Arctic P14 PWM - Strange Hum/Drone at certain RPM's

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15 Jul 2008
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Hi All,

Thought I would just report a strange issues I'm getting with my Arctic P14's.

At certain RPM's the fans seem to do a strange pulse/drone/hum/whistle, I have tested it on the intake fans (no grill near) and also the exhaust fans (grill on/next to fan) and its the same on both.

40% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
45% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
50% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
53% - Noticeable Hum/drone/whistle
55% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
60% - Noticeable Hum/drone/whistle
63% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
65% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
68% - Quiet no Hum/drone/whistle
70% - Noticeable Hum/drone/whistle

Anyone else had something similar? Its just a little annoying even though when my computer is at idle they are at 40% or even if I set it manually at 60% its when they ramp up in response to some temps/load and the fans go past these these certain RPM's that make this weird noise.
 
Soldato
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the arctic fans P12 has similar motor humming between 900-1100 rpm which is around 50-60% range.

at high speed there is obviously the wind noise which would be fairly noticable above 60%
 
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Yeah I've found basically the same with the P12s (CO version). For me it seems to only be at about 1100 to 1200 rpm. It surprised me as I was so impressed by the low noise of the standard P12 at higher rpms on the Arctic AIO. Slightly annoying, but still great fans for the money.
 
Soldato
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this is normal, these fans are known for their hum around that 1000rpm range as are many other fans, they probably all share the same motor
 
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anything that moves will have a resonance at some frequency. Also depends on what the fan is attached to and how. Not everyone gets a hum with their fans or they will get it at a different RPM. Nothing to worry about.
 
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anything that moves will have a resonance at some frequency. Also depends on what the fan is attached to and how. Not everyone gets a hum with their fans or they will get it at a different RPM. Nothing to worry about.

These fans are well documented to have motor hum at around 1000RPM. Just adjust your fan control accordingly and you'll avoid the issue.
 
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Yeah the hum less than ideal if you have a normal fan curve as various temps it can sit at these annoying RPM's. I have got around it by having very steep/instant increases that bypass the various RPM's the hum occurs at rather a normal curve that gradually increases/decreases rpm
 
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I have 8 P12s in my PC and 4 in my kids PC. I don't notice any hum at 1000rpm

Then you're maybe not within distance to hear it, everyone's hearing is different I guess so if you can't hear it...bonus! Mines all have the hum and the video reviews I've watched have made a point of demonstrating that they hum. It's only a minor issue for most though.
 
Soldato
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Yeah the hum less than ideal if you have a normal fan curve as various temps it can sit at these annoying RPM's. I have got around it by having very steep/instant increases that bypass the various RPM's the hum occurs at rather a normal curve that gradually increases/decreases rpm
Doing gradual fan curve over a temperature range you may end up with a wired situation where the ram will kick up and down RPM while the CPU/VRM/CHipset temp is wobbling between some values. I tend to see where the range of temp the CPU is likely to work at ie idle what is the temp range. At gaming what the temp range is and at full core work load what temp range is one then do 3 instant steps to cater for each. So less likely to have weird ram kicking up loudly and then ramp down as temp drops then ramp up again as temp rises.

also it helps to bypass those humming range, rather when gaming I don’t mind the hum as I have ANC headphones
 
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Same here. But as used them for radiators, and plenty of rads, used between 40 and 45%. For the Arctic Freezer II 360, they were quiet, even at 60%.
Fan noise behaviour changes depending if it's pushing or pulling, not just distance from grill/obstacle behind of it.
The pure wings 2, for example, produced more noise without any obstacles, but once fitted to the case, were quieter, more noticeable when on the bottom of the Lian Li O11.
 
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Then you're maybe not within distance to hear it, everyone's hearing is different I guess so if you can't hear it...bonus! Mines all have the hum and the video reviews I've watched have made a point of demonstrating that they hum. It's only a minor issue for most though.

computer is right next to the monitor on the table.
 
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These fan's also don't like constantly changing speeds from what I found. It's preferrable to have them running at a constant RPM rather than a gradual curve. I have mine set to run at 40 or 48% idle and 60% at load. I also installed rubber gaskets, which helped somewhat with dampening the resonance and rpm change sounds.
 
Soldato
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These fan's also don't like constantly changing speeds from what I found. It's preferrable to have them running at a constant RPM rather than a gradual curve. I have mine set to run at 40 or 48% idle and 60% at load. I also installed rubber gaskets, which helped somewhat with dampening the resonance and rpm change sounds.
what rubber gasket?
 
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what rubber gasket?
Just any random [insert fan size] rubber anti vibration mounting kits. I got full frame sized ones instead of just the corners, but anything is better than bare plastic on metal. I used to use mechanical keyboard o-rings or rubber washers, which worked well enough.
 
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