is it possible to replace the mac mini FAN for more silence ?

[Bacong]

3500 is what mine is at, and I can hear it if there's no ambient sound, but even if there isn't, I kind of find the sound soothing

 

[Kalison]

I think I hear what you are trying to record and it sounds like the blower has become less balanced. Are you sure you were very careful? I work on many many dells and other proprietary computers with blowers and that's how they usually sound when the blade wheel gets bent/off balance and it slightly rubs along the edge.


Not saying that you did or didn't, but it sounds semi familiar to me. My mini Is dead silent even when the fans kick on and I am encoding some videos.

 

[macchiato2009]

imo you should live with it since you probably broke it yourself.

i double checked and i don't see how i could have broken it

it cannot be moved unless you unscrew it

moreover, the machine itself will probably receive more shocks during shipping than when opening it carefully...

 

[MacHamster68]

my camera cannot record the noise as it is in reality

i went to a store today to compare by myself and indeed, my mini is noisy

while a mini should be absolutely silent when idle

i'll call apple today for a replacement

hoping that the fact that i opened the case will not void the warranty

you need all luck in the world to convince them that any obvious scratches at the bottom are not from a attempt to upgrade
as the mini is not considered as user upgradable any attempt to open it will void any warranty

the main reason i never considered buying a mini ..you cant even upgrade the ram without voiding the warranty or the risk of damaging something inside ..many break the speaker or other vital parts in the attempt to open the mini

 

[andrei.barbuta]

I can't hear it!

I just got a Mac mini couple of days ago and the fan stayed at 1500 rpm. With complete silence in the room and my ear 2 cm from the Mini I could not hear anything.
I did install Fan Control because my CPU reached 90 degrees Celsius and the fan remained at 1500 rpm. After that the fan goes faster as the CPU get's more hotter I started hearing something at about 2000 rpm's but barely.
To be honest I wouldn't recommend you changing the fan, I honestly don't think you can find something substantially better to support this endeavor.

 

[macchiato2009]

I just got a Mac mini couple of days ago and the fan stayed at 1500 rpm. With complete silence in the room and my ear 2 cm from the Mini I could not hear anything.
I did install Fan Control because my CPU reached 90 degrees Celsius and the fan remained at 1500 rpm. After that the fan goes faster as the CPU get's more hotter I started hearing something at about 2000 rpm's but barely.
To be honest I wouldn't recommend you changing the fan, I honestly don't think you can find something substantially better to support this endeavor.

yes, i already compared yesterday with a mini in a store, it was absolutely silent

my mini definitely has a problem

 

[Bacong]

I'm relatively sure that simply opening the case of the mini does not void your warranty as has been claimed in this thread -- you're just not covered if something goes wrong.

 

[MacHamster68]

I'm relatively sure that simply opening the case of the mini does not void your warranty as has been claimed in this thread -- you're just not covered if something goes wrong.

Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty for Mac mini excludes coverage for damage resulting from a number of events, including accident, liquid spill or submersion, unauthorized service and unauthorized modifications.

apple only protects itself against upgrade failure , if you damage it in the attempt its not apples responsibility to cover the problem if you caused it

and the op has even sold the original harddrive after replacing it with a ssd and it would not need much to damage the fan when replacing the harddrive as the fan is connected next to it, and in that case you cant really blame apple if they would refuse to cover
the fan under warranty

 

[macchiato2009]

damn

i reopened the case to check again what was wrong

now the fan is continuously running at full speed


if i go an apple center, they will tell me that the warranty is void anyway...

do you think that i can disconnect the fan ?


will the mini work without the fan or would it be too hot ?

thx

 

[Hellhammer]

damn

i reopened the case to check again what was wrong

now the fan is continuously running at full speed


if i go an apple center, they will tell me that the warranty is void anyway...

do you think that i can disconnect the fan ?


will the mini work without the fan or would it be too hot ?

thx

The fan is there for a reason, not just for fun... Do SMC and PRAM reset

 

[macchiato2009]

The fan is there for a reason, not just for fun... Do SMC and PRAM reset

done but no result

i just checked and a piece of plastic is cracked near the mainboard

i think i killed a component which causes the fan to blow at full speed

 

[Hellhammer]

done but no result

i just checked and a piece of plastic is cracked near the mainboard

i think i killed a component which causes the fan to blow at full speed

You can try disconnecting it and then reconnecting to see does it reset it. The fan looks like a normal laptop fan so you can buy one and try replacing it

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Teardown/659/2

Maybe this is a good lesson for everyone to not upgrade Macs yourself, or at least know the risks

 

