Reddit reviews Noctua NF-A4x20 5V, Premium Quiet Fan, 3-Pin, 5V Version (40x20mm, Brown)

I put a pair of noctua 5V fans with the resistor cables that spin them down a bit. I did a little bit of research and some people said the 12V fans don't work right, but I'm not sure. The 5V has been working fine however

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I used 2x of these fans with this speed reduction cable kit. You have to switch the pins around, but otherwise it's a pretty easy replacement. I think I have photos of the process if you need them.

You need new 40mm fans. If you want something truly silent, you should try noctua ones like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A4x20-5V-3-Pin-Premium/dp/B072Q3CMRW/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=40mm+noctua+5v&qid=1570668878&sprefix=40mm+noctua&sr=8-5


https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Cooling-Bearing-NF-A4X10-FLX-5V/dp/B00NEMGCIA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=40mm+noctua+5v&qid=1570668953&sprefix=40mm+noctua&sr=8-3

If you plan on doing any heavy lifting with the Pi4, I'd definitely check out the MicroConnectors RAS-PCS46 as it's the only case I've found that supports 40mm fans straight out of the box. I ordered a Noctua 40x40x10mm fan to go with it, as well as a Noctua 40x40x20mm fan to try out too (want to see how much difference 10mm extra of fan blade height makes). If you order the Noctua fans, make SURE you get the 5V ones and not the 12V ones, unless you don't care about powering it from the Pi directly. I'll post links for them at the bottom of this post.

As for info on cooling, there are some excellent videos on YouTube, with one of th best being the series from Explaining Computers. He gives lots of charts and info, plus try multiple cooling solutions. Also mentioned that he should have the new cooling video done soon, so I'm personally really looking forward to seeing what Chris Barnatt cooked up for the Pi 4.

Have you checked out any reviews of IC Graphite? It was reviewed by Linus Tech Tips, JayzTwoCents, Gamers Nexus as a replacement for thermal paste on traditional PC CPU's, but all found that IC Graphite is a horrible replacement for traditional thermal paste. With a Pi4, you might be able to get away with using it if you have some active cooling going, which is likely the approach I'll be taking (except usng Artic thermal pads as I already have those on hand). I do plan on doing an experiment with my Pi 4's where I use Arctic thermal pads on one, and ArcticSilver 5 thermal paste on another, with both the same heatsink and fan, to compare how well pads stack up to paste for the Pi.



Also I found this insane RPi cooling tower that has a full radiator with copper pipes and everything - it seems a little overkill but is only $20: https://www.seeedstudio.com/ICE-Tower-CPU-Cooling-Fan-for-Raspberry-pi-Support-Pi-4-p-4097.html


MC RAS-PCS46 Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Connectors-Stackable-Raspberry-Enclosure-Heatsinks/dp/B07MQXRGZR

Noctua 40mm fans:

40x40x10mm: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Cooling-Bearing-NF-A4X10-FLX-5V/dp/B00NEMGCIA/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=noctua+40mm&qid=1562742609&s=electronics&sr=1-7

40x40x20mm: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A4x20-5V-3-Pin-Premium/dp/B072Q3CMRW/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=noctua+40mm&qid=1562742609&s=electronics&sr=1-8

This is my favorite set up to give friends. Looks good and mostly foolproof hardware wise!

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Rasptendo SNES Case (IMO, connect the power button as intended, but either solder the reset button as per the method mentioned in there or don't connect it at all. This way there's no way for the user to do a non-safe shutdown of the OS)

Dual fan heatsink

Bluetooth adapter (more reliable than built-in bluetooth, change /boot/config.txt to disable onboard Bluetooth)

PS3 SIXAXIS Controller (Dualshock 3's work too, but I like the legit OEM ones, and those are hard to find. The convincing bootlegs/fakes are usually impossible to tell apart from legit ones when ordering online. That's why I look for used SIXAXIS controllers - no bootlegs. Also, I use PS3 controllers because pairing can be done or re-done entirely by connecting up mini-USB cables. No menus necessary once you set it up the first time!)

Sandisk 64GB MicroSD

Canakit PSU

HDMI cable, Mini-USB cable.


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For a more serious, less user-friendly but more overclockable setup, ditch the case/heatsink above and go with these instead:

Some kind of heatsink, I'm using one from the Kintaro case but I suspect the cheap stick-on heatsinks are probably fine too

this open-air case (throw out the fan as it's way too loud... I'm sure other open-air cases will work but I like that this one has the 40mm setup for the below fan and the little grille to prevent curious fingers from getting in there at least)

this Noctua 40mm 5v fan (expensive, but quiet and provides solid cooling)

There are 3 fans in the control unit. A 40x20mm exhaust fan that's always on max (this is the loudest one), a 50x10mm fan that I think just circulates internally (it points at the control board), and another one sealed in the power supply (I've not opened it up yet). The power supply fan only turns on if the power supply heats up. You might have noticed it spinning up during prints when your bed is heated. If it doesn't turn on when you start your unit (as explained by /u/ZEnterprises), that doesn't mean that it's broken; just that the temperature limit hasn't been hit yet.

I've got a 40mm Noctua fan and this 50mm getting delivered from Amazon tonight. I'm also going to take metal snips to the back of the control unit's enclosure where the 40mm exhausts and then cover the hole with one of these. I'm hopeful that the quieter fans will stop the control unit from constantly sounding like a hive of angry bees. I'll take some pics tonight and make a post.