# OWC Thunderbay 4 with SSDs - Turning the fan off



## jason_ (Apr 19, 2016)

Hey guys,

I have a Thunderbay 4 here that I'd like to use with SSDs. Was wondering if any of you who have one have had any luck with disconnecting the fan on the back? It's far to loud to have in the studio while recording. 

From what I know, SSDs don't get very hot. The Black Magic Multi-dock for instance doesn't have any form of fans, so I would think this would be ok to do and not be hazardous to the drives... Or an I wrong and they'll overheat?

What do you think?


----------



## babylonwaves (Apr 19, 2016)

you can measure the temperature of the SSDs using e.g. SMART Utilities - everything below maybe 40 degrees celsius should be fine. the SSDs will not emit much thermal energy but the power supply might need a bit of cooling. i have replaced the fan on my thunderbays with a silent fans but you might get away without.


----------



## jason_ (Apr 19, 2016)

babylonwaves said:


> you can measure the temperature of the SSDs using e.g. SMART Utilities - everything below maybe 40 degrees celsius should be fine. the SSDs will not emit much thermal energy but the power supply might need a bit of cooling. i have replaced the fan on my thunderbays with a silent fans but you might get away without.



Thanks!! Which silent fan are you using and how big of a difference did it make?
Are you using SSDs in your thunderbay?


----------



## babylonwaves (Apr 19, 2016)

i'm using fans by Nocturne but depending on where you're located just get a good and silent fan. i'm using 4x1TB samsung Evo 840 SSDs. the difference is that i cannot hear the enclosure anymore at all.


----------



## jason_ (Apr 19, 2016)

Thats great. It's the enclosure noise that makes it unworkable. Can you send me a link to the exact fan you're using? If you can't hear it at all, then thats the fan I want! 

4x1TB Samsung Evo 840 - Lovely !! I'm going to start with 2, but should be on 4 by years end.


----------



## gpax (Apr 19, 2016)

My Thunderbay 4, with four sample-dedicated SSDs, puts out heat. As for the purpose of the fan, I’m guessing the unit, designed for larger HDDs (assuming you are not talking about the MINI), is attempting to cool both drives and internal components of the unit itself. 

Hence, the Black Magic Multi-dock may be fan-less precisely because of the way it's designed: The SSDs and components are spaced out. The Thunderbay 4 is obviously much more compact, in a toaster sized enclosure. I'd be wary that the TB4 could heat up and adversely impact the SSDs if you removed the fan. 

I DO believe Babylonwaves, and I followed the suggestion from another thread and ordered a Nocturne fan. But for whatever reason, even with the specs listing the decibel level as quieter than the fan in the TB4 (and even more quiet if throttled) it was louder. So, I put the old fan back in. 

My best investment was a longer Corning Optical thunderbolt cable. Even nine or ten feet can be expensive, but it allows the potential of putting the TB4 unit in a closet or other room altogether.


----------



## jason_ (Apr 19, 2016)

gpax said:


> My Thunderbay 4, with four sample-dedicated SSDs, puts out heat. As for the purpose of the fan, I’m guessing the unit, designed for larger HDDs (assuming you are not talking about the MINI), is attempting to cool both drives and internal components of the unit itself.



Yes, talking about the larger one that can take 3.5" drives too.



gpax said:


> Hence, the Black Magic Multi-dock may be fan-less precisely because of the way it's designed: The SSDs and components are spaced out. The Thunderbay 4 is obviously much more compact, in a toaster sized enclosure. I'd be wary that the TB4 could heat up and adversely impact the SSDs if you removed the fan.



Thats also very true!



gpax said:


> I DO believe Babylonwaves, and I followed the suggestion from another thread and ordered a Nocturne fan. But for whatever reason, even with the specs listing the decibel level as quieter than the fan in the TB4 (and even more quiet if throttled) it was louder. So, I put the old fan back in.



Wow thats no good! :( Sorry to hear that!



gpax said:


> My best investment was a longer Corning Optical thunderbolt cable. Even nine or ten feet can be expensive, but it allows the potential of putting the TB4 unit in a closet or other room altogether.



I looked into that but the cost of that cable doesn't seem worth it to me. For that money I might as well just sell the Thunderbay and buy a Multidock.


----------



## gpax (Apr 19, 2016)

jason_ said:


> I looked into that but the cost of that cable doesn't seem worth it to me. For that money I might as well just sell the Thunderbay and buy a Multidock.


Yeah, it doesn't look like anyone is still making the ten-foot lengths, such as I found last year - used - from B&H (even so, it was about $87).


----------



## higgs (Apr 19, 2016)

I though OWC or StarTech would still have 3m lengths - no?


----------



## jason_ (Apr 20, 2016)

gpax said:


> Yeah, it doesn't look like anyone is still making the ten-foot lengths, such as I found last year - used - from B&H (even so, it was about $87).



$87 is a steal !! I'd happily pay that. The length I need though to stick the Thunderbay into another room would have to be about 10 meters...So I'd be looking at $300 for the cable alone :/


----------



## babylonwaves (Apr 20, 2016)

gpax said:


> I DO believe Babylonwaves, and I followed the suggestion from another thread and ordered a Nocturne fan. But for whatever reason, even with the specs listing the decibel level as quieter than the fan in the TB4 (and even more quiet if throttled) it was louder. So, I put the old fan back in.


the fan I bought included two resistors which you can put in between the fan and the power socket. they call those "low noise adapters". those reduce the reps and therefore the noise. it is a bit strange though, the fan in my TB4 was much louder than the Noctua fan even w/o those resistors. 
here's some details on the fan: Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 - i bought it in 2014, so there might be an updated version.


