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Promise Pegasus32 R6 fan noise very annoying - how to tune it?

TheRiddler1982

TheRiddler1982

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 10, 2015
48
5
Hi all,

I have upgraded from 2x Pegasus2 R4 devices (5400rpm drives) to 1x Pegasus32 R6 device (5400rpm drives). However, I am quite shocked with the noise of the new unit. My old units have been very quiet (not annoying at all). But with the Pegasus32 R6 the fan keeps almost spinning at 1900-2400rpm all the time. And if the devices is under heavy I/O, it goes up to 3200rpm. I cannot work under that noise.

I have found an old thread which is dealing with the first generation R4 device:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/promise-pegasus-r4-tuning-noise-reduction.1337046/

On page 2 cfs.matt tests several fans and went with the GELID Solutions FN-FW09-20-B 92MM.

I have tested that fan and it is not capable of cooling the new unit. I have tested ARCTIC F9 - 92 and the Noctua FLX 92mm as well with even worse results. All tested fans have not been able to keep the temperature below critical threshold (enclosure and chip).

Thus, I wanted to know if anybody of you has tweaked the device or can recommand a 2400rpm fan which is much less noisy.

Thanks for your help!
 
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I have the same annoying noise with my Pegasus32 R6. Did you found a solution to reduce the noise?
 
I installed a small 40mmx40mm fan (12V Noctua) vertically on top which blows air to the passively cooled CPU unit. I used a Y-cable to get power from the original fan. I tried all fans from the original post but all of the fans were to weak to cool the unit under full workload. With both fans the rpm of the large fan stays under 1500rpm now which is quiet compared to the disk noise.

I tried also different RAID arrays, all have noise issues. They don't make those devices for private environment. In a large open space at a company, you will not notice that noise. Maybe I am just too sensitive :)
 
thanks for the info! one small question: did you install the fan inside the outer cabinet?
maybe my whole family is too sensitive too: "what's that annoying noise in the room?"
Do you know a good alternative to the Pegasus32 R6 which is less noisy and Thunderbolt 3 compatible?
 
I have no photo currently available about the fix, but I mounted it just on the site of the pcb. The distance to the top ist a little bit smaller than 40mm, so I was not able to just make it stand on the pcb, I had to tilt it a little bit to the site to make it fit.

I tried QNAP's Thunderbolt3 bridged 10GbE devices, but they have issues with the decoupling of the HDDs (they come with plastic cages whereas Promise uses aluminum, I guess, the overall build quality is much better). Further, I just need direct attached storage and not a NAS system, it just needed minutes to boot up. I don't run my Pegasus 24/7 so I just put it on for backup and archive data. If I need data, I need it fast, so the QNAP devices are out of the game for me. Lacie 6Big Thunderbolt 3 made more noise compared to the Promise device, so I stuck with the Promise device in the end.

At end, I think this is my last HDD disk enclosure. My next replacement will be in 4-5 years, so SSD storage prices for 8 TB NVMe should drop below 400 Euro, which makes it a serious candidate for larger storage arrays getting rid of vibrations :).
 
I'm an owner of the Pegasus R6 and I want to buy the Pegasus32 R8. Everywhere I look, I keep seeing that the fan is much louder than the previous models. I called support and they confirmed that 2700 RPM is the standard fan speed, it is expected.

I trust the quality of Promise products and would much prefer to use this but I need to record audio, and I can't work with leaf blower in the room.

I have some questions for TheRiddler1982:
I installed a small 40mmx40mm fan (12V Noctua) vertically on top which blows air to the passively cooled CPU unit. I used a Y-cable to get power from the original fan.
Click to expand...

Would you mind take a photo of your setup?
Did you get a 40x40x10 or 40x40x20?
What kind of Y cable did you use, could you provide a link?
 
