G4 noise problem - help! anyone try the Verax fans?

dirtmachine · Post by **dirtmachine** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:14 am

Just recently picked up a dual 1.25 G4 MDD and its great because its fast and also OS9 bootable which is helpful for me etc etc, but it is so loud. Way too loud for a guy like me who tracks acoustic guitars and vocals in the same room as the machine. I did some research on it before I bought it but somehow didn't learn of it's infamous nickname, the "wind tunnel", until after i bought it. Likewise for the website g4noise.com, started by irate owners in 2002 who eventually succeeded in getting apple to offer a free psu exchange, which did little to help the noise problem (so I've heard).

Anyway, in terms of power and memory it's completely adequate for the work I do. If I could get the noise down it'd be great.

I'm thinking about several solutions:

1) replace the fans. power supply fans at the very least, maybe all of them. Verax makes replacements that are pretty pricey, like $120ish for the psu fans closer to $300 for the works. btw, this alone is ridiculous, as the same parts for a pc would be WAY less. i see some high-end low-price pc fans that are of slightly different sizes than the G4 ones and I'm not sure if I'm ready to mess around with that, having never worked on a computer before.

2) put it in a closet and buy long cables for the keyboard and monitor. problem is I would need a 25' dvi cable to make it work in my space and that's not cheap. preliminary web search puts it at around $120 minimum.

3) build an enclosure.

4) sell it to some other schmuck!

Jeez, this turned into a long post. Sorry.
Has anyone successfully silenced the "wind tunnel"?

jeddypoo · Post by **jeddypoo** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:59 am

nonononono

there's firmware for the pre- firewire 800 MDD G4 that will fix that, I believe. Look it up before you spend a dime.

dirtmachine · Post by **dirtmachine** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:03 am

I did download a firmware update that updates the regulation of the cpu fans, specifically when and how it speeds up in relation to temperature changes. Nothing.

The noise in my machine is totally constant, which leads me to think it is probably the power supply fans.

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:06 am

I bought a SilenX fan for my standalone DAW and the difference is stunning. You might try those.

dirtmachine · Post by **dirtmachine** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:22 am

Cool. That might be just the thing, I see they have some 60mm x 25mm fans for $15. That's the size of the G4 psu fans. If they're the same size then they should be compatible, right?

dirtmachine · Post by **dirtmachine** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:24 am

You dont' have to answer that. Calling SilenX right now....

tiger vomitt · Post by **tiger vomitt** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:57 am

what'd you end up doing?

thinking of building/buying an enclosure at the moment myself.....

dirtmachine · Post by **dirtmachine** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:34 pm

The short answer is that I have done nothing.
The long answer is that I have spent a lot of time dicking around on the internet trying to find a solution.

http://www.macmod.com/content/view/760/221/
http://www.macmod.com/content/view/779/221/

These are two examples of gutting the g4 and rebuilding it in a pc atx case. After reading these and talking to some friends who build pcs I was about to go ahead and do it until I learned that the power supply pin-out for the G4 MDD is completely different from an ATX pin-out. Obviously, it can be converted, but that is way beyond my remedial understanding of electronics. This solution has the potential to completely silence to machine for around $200-$250.

The SilenX fans are great, but they don't move enough air.
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/g4_m ... ction.html
The stock fans are rated at 37.5 cfm, so it is important to be careful about how much you go below that. I think that replacing the psu fans is a sensible first step, although I've heard that it only lessens the noise "somewhat".

Basically, I've been holding out on spending any more while I consider just getting a newer machine. My concern about the enclosure idea is that it might get hot and send the cpu fans/main case fans into overdrive, because that's when it gets REALLY loud.

BAM · Post by **BAM** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:21 pm

I have a G4 Quicksilver with only 1 CPU that is one noisy b@stard. I also record acoustic guitar and vocals in my 1-room studio.

Luckily I moved to an attic space last year and was able to set up my Mac and other fan sprouting gear in the hallway.

Best thing I've ever done. It's not just the recording issue, but having that constant hum and whir in the background really does a number on my nerves.

So here's a vote for the DVI extension.

joelkriske · Post by **joelkriske** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:03 pm

I too have a MDD that sounds like a jet engine!

i'm about to move it out of my studio cuz it's driving me nuts as well.

anyone have a link for that firmware update?

space_ryerson · Post by **space_ryerson** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:28 pm

I have a MDD G4 which used to be, as usual, as loud as a jet engine. The power supply died, and I replaced it with a new power supply (i forget the brand, but the next time I have it open, I'll take a look). While it's definitely not silent, it's about as loud as my graphite g4 was. The super-loud power supply was made by Samsung.

I've also noticed that sometimes, just getting a little wd40 into the fans of a computer will make them a lot quieter. You may have to do a little disassembly to get it in the right spot.

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G4 noise problem - help! anyone try the Verax fans?

G4 noise problem - help! anyone try the Verax fans?

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