Replacing fat PS2 fan with a quieter fan

[crunchewy]

I recently picked up a used "fat" PS2 and while it works fine, the fan is quite loud. My slim PS2 is nearly silent. First, does anyone know if this rushing noise from the fan is normal for a fat PS2? I.e. would simply installing a new original PS2 fan quiet it substantially, or would I have to replace the fan with a different, quieter fan? Does anyone here have experience in doing that? Is it difficult? Tips? Also, what volume of air does the fan need to move in order for it to provide adequate cooling? Also, what DB level would be quieter than the built-in fan? Note that I've installed a hard drive (Seagate 7200.7 80 GB 7200RPM) in this PS2, which may increase the heat inside the box, though I don't know.

I've actually already ordered a replacement fan, but should have inquired about this before ordering. Oh well. What I ordered is an Optiplex 60x60x15mm fan that has the following specs:

Bearing System: Double Ball Bearing
Rated Voltage: 12V
Input Current: 0.15A
Input Power: 1.8W
Speed: 3600 RPM +/- 10% Thermal Control with Heat Sensor
Air Flow: ~17 CFM +/- 10%
Static Pressure: 0.12 inch-H2O
Noise Level: 28 dBA

Note that the PS2 apparently doesn't run a fan at a full 12v. Normally it runs it at 7v, though ramps it up to a higher voltage (but still not 12v) at certain times. So the actual air flow and noise level should be lower than the above.

 

[Nogib]

[quote name='crunchewy']I recently picked up a used "fat" PS2 and while it works fine, the fan is quite loud. My slim PS2 is nearly silent. [/QUOTE]

The fat PS2's fan does indeed noticeably ramp up when network adapter and/or hdd is in use. It also depends on the particular model of fat PS2. The last of the fats, the SCPH-50001 ran cooler than the previous fat models 30001-39001 and therefore had to move less air. Either way, any fan noise you hear from a fat PS2 is perfectly normal. Nowhere near Dreamcast levels of loud but above the whisper quiet of the slim PS2 or PS3 fans are.