The fan of my ReadyNAS NV+ was too noisy for desktop use in the long run, I actually had it tucked away in a closet to keep the fan noise away from my desk. Searching the net for a more quiet option, I finally decided to change the original fan with one from Noctua (www.noctua.at). The difference was absolutely stunning. For the first time ever, the harddisks were actually noisier than the fan. This was about a year ago, and the NV+ has been running on my desk around the clock ever since, just sounding like a breeze. As I had never heard of Noctua before, I believe a lot of other ReadyNAS users haven't either, so I thought it would be a pity not to share my experience with the forum.
I run the Noctua fan at its lowest speed setting. The ReadyNAS reports about 1100 rpm, and the temperature of the ReadyNAS stays at around 40 C, the two 1 GB harddisks report about 50 C at the most.
I can really recommend this fan. I just wonder why the ReadyNAS doesn't come with it in the first place.
If so, $20 @ Newegg with 32 reviews all saying 5 eggs. Pretty good.
What disks are in your NV+? 50C isn't a problem provided thats really the max temp. Have you checked to see if the temp rises when you really load the NAS? Like during a backup job, copying a large pool of files, etc.. Disks take some minutes to really heat up and the NAS is even slower @ updating Frontview.
As far as why didn't Netgear use this fan.....well its $20. That should answer your question when many other 92mm ball bearing fans can be purchased for 1/2 that price or less. Also, maybe a company like Noctua can't supply the demand a manufacturer like Netgear needs to keep their production lines humming along without fear of shortage.
Yes, NF-B9. The package provides three different connectors for low, medium and high speed. At highest speed the fan is still considerably more silent than the standard fan, which is just as irritating as any low budget fan. The noise of the Noctua has a much more comfortable, soft tone. I guess it has to do with the anti-turbulence design of the blades. Medium speed is is just a trifle more noisy than low speed. Anyway, there is ample reserve power in the the fan to cope with higher temperatures if needed.
My NAS runs quite heavy BitTorrent traffic around the clock as well as large backups. If I decide to add two more disks, I'll probably increase it a notch to medium speed. The disks are two Seagate ST31000340NS, which are specified for use up to 55 C. Normally they run at about 47 C, but in these hot summer days with about 26 C in my office, they reach about 50 C.
Sounds reasonable based on your explanation. I suppose it would be nice if Netgear could work a deal with Noctua and get fans from them. Then they can advertise worlds quietest NAS*.
I did some silent fan research. Netgear is using a Crown Electronics AGE09225 92mm fan in the NVX. This fan is a 70CFM fan according to Crown. That may be wishful thinking, but 70CFM for a 92mm is a lot of air. I would make sure that whatever replacement fan you get can push enough air to keep your NAS cool.
The fan will speed up if its needed. So unless your stock fan runs at top speed all the time your quieter fan will just speed up a litle.
The fan that is in the Duo is a Crown AGE06025 and should do 34.84 CFM. The replacement fan i got is a Fractal design silent series 60 mm and it can do 16 CFM.
But the replacement fan keeps the drive cooler at idle, with the stock fan i had a temperature at ~40-42 C, now i have 30 C (thats unusual low, normally 35 C). And i can feel that the replacement fan pumps much more air trough than the stock fan, both at "idle speed" and when i recalibrate
That's my observation too. Despite the numbers in the spec the Fractal typically runs at a lower speed than did the original to achieve the same temperature - in other words it's not only dramatically quieter but more efficient as well. Or to put it simply, it's a better fan.
The original NV+ fan rarely ran faster than slightly above minimum speed, and its sound was still very annoying (not to mention the noise at startup!).
The Noctua NF-B9 has three fixed settings by using three different connectors, it doesn't vary automatically in the NV+. But it doesn't really matter, it's noise level/CFM ratio is remarkable (specifications by the manufacturer):
Lowest setting = 24 CFM at 7.9 dB(A), 1000 RPM Medium setting = 31 CFM at 13.1 dB(A), 1300 RPM Highest setting = 38 CFM at 17.6 dB(A), 1600 RPM
As a comparison, Fractal Design 92mm Silent Series Cooling Fan specifies 24 CFM as its highest possible flow, which is the same flow as Noctua at its lowest speed. At that speed the Fractals noise level is specified to 12 dB(A), which should actually rather be compared to Noctuas medium speed: 13.1 dB(A) at 31 CFM.
On top of that Noctua specifies MTBF > 150.000 hours, and it comes with a six year warranty.
As I said in my first post I currently run the Noctua at its lowest speed (24 CFM). At that speed it's hardly noticable before the harddisks start, and once the first Seagate 1 TB starts the harddisk noise is far louder than the fan.
After the forums worries about possible inefficient cooling I decided to do a stress test. I copied countless small files from my computer to two shares at the same time for three hours, which resulted in tremendous harddisk activity. About 40 GB was copied to each share. The results:
Hi, I have a ReadyNAS Pro and the fan noise is bugging me since I keep in my office, and it's loud enough to be heard in my living room next to my office, and that really bugs me. This thread concentrates on the NV+, but could you kill the fan noise on the Pro too by replacing the fans..?
The fan of my ReadyNAS NV+ was too noisy for desktop use in the long run, I actually had it tucked away in a closet to keep the fan noise away from my desk. Searching the net for a more quiet option, I finally decided to change the original fan with one from Noctua (www.noctua.at). The difference was absolutely stunning. For the first time ever, the harddisks were actually noisier than the fan. This was about a year ago, and the NV+ has been running on my desk around the clock ever since, just sounding like a breeze. As I had never heard of Noctua before, I believe a lot of other ReadyNAS users haven't either, so I thought it would be a pity not to share my experience with the forum.
I run the Noctua fan at its lowest speed setting. The ReadyNAS reports about 1100 rpm, and the temperature of the ReadyNAS stays at around 40 C, the two 1 GB harddisks report about 50 C at the most.
I can really recommend this fan. I just wonder why the ReadyNAS doesn't come with it in the first place.
Just to clarify, do you need one fan or two fans for an NV+? (or if there is a second fan, is it not particularly noisy compared to the loud one?)
Is installation tricky at all? Or do you just unscrew/unplug the old fan and put an NF-B9 in its stead?
If you want some authoritative info about quiet fans, then look at this site : http://www.silentpcreview.com/section12.html. SPCR are experts at this. Noctua are a good fan at the 92mm size, but bear in mind that 50% of the noise is from the drives, so if you are using noisy Seagate drives then your efforts will be in vain. I used an add-in resistor to quieten the stock Duo fan (good for start-up noise) but also fried a NV PSU by replacing the NV fan with a 92mm Noctua.
IMO no NAS is going to be quiet enough for near-user use (i.e.same room) and the best solution is always going to be a long length of CAT6 cable. However, the Pro is very quiet in operation - it's just VERY NOISY at startup.
My Pro and Duo are in the attic - best place for them. The backup Pro is within 2m of me, but 95% of the time it's turned OFF.
Has anyone tried reversing the fan so that it blows INTO the unit? I am bothered about the about of dust accumulating inside, & if the fan were reversed I could fit an external filter
