No, you will have to use the original plug and solder the new cables to a (short) piece of the original cables coming from the plug....
There's no need for a NVRAM reset after a fan replacement ; )
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MP 1,1-5,1 Mac Pro (4.1/5.1) aftermarket fans WITH automatic SMC control
- Thread starter amedias
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Thanks @KeesMacPro! I'll post updates as soon as I replace PSU and PCI fan.
Any sucess stories for booster fans replacements? Few monts ago we chatted about Noiseblocker Blacksilent Pro 60mm PR-2 but I haven't managed to source the fans yet.
Any sucess stories for booster fans replacements? Few monts ago we chatted about Noiseblocker Blacksilent Pro 60mm PR-2 but I haven't managed to source the fans yet.
I'd like to ask for confirmation if I'm doing the right thing, since my brain sometimes plays tricks on me 
I see the pinout for PCI fan from @asmedias here https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...h-automatic-smc-control.2232167/post-28400002
I also saw the two posts with pinouts for 12cm fans here https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ol.2232167/page-6?post=29162532#post-29162532
My question is if there's a better photo or layout of pins / colors from Noctua NF-A 9 FLX to the PCI header? I just find it a bit confusing collecting information from several posts. Thank you!
edit:
I've found this post and I think I'm good to go, hope it goes well! https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ol.2232167/page-9?post=29763202#post-29763202
I see the pinout for PCI fan from @asmedias here https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...h-automatic-smc-control.2232167/post-28400002
I also saw the two posts with pinouts for 12cm fans here https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ol.2232167/page-6?post=29162532#post-29162532
My question is if there's a better photo or layout of pins / colors from Noctua NF-A 9 FLX to the PCI header? I just find it a bit confusing collecting information from several posts. Thank you!
edit:
I've found this post and I think I'm good to go, hope it goes well! https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ol.2232167/page-9?post=29763202#post-29763202
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Sounds familiar : )
Actually the fan headers for PSU, Intake ad Exhaust are the same type connector as in my post.
The connector for the PCI fan is very different and the pin out is correct as posted by amedias.
Short : seems confusing, but these are 2 pairs of shoes ; )
Edit: responding to your Edit: yes, this is correct.
BTW if in doubt you could solder (and isolate) the cables to the PCI connector and do a quick test before reassembling the PCI fan case.
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Good tips, thanks! Yeah, I understood that it's a different connector for PCI, but wasn't sure with what fan pin colors to match until I saw the post in edit. Thank you!
I've noticed something strange, when I increase intake and exhaust fan speed, booster fans are also increased. I'm attaching two screenshots, default where intake and exhaust are 600rpm and second one with 800rpm on same, but see boost fan speeds. Am I doing something wrong?
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Not sure I understood, could you post a complete screenshot of MFC and description/pic how you set up every fan?
Edit: are you running TG Pro and/or multiple fan control software?
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Thank you for a fast response @KeesMacPro ! I'm running smcfancontrol but now that you brought it up, I also run iStat. iStat is set to be system controlled and I've never had issues running it along smcfancontrol.
To clarify, what happens is that I configured intake and exhaust fans to run higher, and only them. But when they speed up the rotation, so do the booster fans which I left at default values.
I've attached screenshots from smcfancontrol and istat. As you can see istat is set at system controlled, which in term are managed by smcfancontrol.
I saw that you guys used TG Pro but didn't feel the need for it with smcfancontrol. However I have no problem trying it out. Thank you once again!
To clarify, what happens is that I configured intake and exhaust fans to run higher, and only them. But when they speed up the rotation, so do the booster fans which I left at default values.
I've attached screenshots from smcfancontrol and istat. As you can see istat is set at system controlled, which in term are managed by smcfancontrol.
I saw that you guys used TG Pro but didn't feel the need for it with smcfancontrol. However I have no problem trying it out. Thank you once again!
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Did you enable system override for all fans in TG Pro or just for intake and exhaust fans?
Your welcome @mnlth0 !
I would not recommend to run multiple fan controllers.
My question about TG Pro wasnt meant to encourage you , but based on similar issues I've had with TG Pro a while ago (that of course you couldnt now).
Short: I'd make a set up where none/ or only one runs without manual interference and in case of interest , manually switch to another fan controller.
I'd do a SMC reset after setting up one/none controller and see what happens.
BTW set to "auto" the Boost A and B run at ~ 1100 rpm at min , this is normal.
I would not recommend to run multiple fan controllers.
