I have a noisy fan on my 2010 Mac Pro and I was hoping I could replace it with a new Noctua fan. Does anyone know if Macs Fan Control will recognize this fan and allow me to control the fan speed? Apparently each Apple fan has some kind of controller built in and when you replace them you loose the fan control and they run at full speed.
Hi Sspooner587!
In the Mac Pro 5,1, you can't just put standard PC fans in, even if the plug is the same. Apple has custom fan controllers, and Mac Fans Control wouldn't know what to do when a standard PC fan is connected. At best, the fan runs at full blast 100% of the time, at worst it doesn't work at all.
In my opinion, if you have a noisy fan, you should use Mac Fans control to turn them off individually to figure out which one it is, then replace that specific fan with another original one.
Hope It helps!
-Geotrax
Hi Sspooner587!
In the Mac Pro 5,1, you can't just put standard PC fans in, even if the plug is the same. Apple has custom fan controllers, and Mac Fans Control wouldn't know what to do when a standard PC fan is connected. At best, the fan runs at full blast 100% of the time, at worst it doesn't work at all.
In my opinion, if you have a noisy fan, you should use Mac Fans control to turn them off individually to figure out which one it is, then replace that specific fan with another original one.
Hope It helps!
-Geotrax
Yes, I'm in the middle of this upgrade. You need to use a Noctua NA-FC1 fan controller as well (which can drive up to 3 fans). I'm still figuring out how best to connect it to the motherboard, but it looks like powering it by SATA is the best option.
Using a third-party fixed-speed fan in a Mac Pro is a Bad Idea®.
MacOS runs the fans at individual variable speeds based on measured temperatures inside the case. as the temperature goes up, the fan speed goes up. The fans speeds are monitored and adjusted several times a second by the System Management Controller (SMC). if the SMC ever fails to set the fan speeds lower, they revert to Full Speed as a Fail Safe.
If you choose to use a third-party fan, you will have to run that fan at Jet engine sounding speeds at all times, or risk thermal damage to components.
Yeah, I doubt MFC would know how to read this...
https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NA-FC1-4-pin-PWM-Controller/dp/B072M2HKSN
First, make certain you know which fan. The graphics card fan or a power supply fan could also be on the list.
You need at least as much air movement as the original fan provides. in addition, the built-in fan profiles are tuned to produce a specific RPM output from the fan, so it MUST have a yellow wire RPM output. Then you still face the problem that the specified RPM output does not produce the required Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) Air movement.
¿How much did you say you are saving by using this complicated mess?
I think it not worth it -- I would get an Apple fan, even a used one.
2010 Mac Pro fan control
