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G5 Optihack

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It looks like my Noctua NF-P12 fan https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CG2PGY6/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
can be manually controlled with the Macs Fan Control app. Auto control doesn't work. So at the lowest speed it runs at a little over 1210 RPM or it goes to the max speed of about 1800. I usually keep it at the lowest RPM. The results should be similar for the 80mm redux fans. The Noctua P12 fans move a lot more air than lower cost off brand fans that sell for 1/2 the price. They also last a really long time with constant use.

View attachment 528664

With the CPU fan at max speed of 4481 one of the 4 cores stays around 23C. It's way too noisy spinning that fast so I never leave it there. Good to know that you can cool down quickly if you ever have excess heat issues.
Great info, thanks! I'll be picking up one of the 80mm Noctuas for the hard drive fan conversion.

Also of note, the beQuiet 120mm case fan I have is controlled by the custom settings in Macs Fan Control, so you can tie it to a particular sensor temp and set the temp range for the fan speed. Not sure if it is just the fan electronics that allows it to work (likely) or if the 5 pin adapter cable plays a part as well. When I tied it to the hard drive temp, it would spin up as temp increased, no problem. Same with the CPU fan (and you're right, 4k is loud, but it works).
Probably good info to add to the Optimac Golden build guide.
 
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It looks like my Noctua NF-P12 fan https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CG2PGY6/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
can be manually controlled with the Macs Fan Control app. Auto control doesn't work.
I assume that the Auto system-based control for the case fan is driven by the one thermal sensor in the case. If you place the thermal sensor in/on a hotter spot, does the fan control respond? My thermal sensor is in a cooler spot in the case so I can't tell, need to mount it somehow near that hot hard drive to test function on Auto.
 
I assume that the Auto system-based control for the case fan is driven by the one thermal sensor in the case. If you place the thermal sensor in/on a hotter spot, does the fan control respond? My thermal sensor is in a cooler spot in the case so I can't tell, need to mount it somehow near that hot hard drive to test function on Auto.
AFAIK the CPU temp is what Dell's primarily use to determine whether to ramp up fans, whether it's the CPU fan or a case fan. As you know all the 3020s including the MT and the SFF 7020/9020 models don't have that plug in thermal sensor at all. Not really sure why Dell included that sensor in the 7020/9020 MTs. It would take some research to find out how it fits in to their fan regulation scheme. It may be just safety net to shut down the system when fans have failed and the end user hasn't bothered to replace them. I don't think the MT sensor will have any effect till the internal temps of the case go above 42C which is about 108F inside the case.
 
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The beQuiet 120mm case fan I have is controlled by the custom settings in Macs Fan Control, so you can tie it to a particular sensor temp and set the temp range for the fan speed.
Please post some screen shots from the app that show how to do this.
 
If you're doing anything CPU intensive you'd want it spinning at 1000+ to cool the CPU. I'm using my Noctua as an exhaust fan and the stock Dell 80mm fan as my CPU cooler. The Dell stock fan is amazingly quiet at 1100 RPM or slightly more. I can't complain about it.

Yes, the BIOS will ramp up the speed when needed, I set a fan curve etc., but I've never heard it doing so, such is the quality of Noctua fans. :thumbup:
 
Please post some screen shots from the app that show how to do this.
First, open Macs Fan Control.
Fan Control step 1.png


If the fan is set to Auto, click Custom.

Fan Control step 2.png


Choose Sensor-based value, then in the drop down list, select the sensor that you want to use to manage the fan speed.

Fan Control step 3.png


Then adjust the two temperatures for that sensor, for the low temp trigger, and the max temp trigger. Low temp is where it starts to ramp up fan speed, and max would be where the max fan speed hits. The tighter the range, the faster the speed ramps up to max.
Click OK and then you'll see the control set to the custom sensor control. Close the window.
note: saving the custom profiles works during free trial period, after that only in the paid "Pro" version. In the free version it resets to Auto on reboot or restarting the app.
 
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Small update: I installed a Crucial MX500 2TB SSD and used an ICYDOCK 3.5>2.5 tray to hold both SSDs, in the top slot of the original G5 rack. When doing write-intensive tasks, in this case cloning the original HDD via CCC to the SSD, the drive in the same position as the HDD was originally installed peaks at a temp of 51C, which is at least two degrees cooler than the HDD peak. Even better, it quickly cools to 35C when the task finishes. These temps are without a fan on the shelf. I ordered a Noctua RF8 80mm fan to use as a donor to mod the original Delta fan and install on the shelf near the drive rack anyway, but I'm less concerned in the meantime about the SSD temp. The HDD I was expecting to fail at any minute, as it was ancient and using it at ~50C temps was asking for trouble. The other benefit is that now I have no HDD noise, just fans.
 
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Fan report: I installed the Noctua instead of my beQuiet rear case fan, using the same 5>4 adapter cable for connecting to the Dell board. BIOS held up boot, spitting out the "rear case fan failure" error. I then installed a PWM fan splitter cable https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EF9OI0O/?tag=tonymacx86com-20 and connected both the beQuiet and the Noctua and it booted. I assume that the fan speed signal is coming from the beQuiet, so my fan speed reported in Macs Fan Control is that 120mm fan and I'll have no idea the speed of the Noctua, but maybe that doesn't matter, I just need some air movement over the drives up on the shelf. I may go ahead and proceed with the transplant of the Noctua parts into the G5 Delta fan.
 
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