My question about TG Pro wasnt meant to encourage you , but based on similar issues I've had with TG Pro a while ago (that of course you couldnt now).
Short: I'd make a set up where none/ or only one runs without manual interference and in case of interest , manually switch to another fan controller.
I'd do a SMC reset after setting up one/none controller and see what happens.
BTW set to "auto" the Boost A and B run at ~ 1100 rpm at min , this is normal.
I tried both, no go... it syncs fans of exhaust / intake with booster fans, weird.
No go still, but I'll test it later again. It just syncs the fans from intake / exhaust with booster fans. Weird. Btw what's the best way to reset SMC? just in case I didn't do it well.
Just to be 100% sure, I'd keep 1 controller ,uninstall others and do a NVRAM reset (keep cmd+ opt +P +R pressed at bootup until 2nd chime).
Switch the MP off, unplug the mains cable for ~ 20 seconds, plug it in and boot.
In this case get in touch with Matt from Tunabelly Software. He is aware we use TG Pro in our endeavors and may shed some light onto it.
Pretty much what I did. Uninstalled everything except TG Pro, same problem. That's okay though... I'll work on that later.
I expect to replace the PCI fan tomorrow finally and will post photos.
So thanks to all the work shared in this thread, I have replaced the fans of my 2010 MP5,1 Dual x5690.
I went the "budget"-Noctua way.
Like hutzi20 in Post#197 I thought for the PSU the NF-P12 redux-1300 would be a good fit because of the higher static pressure compared to the NF-S12B redux-1200.
NOT a good idea for automatic fan control, as rpm-min of the fan is ~600 whereas 500 would be required. [edit: the 500 rpm can only be achieved with a.e. iStat. With the SMC default minimum of 600 there are no problems]
So I ended up:
I didn't want to cut the original PCI fan connector so I improvised.
Observations:
Under full load the Mac was still quite loud until I removed the 9 bars of the fan guards of the intake/exhaust housing.
They were mainly responsible for the airflow noise. In addition, the reduced air resistance leads to significantly lower rpm under full load.
Question:
On SMC defaults, the booster fans spin at 1114 rpm until I set something else in iStat and switch back to system defaults, then they go down to 930 rpm. Any ideas why?
Edit: I noticed that the minimum rpm for the PCI fan (800) can only be achieved when only one PCIe device is installed in slot 1 OR slot 2, no matter what kind of device.
I went the "budget"-Noctua way.
Like hutzi20 in Post#197 I thought for the PSU the NF-P12 redux-1300 would be a good fit because of the higher static pressure compared to the NF-S12B redux-1200.
NOT a good idea for automatic fan control, as rpm-min of the fan is ~600 whereas 500 would be required. [edit: the 500 rpm can only be achieved with a.e. iStat. With the SMC default minimum of 600 there are no problems]
So I ended up:
- PSU/Intake/Exhaust: NF-S12B redux-1200
- PCI: NF-B9 redux-1600
- Northbridge: 60 mm NF-A6x25 FLX
- stock booster fans (almost unused dual tray with perfect fan bearings)
- The NF-P12 redux-1300 went as an additional GPU fan.
I didn't want to cut the original PCI fan connector so I improvised.
Observations:
Under full load the Mac was still quite loud until I removed the 9 bars of the fan guards of the intake/exhaust housing.
They were mainly responsible for the airflow noise. In addition, the reduced air resistance leads to significantly lower rpm under full load.
Question:
On SMC defaults, the booster fans spin at 1114 rpm until I set something else in iStat and switch back to system defaults, then they go down to 930 rpm. Any ideas why?
Edit: I noticed that the minimum rpm for the PCI fan (800) can only be achieved when only one PCIe device is installed in slot 1 OR slot 2, no matter what kind of device.
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I got Redux 1200 for exhaust and intake. They are too loud to me.
Would Redux 700 also work in a cMP and be more quiet?
noctua.at
Would Redux 700 also work in a cMP and be more quiet?
NF-S12B redux-700
Der klassische NF-S12B 120mm Lüfter wurde speziell für Anwendungen mit geringem Strömungswiderstand wie Gehäusekühlung konzipiert und erfreut sich nicht nur unter internationalen Hardware-Enthusiasten seit Jahren größter Beliebtheit – er hat auch wesentlich zu Noctuas Reputation als führender...
noctua.at
In short: work, yes; cooling properly under constant load: no; more quiet: noI got Redux 1200 for exhaust and intake. They are too loud to me.
Would Redux 700 also work in a cMP and be more quiet?
