OWC PCIe expansion chassis - fan noise?

M

Mark F Uk

Member
Hi,

I've just returned a Sonnet Echo Express 2 thunderbolt expansion chassis because the fan noise was pretty unbearable.

Now I see this OWC expansion option for one card

OWC Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis

As it uses an external power supply - apparently the fan noise is quieter as it's not as big as the one in the Magma or Sonnet (?)

Anyone any experience of this box yet?

Thanks

Mark
 
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
I have a Sonnet Express.
Disconnected the fan after trying quieter solutions.
It is now silent.
UAD PCIe cards don't run very hot.
It gets a little warm but nothing to worry about, as I type this is has been on for approx 12 hours of constant use and the case is slightly warm to the touch.
Works for me.
The OWC Helios looks to me to be a rebadged version of the the Sonnet Express.

Cheers,

Terry
 
M

Mark F Uk

Member
Thanks Terry - I tried disconnecting the fan but still got a lot of noise. Seemed there was a fan buried in the base for the internal power supply. Did you disconnect one fan or 2?

Mark
 
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
Last edited:
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
Actually looking back it was you who gave me the idea to disconnect the fan in an earlier post:

-----------------------
I've just got the Sonnet Echo Expansion 2 for my 2 quads from my PC system - now running Mac Mini + Apollo + Quad Sat + 2 quads in Expansion. Great! Seems to be working well - but - the fan noise is really poor.

My 2 pcie quads used to live in a pretty hot PC packed with cards & no really direct access to fan cooling & performed perfectly well. How about disabling the fan - would this be madness??!!
-----------------------

I had tried a quieter fan which had given some improvement but still not silent, so thought I would give it a go. Seems to be fine not getting particularly hot, certainly not as hot as the inside of a pc or the top of my iMac after a long session.

Cheers,

Terry
 
M

Mark F Uk

Member
Ah I see! You have the single slot version. The echo express 2 version is ridiculously noisy - the noise of the internal power supply (fan?) was still really loud with the fan for the cards disconnected.

That's great my post inspired you to try this on your single slot! So I've ordered the OCW - as it was a bit cheaper from Amazon - £310 - than the Sonnet express. With this working as you say I will have to get another for the remaining card! Then maybe I'll keep one at my studio and one for home as I've been able to carry Apollo & quad sat pretty easily between the 2 locations.

Thanks Terry.
 
T

tlockett

Active Member
I own the OWC Helios and the fan noise is really bad, the unit works great,I just have it in a whisper rack,other wise I couldn't tolerate the noise,never thought of replacing fan, maybe I should try that, has anyone done that with the Helios, like to hear your thoughts pro or con
 
J

jweisbin

Active Member
tlockett said:
I own the OWC Helios and the fan noise is really bad, the unit works great,I just have it in a whisper rack,other wise I couldn't tolerate the noise,never thought of replacing fan, maybe I should try that, has anyone done that with the Helios, like to hear your thoughts pro or con
Click to expand...
Yeah, I bought one and had to disconnect the fan and leave the cover off so the card would stay cooler. The fan is tiny but noisy. It might be possible to find a quieter fan but, for me, this unit is simply too noisy to be acceptable.

In my experience the Sonnet was a bit quieter, but only a bit.
 
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
tlockett said:
I own the OWC Helios and the fan noise is really bad, the unit works great,I just have it in a whisper rack,other wise I couldn't tolerate the noise,never thought of replacing fan, maybe I should try that, has anyone done that with the Helios, like to hear your thoughts pro or con
Click to expand...
As I said earlier I tried replacing the fan in the Sonnet it made a difference but not really enough.
I don't think there is such a thing as a quiet fan.
My studio is very quiet and my iMac with SSHD is silent so any fan noise is irritating.
Completely disconnecting the fan was the best solution for, back to silence.
No overheating problems.
Currently working well for me.

Cheers,

Terry
 
T

tlockett

Active Member
TerryReis said:
As I said earlier I tried replacing the fan in the Sonnet it made a difference but not really enough.
I don't think there is such a thing as a quiet fan.
My studio is very quiet and my iMac with SSHD is silent so any fan noise is irritating.
Completely disconnecting the fan was the best solution for, back to silence.
No overheating problems.
Currently working well for me.

Cheers,

Terry
Click to expand...
Did you take to top of the case, like In the previous post or could you you keep the case on?
 
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
tlockett said:
Did you take to top of the case, like In the previous post or could you you keep the case on?
Click to expand...
Initially I left the case off but it just doesn't get that hot, so I put it back on.
Perhaps if I run some really violent death metal tracks through it things will warm up a bit :)!
But for now it seems to be good.

It has been on all day today and in use for a lot of time, the top of the case is only slightly warmish.
And for once the weather here is reasonably warm.

Cheers,

Terry
 
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
K

Kambiz

Member
thanks for the tip
my sonnet echo express II is very very loud too. they are 3 fans. two for the cards and one for the power supply
maybe i should disconnect two and exchange the power supply fan
 
M

Mark F Uk

Member
I concur with Terry. Got the OCW enclosure yesterday. Disconnected fan - ran it all day on session with no problem whatsoever & completely silent. I've kept the case cover on.

Damn - now have to buy another for my remaining quad!
 
J

jpgtr

New Member
Hi Mark,

Are you on mac? Wondering how the PCI enclosure and UAD card combo reacts to computer deep sleep. Possible?
 
TerryReis

TerryReis

Member
jpgtr said:
Hi Mark,

Are you on mac? Wondering how the PCI enclosure and UAD card combo reacts to computer deep sleep. Possible?
Click to expand...
Mine is connected to an iMac, no problems with sleep.
 
Gemylon

Gemylon

Active Member
Hi,

I know this is an old thread, but I was just curious to know how the different solutions is working out for you guys.

I have a OWC Helios and a Helios 2 for my Octo Cards, and I have been experimenting back and forth a bit.
For me it seems that the fan is not the problem.
the actual noise problem appear when you put the cover on the chase.
The whole box works like a small acoustic space, and the overall noise increases.

I have tried to disconnect the fan in the single card Helios, but it makes me bit worried,
so I keep putting it back.
I have also bought 2 different replacement fans to check, but the change in noise level is subtle.

So, any idea what kind of indications to expect if the card gets too hot ?
Anything in the control-panel ? Error messages ?

BTW ...
The Helios 2 box is bigger, and the fan runs with a lower speed.
Buch better nose level. I might actually be able to live with that ...

Just the same, I have ordered a new fan just to test.


Geir
 
S

Syncamorea

Established Member
If you shop around a bit, you can find a quiet fan that moves enough air to keep your card happy. I picked up a Sonnet Echo Express II, which has a temperature controlled 92mm ( IIRC) fan. I don't yet think it's loud but if it gets irritating, I'll probably put this in and set it up at low RPM:

Noctua NF-B9 PWM Case Fan - Newegg.com

I also have some 92mm SilenX fans claimed to run at 11dB. If that feels too warm, I could plug in a 1200 RPM Scythe Kama, a very quiet, moderate flow fan. But I expect a low flow fan to do the trick.
 
S

seoulcube

Member
will Noctua NF-B9 92mm fan fit in OWC Helios 2?
I received OWC Helios 2 today. It's not crazy noisy but little irritating.
Has anyone successfully replaced quiet fan in Helios 2?
 
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