Just wondering if replacing HDD with SSD will reduce some of that noise or it won't matter because fan makes noise regardless.
 
apple2me said:
Just wondering if replacing HDD with SSD will reduce some of that noise or it won't matter because fan makes noise regardless.
Click to expand...
That's not the issue (noise), though. The problem is the heat generated from the processor during initialization and heavy write tasks. Further, the CPU is on top of the device, the fan output in the lower part. Hot air rises and its more effort required to get it out. I don't think that the heat from the HDDs is adding up any measureable heat
 
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brainstencil said:
I'm an owner of the Pegasus R6 and I want to buy the Pegasus32 R8. Everywhere I look, I keep seeing that the fan is much louder than the previous models. I called support and they confirmed that 2700 RPM is the standard fan speed, it is expected.

I trust the quality of Promise products and would much prefer to use this but I need to record audio, and I can't work with leaf blower in the room.

I have some questions for TheRiddler1982:


Would you mind take a photo of your setup?
Did you get a 40x40x10 or 40x40x20?
What kind of Y cable did you use, could you provide a link?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I had mail notifications turned off and read your post as of today. Next time when checking the device I will post the photos.
 
TheRiddler1982 said:
Sorry, I had mail notifications turned off and read your post as of today. Next time when checking the device I will post the photos.
Click to expand...
I own a Pegasus32 R6 and even though I like the reliability, I really hate the noise. It's driving me crazy. The thing blows constantly. Even when I shutdown my Mac, the small fan is blowing. This storage unit is not build for an office. I don't know what a good alternative is but this is my last Pegasus. What were they thinking?
 
I put some comments on the original post, but summarizing here in case you havent looked. The most audio noise is generated by the fan in the power supply and to a much lesser extent, the case fan. So that is what you need to replace first. I have not found a quieter case fan that works in the Pegasus3 other than the original fan, so for the Pegasus3 and I suspect the Pegasus32 as well, you can only change the power supply fan. The good news is that after replacing the PSU fan, it isnt that noisy. So I would recommend you try replacing the power supply fan first.
 
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I totally agree. Though, it's a different league to open the PSU and switch the fan in comparison of the chassis when talking in risk measures. Thus, I tried to get a different PSU with a different fan. However, the mainboard connector is customized and there is no pin documentation how to map it to default PSU values.

I don't understand why PROMISE is not changing that at all. All marketing footage shows their devices in place at the computer (due to Thunderbolt cable limitations). Sure, if you work in larger places, background noise is "blocking" the device, but not all use cases are like that.

I tried other RAID devices. It's all the same. QNAP, Synology are the worst in noise.
 
I find that replacing the PSU fan is much easier than replacing the case/chassis fan because of the proprietary 3 pin connector on the case fan and that there isnt a quiet replacement case fan that works. Whereas the Noctua PSU fan replacement is a very high quality and reliable replacement.
 
Can you name the exact fan from Noctua? I had issues with replacing 40x40 fans due to the sensibility in amperage. Some power sources could not drive the fan and it won't spin. Does the Noctua fan provide the same air volume per time as the originally provided fan? I don't want to risk to overheat the power supply. I have no idea if the power supply simply turns itself off or damage something (the device and my flat). Thus my precaution about switching such sensible part. Though, I might be to careful about that.
 
www.amazon.com

Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX, Premium Quiet Fan, 3-Pin (40x10mm, Brown)

Featuring advanced aerodynamic design measures such as Flow Acceleration Channels and Noctua's AAO frame, the NF-A4x10 is a highly optimized, premium quality quiet fan in 40x10mm size. Smooth Commutation Drive technology and Noctua's reference class SSO2 bearings guarantee superb running smoothne...
www.amazon.com
 
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This little thing works fine in the Pegasus3? Did you try this? If so, did you had any issues with temperatures?
 
tested it on a pegasus3 R4 and R6. No issues. You need a screwdriver, soldering iron, heat shrink and heat gun and some aluminum tape to do a clean/professional job.
 
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