New build and Apache black fans seem crap?

Rofflay

Rofflay

Rofflay

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So i have a new system but some problems with these fans.It is probably the last thing i need as the GFX card i bought a while ago has the wrong voltage on the bios and cannot run BF3 without instant black screening.Was led to believe it lacked the OC bios not wrong voltage set for OC.


Going by OCUK these fans are expensive and apparantly ultra quiet.Turned out that they all electric motor buzz and have a ticking like a wire hitting the fan blades.And with 3x120mm via 4pin - molex and a 140mm side panel fan pwm down to 900RPM too still has a buzz.So even at lowest possible RPM the whole case has a slight buzz and ticking sound.

Worst yet is with Demcfilter the side 140mm apache cannot pass air to the graphics card unlike the other 120mm case fans with same filter.There is simply nothing going through at all not a whisp of air.The air actually comes out around the rims of the fan inside the case like a graphics card fan.

They were bought like 1 yr ago only used this week.Basically £50 down the drain then or is there an RMA or warranty on these things? Im not alone as the rainforest has a review i wish i read on the electric motor buzz of akasa apache case fans.
 
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I bought an Apache too and wasn't impressed with the noise and I was quite surprised by it as they are well regarded on here. I used mine for a while but ditched it after it developed a light grinding noise.

I don't remember a buzz though. Maybe that's more to do with your PWM signal being in the audible range?

How do they respond on a straight DC voltage rather than PWM, if you are indeed using them via PWM.
 
By straight DC you mean like 4 pin PWM into say a molex to 2x4pin cables? Thats what i use for all but the side 140mm apache.I believe the cable is a phobya molex to 2x 4 pin and 1x 3 pin or something.Im using two of them into the AX850W molex to power my 3 apaches.

The straight into PSU apaches have a ticking and a buzz if you put the ear next to it you hear motor buzz but when i put my head near it i can pick up a ticking.I thought it was my H80 pump but its not its a combined noise of the minor ticking of the motor and with 4 of them it amplifies into something that sounds like a faulty h80 pump or a wire hitting a fan blade but its not as i can hear it on all the apaches :)

The side one i control via asus q control motherboard 4 pin and i have it at the lowest 900rpm out of 1300rpm max and its still got a ticking.I dare not even run it past 900RPM is it so noisy.
 
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Must just be rubbish Akasa bearings then.

I'm not sure I could cope with 3 Apaches running at 12v.

You could invest in a PWM splitter. These grab the PWM signal and power from a Molex and feed it into multiple PWM fans, and as you've got PWM fans you might as well use them as they are intended.

I got my Apache down to around 700rpm at idle speeds but iit's increasing grinding noise resonated with my other fans and sounded nasty.
 
i run 2x apache black 140mm fans on my cpu cooler and they work perfectly fine. i have also used 120mm before and that was fine too. my 140mm are run at 500rpm when the cpu is idling, never heard a grinding noise or anything from them

never had a problem with them and they are silent, even when the cpu is under load.
 
Sounds like maybe you got some faulty ones from a bad batch? I've always found them an excellent mid range PWM fan. Contact Akasa, I found them very helpful in the past or contact the retailer they came from. They come with a three year warranty so they obviously have confidence in the design/bearings.
 
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