been said, my farts put out more air than those silentx fans.
:)
Click to expand...

you do realise that video evidence is required to substantiate this claim.. lol...


on the subject of fans etc to everyone else:

why not just leave the unit with the hardware it was designed to work with???
there's something that seems really stupid here
- you have a piece of kit that is really expensive..
- it is under warranty
- you screw with it's inards

is that not that same as hanging a bucket of $$$ a few feet above a fire thinking..
may just get a little hot... may burst into flames...
why take the risk???
 
clarky said:
you do realise that video evidence is required to substantiate this claim.. lol...


on the subject of fans etc to everyone else:

why not just leave the unit with the hardware it was designed to work with???
there's something that seems really stupid here
- you have a piece of kit that is really expensive..
- it is under warranty
- you screw with it's inards

is that not that same as hanging a bucket of $$$ a few feet above a fire thinking..
may just get a little hot... may burst into flames...
why take the risk???
Click to expand...

Coming from the computer world angle - overheated processors won't catch fire. It will lead to overheating possibly and that causes reboots and data issues and instability... but fire? Nah. :D

Some folks seem sensitive to the fan noise; so they are looking for lower noise versions to replace it with. In the computer gaming modding world - the use of all sorts of fans (many focused on 'quiet' use) is a very important topic to many. That's with any fans - computers, etc..

The fan in my Bogner Shiva ran all the time and never bothered me. That fan was LOUD. When I recorded with that head, the head had to be in a separate room from the mic'd up speaker cab.

The processors on more affordable products - Line 6 and such - do not use fans because the processors are not being pushed hard enough to heat up. So many folks just assume that processors and units in general should be zero noise.

Just some perspective from my point of view. YMMV.
 
ahhh... the catching fire part... that was a figure of speech...

as in.. you've got something expensive... should you make aterations to it and void your warranty??
if your unit fails and the warranty is void, wouldn't that be the same as sticking all those $$$ in the trash.. just lighting all them $$$ up on fire... lol..
 
clarky said:
you do realise that video evidence is required to substantiate this claim.. lol...


on the subject of fans etc to everyone else:

why not just leave the unit with the hardware it was designed to work with???
there's something that seems really stupid here
- you have a piece of kit that is really expensive..
- it is under warranty
- you screw with it's inards

is that not that same as hanging a bucket of $$$ a few feet above a fire thinking..
may just get a little hot... may burst into flames...
why take the risk???
Click to expand...

:) I have been a computer system builder and reseller for nearly 20 years as a hobby. I do understand system and CPU cooling pretty well.
Yeah-I like things quiet as I do recording projects via headphones a lot and the stock fan noise is just annoying to be honest when I am not playing.
If I played out mostly- yeah, you are right..who cares then.

Can certainly slap the stock fan back in and will do so until I get another solution. For me- it is too loud, though, and would like an alternative.
Most 60mm fans are either too loud if they are pushing air, or too wimpy if they are quiet.

I think I may try a 80mm fan that pushes plenty of air, yet is reasonably quiet.
There looks to be plenty of room in the case between the cover and the CPU's.
 
FractalAudio said:
The unit will reboot if there are data errors. It is possible that the unit is overheating. Those SilenX fans are crap. The airflow is way under the rating and I vehemently advise against using them.
Click to expand...

Thanks Cliff. Will put the stock one back in until I get a better solution.
 
is the stock fan so loud that you can hear it over the music when you're wearing cans?????

if it is... that is mental.....
seriously... when I'm practicing on cans a bomb could go off next to me and I'd only look around to see why the flash was all about.. oh and of course all the stuff getting flung around and folk dying and stuff...
but I wouldn't hear it...
 
clarky said:
is the stock fan so loud that you can hear it over the music when you're wearing cans?????

if it is... that is mental.....
seriously... when I'm practicing on cans a bomb could go off next to me and I'd only look around to see why the flash was all about.. oh and of course all the stuff getting flung around and folk dying and stuff...
but I wouldn't hear it...
Click to expand...

The unit is in a rack right next to me. Unless I am playing or playing back other audio- it is like small vacuum cleaner sitting in my ear. :)
When working on my amateur -admittedly -nothing -special projects, there is a lot of downtime when I am not playing or listening to other audio loops or using my keyboard - so yeah it is annoying to me in my situation.
 
clarky said:
is the stock fan so loud that you can hear it over the music when you're wearing cans?????

if it is... that is mental.....
seriously... when I'm practicing on cans a bomb could go off next to me and I'd only look around to see why the flash was all about.. oh and of course all the stuff getting flung around and folk dying and stuff...
but I wouldn't hear it...
Click to expand...

I, personally, do not have issues with this because I play live. But - in a studio environment, with gear on, recording an acoustic guitar track or vocal would require you to turn the Axe off to get to the proper silence level. And who wants to do that. So I understand some people's concern. One may also want to record a guitar/vocal track and not pick up fan noise. It's not that you won't hear that with cans on, it's that the mic will hear that quite well. And a good mic will, unfortunately, amplify the fan noise to unwanted levels.

The fan noise issue has been so alive on the forum that it possibly will be addressed at some point. In the meantime, anyone finding an appropriate fan should possibly run this by Cliff before tinkering with their Axe. My 2 cents.
 
gotchya.... is it noisier than a Mac Pro?

I don't have particularly good isolation when I record vocals and acoustics..
I tend to hide all the dross with automation when mixing down..
ok so it's not perfect... but it generally works
 
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