iMac G4 with an Arctic 9 Pro fan replacement

[domleg]

Hi,

My original iMac fan is nearing it's end and a replacement is very much needed. Arctic 9 Pro is the only fan with open sides I know and I've seen it mentioned in this forum. There's also a very handy adapter on Thingiverse designed by dietervdf specifically for this fan.

I have a question though, what method should I use to connect the Arctic 9 Pro? I've been thinking about molex adapter but I'm a bit concerned about fan speed control and overheating. Did anyone have any problems with the temperature? If you use molex adapter then what voltage did you choose 12v or 7v?

Many thanks in advance,

Dominic

 

[fra9000]

Hi Dominic,

I have maxed out the specs of mine which is the 17" 1.25ghz. Not sure which size you have but, for 17 and 20 which share the same semi-sphere basis I have purchased the Noctua NF-A9-FLX:

NF-A9 FLX

The NF-A9 is a highly optimised, premium quality quiet 92mm fan. Featuring Noctua’s AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) frame as well as sophisticated aerodynamic design measures such as Flow Acceleration Channels, the NF-A9 further improves the renowned quiet cooling performance of the...

noctua.at

Even without open sides it has a profile that thin that will get rid of all your heat.

If you substitute the HD with an SSD you basically get a noiseless iMac G4. The fan comes with cables to reduce the speed at various levels (fixed). Just put the one that reduces it to the minimum it is super efficient. (I don't remember well but I vaguely recall that I played a bit with female/male adapters to have the thing compatible with the Apple molex but eventually you will figure out).

For a perfect thermal profile buy a good thermal pad (like the gelid extreme) since once you open you will need to clean and substitute the old thermal paste.

Hope it helps.
Francesco

 

[domleg]

Thank you for your reply! What worries me about the molex connection is the lack of fan speed control. I think I can tell when my iMac's fan is going faster so there's clearly some speed variation.

 

[Black Grape]

(I don't remember well but I vaguely recall that I played a bit with female/male adapters to have the thing compatible with the Apple molex but eventually you will figure out).


Hope it helps.
Francesco

@fra9000 - I'm trying to do the same as you've described with the same fan. Can you please recall what you did to make it all work? i.e. were you able to just use the cable that came with the fan or did you have to cut and solder wires etc? Many thanks.