[MacHamster68]

sorry to tell you the bad news ...
they are extremely sensible little creatures these minis
but you are not alone , some kill the speaker, others the airport antennas, others the graphic cards , others something else... like you the fan while trying to upgrade their mini
...thats why apple says it's not user upgradable

it looks easy in these instruction videos , but there is a lot that can go wrong
as it is a bit cramped in there and lots of tiny things like all these tiny wires and connectors , but you know that now anyway and learned something from it and next time you will be even more careful


so your only option is to buy the parts you damaged in your upgrade attempts
and if you want a Mac thats easy to upgrade and designed to be upgraded by the user ..get a powermac g5 quad , or macpro....i know its huge compare to a mini , but far less sensible

 

[macchiato2009]

the error in the apple hardware test is related to the mainboard

warranty is void

therefore i have no other solution than buying a new mac mini and have it upgraded by a certified technician

 

[macchiato2009]

by the way, do you think that i can get rid of the case and mod my own case to the mini without the fan ?

 

[Hellhammer]

by the way, do you think that i can get rid of the case and mod my own case to the mini without the fan ?

The Mini uses normal laptop fan so why don't you buy one and replace the old one?

You can mod it but the CPU in Mini is so hot that it needs a fan or other cooling method. Sure you can try as you have nothing to lose

 

[macchiato2009]

according to apple, the error code corresponds to the mainboard

even if i replace the fan, it will also run at full speed

for the moment i have used the SMC script found on this forum

but the fan speed is 2500, i just asked if someone knows the hex value for 1000 or 1500 rpm


anyway, as the problem comes from the mainboard, probably a probe that was damaged when i opened the case, i am thinking of modding a new box to put the mini inside

but the issue will be how to put a PC fan (ie a very quiet zalman)...

how i can get the juice for it?

 

[fhall1]

Of course you can try but if I recall correctly, Mini has NO user-serviceable parts so opening the case means that warranty is voided, especially in this case as the fan is "defective".

Don't perpetuate the myth...there are plenty of threads here that pretty conclusively show that merely opening the Mini case does not void the warranty.

 

[Hellhammer]

Don't perpetuate the myth...there are plenty of threads here that pretty conclusively show that merely opening the Mini case does not void the warranty.

Do Not Make Repairs Yourself
Your Mac mini doesn’t have any user-serviceable parts. Do not attempt to open your Mac mini. If your Mac mini needs service, consult the service and support information that came with your computer for instructions about how to contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple for service.
If you open your Mac mini or install items, you risk damaging your equipment, and such damage isn’t covered by the limited warranty on your Mac mini.

From http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Mac_mini_Late2009_UG.pdf

That quite clearly says that opening Mini DOES VOID your warranty.

 

[quantum003]

damn

i reopened the case to check again what was wrong

now the fan is continuously running at full speed


if i go an apple center, they will tell me that the warranty is void anyway...

do you think that i can disconnect the fan ?


will the mini work without the fan or would it be too hot ?

thx

Check and make sure you reconnected the hard drive thermal cable to the logic board... the fan won't ever stop if you run the Mini with that tiny little cable disconnected.

*edit*

 

[macchiato2009]

Don't perpetuate the myth...there are plenty of threads here that pretty conclusively show that merely opening the Mini case does not void the warranty.

I have it confirmed by both Apple and the repair center today

warranty is void is you try to open the mac mini by yourself



i was aware of that, i took the risk because many people did their upgrades themselves

i did it wrong and i got it in my a**

i can only blame myself


i hope this would help others

 

[MacHamster68]

i would not throw the mini away only because the fan is running fast , simple solution to it is , as the fan is usually connected with 2or 3 wires ,only thing is bring the high speed down , basically all you need is a fanmate from zalman
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=206
you might need to do your own wireing as the connector might not fit .

its not be the best looking solution with the fanmate hanging out at the back , but still better then throwing a otherwise working mini in the bin

 

[macchiato2009]

i have ordered a new mini and will have a certified tech upgrade the RAM and the HD for me to keep the warranty safe


changing the fan could be a solution but fan speed is controlled by the mainboard

something wrong with it makes the fan running at full speed, if i change the fan, the result would be the same i think...


the solution of last resort is selling the mini on ebay for spare parts

 

[MacHamster68]

the fanmate just drops the fan speed to the level you like no matter what the mainboard tells the fan

sorry i am a bit old fashioned , i prefer hardware to control hardware like fans , rather then software like smc

once setup with the fanmate all it needs is to find out what comes out of the fanmate and getting a resistor that does the same , job done
iam sure there is still space somewhere for a resistor in the mini

i mean you got nothing to lose , selling a mini on ebay which very likely needs a new mainboard (which cost more then a new mini)
doesn't bring you a lot of money even on ebay , so better keep it and use it in a space where you dont mind it being maybe a bit modified

 

[macchiato2009]

ok you're right, didn't pay attention about the fanmate

but still, i need to find a fan that will fit inside the mini...


or i can adapt the fanmate to the actual fan

but i need to figure out the wireing

unless someone knows...