Upgrade fan+heatsink and swap to bigger case (Server One)

General
1

Hello :raising_hand_man:

I’m a little annoyed by the stock fan in the Server One and I was wondering if it’s possible to install a more powerful fan+heatsink in it.

The stock fan goes “uuuuUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuu” so much all day and it’s gotten to the point where I want something more powerful and quiet.

I would need to switch to a bigger cabinet as well as the standard casing is ultra compact.

I googled amd ryzen 7 5825u fan+heatsink and found some options from Noctua, but I was unsure if it would fit on the motherboard

Can anyone help me check possible fan+heatsink upgrades? And maybe a recommended case too :pray::pray:

2

I don’t believe so, no. The fan you mention is for AM5 desktop mountings. The stock fan you have currently (basically a laptop fan) is the one being used on millions of identical entry-level mini PCs, particularly those with the same board and same metal casing. Yes, many people comment that in a quiet room or when kept close by they are quite audible.

In the case of the ones we sell running StartOS, the comments on the fan noise typically involve the fan spinning up each time something intensive happens. Which for those who run Bitcoin, is pretty often. While the fan noise is always going to be the same, the intensity of the noise can be reduced by turning off performance boost in the BIOS settings when connecting a keyboard and monitor.

Steps…

  • Restart the server connected to a keyboard and monitor

  • At startup, repeatedly hit Delete to enter BIOS at startup

  • Go to… Advanced > AMD CBS > CPU Common Options > Core Performance Boost > Disabled

  • Then F4 to save & exit

That should help quite a bit.

3

Just updating incase anyone else experienced this.

I ended up replacing the stock thermal paste with Thermal Grizzly Duronaut. I highly recommend doing this because the cpu BARELY ever gets hot now. When the fan spins now its maybe 10-15% of what it used to do.

One thing i noticed when I opened up the server was that one of the heatsink screws was barely secured, which made the heatsink vibrate a lot. This vibration then spread into my TV sideboard which amplified it and the whole thing just made super annoying noises!

The stock thermal paste was also quite dry and didnt seem to work well. Now I understand why my poor cpu was breathing for dear life!

Anyway, Thermal Grizzly Duronaut, this is the way✨

4

Thanks for the report. The board, case and CPU come pre-assembled from China, we don’t have any particular say in production, but we can ask that they step up QC if things are not screwed in properly.