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MacBook (Pro) fans

poiihy

poiihy

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 22, 2014
2,301
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I noticed that some MacBook (Pro) have fans with fewer blades spaced farther apart, while most other MacBook (Pro) have fans with more blades. Is there any difference in performance or sound and are they interchangeable?

Edit: I noticed some fans have an amount of blades between these two. I've added another image.
 

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poiihy said:
I noticed that some MacBook (Pro) have fans with fewer blades spaced farther apart, while most other MacBook (Pro) have fans with more blades. Is there any difference in performance or sound and are they interchangeable?
Click to expand...
In recent years Apple redesigned fans for MBPs, especially retina models, to improve efficiency and sound. AFAIK, they are not interchangeable with older models.
 
GGJstudios said:
In recent years Apple redesigned fans for MBPs, to improve efficiency and sound. AFAIK, they are not interchangeable with older models.
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So the fan with more blades is the better one? Is it quieter too?
 
GGJstudios said:
I don't spend a lot of time looking at fans, so I'm not sure which is which. Are you rebuilding a MBP?
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No I am not.

I've noticed that the same model sometimes have different fans.
Look at the Late 2008 MacBook, the one and only Unibody MacBook.

On this page the MacBook has a fan with more blades:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Unibody+Model+A1278+Teardown/589

But on this page it has the fan with fewer blades:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Unibody+Model+A1278+Fan+Replacement/763

Also, i've just noticed that some fans have an amount of propellors in between. I edited the original post with the image to compare.
 
poiihy said:
I've noticed that the same model sometimes have different fans.
Look at the Late 2008 MacBook, the one and only Unibody MacBook.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I don't know if Apple had two different fan designs available for the same model, or if one of the fans being shown is an aftermarket fan that has been installed.
 
GGJstudios said:
Interesting. I don't know if Apple had two different fan designs available for the same model, or if one of the fans being shown is an aftermarket fan that has been installed.
Click to expand...

One thing for sure, the MacBook (Pro)s always have matching fans.
 
GGJstudios said:
You mean for the 15" models that have two fans, as opposed to the 13" models that only have one, right?
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Yes. If you look in any 15" or 17" inch that has more than one fan, both fans look identical. 13" doesn't have two fans so you can't compare.
 
right now my mac is running at 2500 RPM (left) and 2000 RPM (right), no noise at all
 
poiihy said:
Yes. If you look in any 15" or 17" inch that has more than one fan, both fans look identical. 13" doesn't have two fans so you can't compare.
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What I meant by my comment about two different fan designs for one model is it's possible that Apple could have redesigned the fans between model releases, so some 13" MBPs of a particular model came with one fan design, while other 13" MBPs of the same model might come with another fan design. Or they might use two different vendors for fans for the same model. I don't know if that happened or not... just considering possibilities. In the same way, some models ship with a different brand of RAM or SSD than other copies of the same model.
 
Natzoo said:
right now my mac is running at 2500 RPM (left) and 2000 RPM (right), no noise at all
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That's not helpful at all... you didn't even say what MacBook Pro it is.

----------

A bit off-topic but do MacBook Pro fans use ball bearings or sleeve bearings?
 
christarp said:
I'm pretty sure newer models have asymmetrical fans which modulates the drone of the noise coming from it and making it harder to perceive. Something along those lines.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...ail-retina-macbook-pros-quiet-asymmetric-fans
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I know that but I am not talking about that. Those fans have a special proprietary design by Apple and so all those fans I have seen look exactly the same. Older fans were designed and made by other manufacturers, usually Sunon. That's probably why the fans vary, just like the other parts made by 3rd-party manufacturers. Hmm, maybe those different fans have a different sticker. I'll look
 
Aha! I think i found something! The fan with the fewest blades is made by Delta electronics, while the fan with the most blades (like I have in my MBP) is made by Sunon! I wonder who the fan in-between is made by. I think that was made by Sunon too.

Now the question is, what is the best fan? The Sunon fan with many blades, the Delta fan with fewer blades, or that fan in between?
 

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poiihy said:
Aha! I think i found something! The fan with the fewest blades is made by Delta electronics, while the fan with the most blades (like I have in my MBP) is made by Sunon! I wonder who the fan in-between is made by. I think that was made by Sunon too.

Now the question is, what is the best fan? The Sunon fan with many blades, the Delta fan with fewer blades, or that fan in between?
Click to expand...
I found one review for Sunon on Aliexpress for MBP 15 inch mid-2012: https://i.imgur.com/CUXv1hc.png
It says the power of the airflow is weaker (than Delta I guess, which also has fewer blades). Though I am not sure how he figured it out. Did you have any luck in finding more info on which fan is the best?
 
I have experienced two different sets of fans for my 2013 Macbook Pro 15. The set that came with the computer were Nidec-branded. Those had bearings that were close to failure. I did a bit of research and found out that Apple quietly superseded the 2013 fans with a new part made by Delta. I have since replaced the Nidec fans with the Delta ones. I am currently using these newer 2015-specced fans with my 2013 Macbook Pro. As far as I can tell, there is not any noticeable difference temperature wise, but the new fans have a slightly different tone. The bearing hubs are also different externally. The RPM ranges of both the 2013 Nidec and 2015 Delta fans are exactly the same. Both sets feature bearing hubs that are hermetically sealed. I know the 2012 Macbook Pro fans were easily taken apart for cleaning and lubrication purposes, but the same procedures would not work on the 2013+ fans, as the frame bends long before the fan comes apart at the hub.

The 2015 Delta fans are exactly the same dimensions and fitment as the 2013 fans, for those who are interested in replacing their aging Macbook Pro fans (if you notice rattling, grinding or increasing fan noise over time).
 
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