NF-S12B redux-700
Der klassische NF-S12B 120mm Lüfter wurde speziell für Anwendungen mit geringem Strömungswiderstand wie Gehäusekühlung konzipiert und erfreut sich nicht nur unter internationalen Hardware-Enthusiasten seit Jahren größter Beliebtheit – er hat auch wesentlich zu Noctuas Reputation als führender...
As the SMC is controlling the fans by referencing the rpm and the geometry of the 1200 and 700 is (probably) the same, you would end up at the exact same minimum rpm (600 in & 500 out [edit: with 3rd party fan control like iStat]) with the same sound level and just loose the headroom for higher speeds at higher temperatures.
I can definitely hear the NF-S12B redux but most of the noise came from the blades being so close to the fanguards and removing them helped quite alot, although more noticeably at higher speeds.
According to others here, the NF-A12x25 ULN is significantly quieter than the NF-S12B redux-1200 but considering the price point and the higher maximum airflow, I am happy with them for my dual x5690.
You wrote you use the Mac for creating quiet music, so for you the NF-A12x25 ULN seems the better choice.
As you have a maxed out dual 5,1 too, the 700s are also most likely not capable of properly cooling the Mac under full load (intake and exhaust NF-S12B redux-1200 settled at 1000 rpm under constant full load if I remember correctly).
I can‘t remember if anyone wrote how the NF-A12x25 ULN perform under constant load in a dual CPU Mac Pro.
edit: corrected in/out fan speeds
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Thanks for bringing that NF-A12x25 ULN to the table. Didn't know about it!
You mentioned removing the fan guards. You most probably didn't mean the plastic ones (X shape) which are holding the center, right? Do you have any images or could you pls describe more?
Another thing: Is there a way to override the minimum RPM by some software?
You mentioned removing the fan guards. You most probably didn't mean the plastic ones (X shape) which are holding the center, right? Do you have any images or could you pls describe more?
Another thing: Is there a way to override the minimum RPM by some software?
The Intake/Exhaust fans in a DUAL CPU MP could have no headroom with 1200 rpm.
This depends on e.g. climate , CPUs, load and fan settings.
Since there are a lot of variables, choosing a fan depends on individual cases.
Therefore I'd first analyze the hardware setup and usage , and run some tests to get an idea of the appropiate fans for that specific case and climate.
On my main MP DUAL CPU I'm still using the OEM Deltas for Intake/Exhaust.
A few days ago I contacted a fan manufacturer about some models I'd like to test.
I hope to test a few in the next week (all specifically for MP DUAL with higher rpm than 1200 max).
This depends on e.g. climate , CPUs, load and fan settings.
Since there are a lot of variables, choosing a fan depends on individual cases.
Therefore I'd first analyze the hardware setup and usage , and run some tests to get an idea of the appropiate fans for that specific case and climate.
On my main MP DUAL CPU I'm still using the OEM Deltas for Intake/Exhaust.
A few days ago I contacted a fan manufacturer about some models I'd like to test.
I hope to test a few in the next week (all specifically for MP DUAL with higher rpm than 1200 max).
Unless you installed software as used by amedias, default min rpm is 600 for both Intake and Exhaust (sounds like you installed TG Pro which treats the SMC differently than MFC or iStat ).
This sounds interesting, I might test it on one MP here!
IIRC I havent seen reports in a DUAL CPU MP...
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I meant the horizontal bars in Apple's housings. It's non reversible of course but also benefits the airflow enormously.
Can't comment on overriding the RPM SMC defaults as I'm happy with what iStat provides.
I was referring to the suggested NF-S12B redux-700
Edit: But you are completely right, it all comes down to the individual conditions.
Maybe removing the fanguards alone might be enough to cool a system at 1200 rpm which otherwise would not be possible. I did not take proper notes but it might have led to ~100 rpm lower speeds at constant full loads on my dual x5690. It’s obvious that any unnecessary component in the way of an airflow optimized fan (NF-S12B) should be avoided but maybe the NF-A12 sees no noticeable benefit.
I‘m eager to read your results, should you try it.
I just tried it on a fresh Big Sur install with only iStat menus installed. As soon as I have once moved all fan sliders to the left in iStat, and click "System controlled", I get the following (reduced) speeds for PSU, Boosters and Exhaust (I mistook Exhaust for Intake earlier). These are the speeds even after reboots. I have to keep an eye on how this changes after different load scenarios.
edit: 2010 5,1 (in case it‘s relevant)
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