Dell Server Fans very loud

[Obelixix]

Hello all,

 

I have been using unraid for only about 5 months. I was able to get a server to use that is way more powerful than the current PC I am using. The new server is a Dell PowerEdge R515. Dual Opteron 4133 processors, 64GB memory and now 4x2tb drives.

 

So I removed the PERC H700 raid controller and bought a H200 which I have flashed to IT mode. I am able to boot from the thumb drive, see all the drives properly and everything runs quite smoothly. My only issue is that the fans are running constantly at a high rpm which is causing a lot of noise in my little office.

 

I've been googling for the last 5 hours or so and have tried a couple things (currently trying to update IDRAC and BIOS to see if that makes a difference, but I somehow doubt it will. I tried using the IPMI plugin, but it wont pull any values from the IDRAC and I don't know enough about it to actually get it working properly. 

 

My drives are a nice cool 24 degrees, but I'm going crazy with all this noise. Anyone have any good suggestions to help me?

 

Thanks!

[Frank1940]

You could buy some fans that make less noise.   Noctua is one manufacturer of quiet fans.  For example, have a look at the Noctua NF-F12 PWM which is a bit noisier than some of their offerings but it can maintain a higher air volume when the static pressure increases.  Undoubtably, there are several other manufacturers who make similar fans.  

[Frank1940]

BTW, there is a thread that is devoted to Fans.  You can find it here:

 

    https://forums.unraid.net/topic/12278-ultimate-pc-fan-review/

 

[Obelixix]

Thanks Frank1940, that is something I will definitely be looking at for the future although from what I have read it is going to be fun to replace the fans in this beast.

 

I was actually able to find a solution to my issue. I was randomly reading through issues and came across someone who mentioned having to move the raid card to a different slot. I figured what the heck, why not. So I moved the card from the top slot to the bottom and booted to a beautifully silent computer. I had figured removing the card from Dell's propitiatory raid slot to a different one could be the issue, but hadn't thought of trying the different slots. So yea, everything appears to be working again. Thanks for the time.