GK41 fan too loud?
- Thread starter zhshr
- Start date
Will it slow down or stop under lower temperature? It keeps the same speed all the time, regardless of temp or load.
Just wanted to add my experience to this thread.
My first GK41 ran quietly for 2 months in a clean, cool, well-ventilated area, with almost no load, just occasional web browsing. But then the fan started getting loud. It happened all the time, and it sounded like it was struggling, with kind of a groaning and grinding sound that changed at random. You could hear it throughout my house. If I lifted the front of the unit slightly, the sound would change a lot and get much worse. Clearly it was just a fan that was getting ready to die. Not a normal sound.
In a desktop PC, the fan might be something that users could replace, but the design of the GK41 does not support such repair. So I emailed support to ask about an exchange under warranty. At first, they didn't seem sympathetic, and they gave me a rather strange first offer, which I declined.
Next, I sent a video of the fan's shenanigans, and then they agreed to do a full exchange. They issued a FedEx RMA label so I could return the mini PC and get a warranty replacement in kind. They sent a new identical model to me very quickly. So far, after one month, it is running just fine. The fan is not completely silent, but it's not groaning or doing anything weird like the other one. Fingers crossed that it will continue for the entire warranty period and beyond.
I hope they work out the issue with their fan supplier. Maybe there's a bad batch, or just a defect rate that is higher than expected. Other than this one issue, the GK41 is a great little computer.
My first GK41 ran quietly for 2 months in a clean, cool, well-ventilated area, with almost no load, just occasional web browsing. But then the fan started getting loud. It happened all the time, and it sounded like it was struggling, with kind of a groaning and grinding sound that changed at random. You could hear it throughout my house. If I lifted the front of the unit slightly, the sound would change a lot and get much worse. Clearly it was just a fan that was getting ready to die. Not a normal sound.
In a desktop PC, the fan might be something that users could replace, but the design of the GK41 does not support such repair. So I emailed support to ask about an exchange under warranty. At first, they didn't seem sympathetic, and they gave me a rather strange first offer, which I declined.
Next, I sent a video of the fan's shenanigans, and then they agreed to do a full exchange. They issued a FedEx RMA label so I could return the mini PC and get a warranty replacement in kind. They sent a new identical model to me very quickly. So far, after one month, it is running just fine. The fan is not completely silent, but it's not groaning or doing anything weird like the other one. Fingers crossed that it will continue for the entire warranty period and beyond.
I hope they work out the issue with their fan supplier. Maybe there's a bad batch, or just a defect rate that is higher than expected. Other than this one issue, the GK41 is a great little computer.
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The fan is indeed loud, too loud. Test report says its 30db (measured from 1m away? it doesnt say) which means that however you look at it (broken or flawless fan), its loud.
To have the smallest machine in my livingroom be the loudest was unacceptable so I took it apart. I jerryrigged (reused the mounting) an old Intel P4 aluminum heatsink without a fan (about 83x~60x35mm) on it. Temps now hoover in the 40~45C at idle and at load they climb to max 60C. I have not tested with a fan blowing on the heatsink, as there is no need. I might cnc machine a new mounting plate for the heatsink just to see if the temps improve and because the current solution is jank af (no pics, sorry).
Idle temps of the original fan assembly were in the ~35C range which in my opinion shows the missed opportunity of the designers to not use a pwm fan as there is no need for the fan to constantly be screaming at 30db when the cpu is at 35C. The fan experience takes away from an otherwise excellent little machine.
The fan in my unit was a:
Broad fan
Red(+)
Model BF05008L05
DC5V 0.10A
Shenzen Broadway Technology Co. LTD
is uses a mini 4pin connector.
To have the smallest machine in my livingroom be the loudest was unacceptable so I took it apart. I jerryrigged (reused the mounting) an old Intel P4 aluminum heatsink without a fan (about 83x~60x35mm) on it. Temps now hoover in the 40~45C at idle and at load they climb to max 60C. I have not tested with a fan blowing on the heatsink, as there is no need. I might cnc machine a new mounting plate for the heatsink just to see if the temps improve and because the current solution is jank af (no pics, sorry).
Idle temps of the original fan assembly were in the ~35C range which in my opinion shows the missed opportunity of the designers to not use a pwm fan as there is no need for the fan to constantly be screaming at 30db when the cpu is at 35C. The fan experience takes away from an otherwise excellent little machine.
The fan in my unit was a:
Broad fan
Red(+)
Model BF05008L05
DC5V 0.10A
Shenzen Broadway Technology Co. LTD
is uses a mini 4pin connector.
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