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Changing the case fan in a mac pro

mason.kramer

mason.kramer

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 16, 2007
270
18
Watertown, MA
I have a 2007 era Mac Pro. I've just changed out the horrificly loud video card fan for a passive cooler, and my life is much better now. I now want to replace the stock case fan with this Yate Loon cheap-o-but-quiet 120mm fan that I've got. However, I can't figure out how to get to the case fan, or even what kind of connector the fan has. Has anyone done this and/or does anyone know of a link to a walkthrough?

(Once I get a quiet fan, the loudest part with the HDD, and I will have a reason to go SSD that my GF will appreciate ;))
 
Ok. I got something working. The front case fans are extremely inaccessible. You have to remove all of your PCI cards, then your RAM extender boards. These reveal four screws to unscrew. You can then pop out the rear exhaust fan assembly by pushing it where the extender boards used to be. Then slide that whole assembly the rear and separate it from the chipset heatsink. After that it looks like you have to remove the heatsinks with an allen wrench, but at that point I said screw it and put it all back. I ended up not changing the fans, but adding a quiet one into the PCI part of the case by stealing power from the extra molex in the optical drive assembly. The hope is that this one will allow the others to be run at a lower RPM.
 
I believe the fans use standard 4 pin connectors.

Can't help you with taking the fans out, should be screwed to the logic board
 
Just use smcfancontrol to lower the RPMs of your current fans. The stock fans are really high quality fans and do the job they were designed to do: keep the components cool. Be careful that you don't lower the RPMs too much and the computer over-heats.

oh, and you can swear on the internet, it's ****ing ok to do that ****. ;)
 
you want to remove the front fan assembly right? it's not that difficult. remove your RAM. remove the four screws holding your RAM carrier in place. slide the carrier to the right. then slide the little cover that sits to the left of your RAM carrier to the right, exposing your two CPU heatsinks. there is one screw holding the front fan assembly in place on the top right portion of the unit. remove the screw and slide the fan out.
 
Yeah, if I were you, I'd use smcfancontrol, and monitor the temps with iStat. If I needed more air with the fans low, I'd then simply add a quiet fan to the mix.
 
I'm amazed that the case fans are loud enough that they bother him anyhow. I have excellent hearing, and the whir of the fans is very slight (and this is in an extremely quiet room).
 
Mackilroy said:
I'm amazed that the case fans are loud enough that they bother him anyhow. I have excellent hearing, and the whir of the fans is very slight (and this is in an extremely quiet room).
Click to expand...

I agree, but some people get neurotic about things that don't affect others. We've all got our thing… I can't stand it when pictures or art are hung unevenly.
 
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