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Macintosh SE fan noise

Posted by: Punkyclown on 2018-06-21 10:50:44 Hi All,  Can someone advise me on weather it's possible to replace the fan in the Mac SE for a quieter one. That's the only thing about the SE that is annoying,  the fan noise.  The replacement hard drive I installed hardly  makes a sound.  But the fan, Boy... Thanks in advance, Brad Hansen

Posted by: Skate323k137 on 2018-06-21 11:14:21 Yes, a noctua fan fits quite well and is very quiet. I used a NF-A6x25 FLX (60x60x25 computer case fan). It even had a connector to tap into the hdd power loom.

Posted by: davidg5678 on 2018-06-21 11:27:25 The SE had two fan variants: One that is a standard size computer fan and one that is very different. As long as your SE has a standard fan, it is as simple as undoing some screws and desoldering some wires from the analog board. I tried replacing my fan a while ago with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B8E7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It did not reduce noise very much and it is still quite loud; I would not recommend it. I think the problem is that the SE has no fan control and runs everything at 100% power. It might be possible to add a strong resistor or potentiometer in line with the fan to take some of the speed/noise down, but I have not investigated. I do know that Noctua fans are much higher quality and might still be quiet at 100% speed.

Posted by: Skate323k137 on 2018-06-21 13:04:55 The noctua is definitely quiet on full speed. I got it because other fans were so loud.

Posted by: Punkyclown on 2018-06-21 19:15:08 Hey, Thanks so much, this is good information, and much appreciated. Brad Hansen

Posted by: MikeatOSX on 2018-06-22 00:59:29 These are SE fans.  The second one is easier to replace.

Posted by: RetroRik on 2019-08-20 01:41:53 If anyone has a cage fan they don't want, I'm really trying hard to look for one for my SE Thanks in advance

Posted by: bibilit on 2019-08-20 02:04:22 Squirrel cage fans, are notorious for being noisy, but far more efficient than later units. Had a pair at some point, that and the early Rodimes or Miniscribes Hard Drives and you are ready for heavy headaches.

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