----------



## wbacer (Apr 20, 2016)

I have two of the OWC Thunderbolt mini enclosures, both are loaded with 4 Samsung 850 1TB SSDs.
I also found the fan to be noisy and also noticed that the enclosures after running all day were barely warm.
About a year ago, I took the fan out of both enclosures and after running all day, they are still barely warm.
I have not had any issues.


----------



## jason_ (Apr 20, 2016)

wbacer said:


> I have two of the OWC Thunderbolt mini enclosures, both are loaded with 4 Samsung 850 1TB SSDs.
> I also found the fan to be noisy and also noticed that the enclosures after running all day were barely warm.
> About a year ago, I took the fan out of both enclosures and after running all day, they are still barely warm.
> I have not had any issues.


Thats great news!!
Now I wonder if this also applies to the larger Thunderbay (the one which I have)


----------



## jason_ (Apr 20, 2016)

babylonwaves said:


> the fan I bought included two resistors which you can put in between the fan and the power socket. they call those "low noise adapters". those reduce the reps and therefore the noise. it is a bit strange though, the fan in my TB4 was much louder than the Noctua fan even w/o those resistors.
> here's some details on the fan: Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 - i bought it in 2014, so there might be an updated version.



Thanks! I'll look into this one


----------



## gpax (Apr 20, 2016)

babylonwaves said:


> the fan I bought included two resistors which you can put in between the fan and the power socket. they call those "low noise adapters". those reduce the reps and therefore the noise. it is a bit strange though, the fan in my TB4 was much louder than the Noctua fan even w/o those resistors.
> here's some details on the fan: Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 - i bought it in 2014, so there might be an updated version.


Yes, the fan I bought is the NF-A9 92mm, with a silver sticker on the front that says "successor of the award-winning NF-B9." I still have it ready to return. By "throttle," I meant that I also tried the resistors lowering the speed. The whirring of both speeds was simply louder than the original TB 4 fan, oddly, sounding very much like a little fan. Odd.


----------



## gpax (Apr 20, 2016)

wbacer said:


> I have two of the OWC Thunderbolt mini enclosures, both are loaded with 4 Samsung 850 1TB SSDs.
> I also found the fan to be noisy and also noticed that the enclosures after running all day were barely warm.
> About a year ago, I took the fan out of both enclosures and after running all day, they are still barely warm.
> I have not had any issues.


I had a series of lengthy emails and phone conversations with OWC about this, trying to glean how/why the Thunderbay 4 might run hotter and louder than the mini. The rep could not be definitive, and it was a situation where I was actually supplying information to him. I think it's safe to say these are two different units, both in size and weight, and even the smaller fan of the mini is going to run inherently quieter. My concern for the larger Thunderbay 4, even with SSDs using adapter/brackets inside, is that the design itself of the board may actually run hotter and need to be cooled, irrespective of the drives.


----------



## jason_ (Apr 20, 2016)

gpax said:


> I had a series of lengthy emails and phone conversations with OWC about this, trying to glean how/why the Thunderbay 4 might run hotter and louder than the mini. The rep could not be definitive, and it was a situation where I was actually supplying information to him.



That sounds like my dealings with them too. All they seemed to know was; "no fan = bad!", but couldn't elaborate or provide me with additional information.



gpax said:


> My concern for the larger Thunderbay 4, even with SSDs using adapter/brackets inside, is that the design itself of the board may actually run hotter and need to be cooled, irrespective of the drives.



Exactly my concern. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this.


----------



## gpax (Apr 20, 2016)

It occurs to me, in reading this thread (and a previous one), that the bottom line is the OWC option means working around fans for those of us using them. 


higgs said:


> I though OWC or StarTech would still have 3m lengths - no?


You are correct. 3m for around $50. I should perhaps clarify that mine was actually 11', and is no longer sold. I recall that it just barely met the distance I needed, with the 3m (9.8 ft) options being about a foot too short.


----------



## jason_ (May 2, 2016)

wbacer said:


> I have two of the OWC Thunderbolt mini enclosures, both are loaded with 4 Samsung 850 1TB SSDs.
> I also found the fan to be noisy and also noticed that the enclosures after running all day were barely warm.
> About a year ago, I took the fan out of both enclosures and after running all day, they are still barely warm.
> I have not had any issues.



Decided to get a Tunderbay Mini and plan to disconnect the fan as you have done. Will just use the regular Thunderbay 4 for my 3.5" drives and connect it up too my MacMini server which is in another room.


----------



## michaelrohanek (Sep 14, 2017)

Hello, this is my FIRST ever comment on this site... !! I just disconnected my fan in the OWC TB mini. Same config as wbacer. Let's see how it goes


----------



## higgs (Sep 14, 2017)

michaelrohanek said:


> Hello, this is my FIRST ever comment on this site... !! I just disconnected my fan in the OWC TB mini. Same config as wbacer. Let's see how it goes


Welcome to the Terrordome!


----------



## babylonwaves (Sep 15, 2017)

michaelrohanek said:


> Hello, this is my FIRST ever comment on this site... !! I just disconnected my fan in the OWC TB mini. Same config as wbacer. Let's see how it goes


nearly two years later, mine is still fine without the fan - so, finger's crossed


----------



## synthpunk (Sep 15, 2017)

I would think as long as you have good airflow or AC where it's located you should be okay. If it's in a hot closet or unventilated space you may be asking for trouble.

I build systems for the road so that's why I always choose the Blackmagic for being rack mountable more than for being fanless. We've had one unit go back in 3 years now.



babylonwaves said:


> nearly two years later, mine is still fine without the fan - so, finger's crossed


----------



## scoringdreams (Sep 15, 2017)

Try the Akitio Thunder3 Quad Mini. It has a fan which can be switched off when needed, and uses Thunderbolt 3 and is extremely reliable, to me at least.


----------



## babylonwaves (Sep 15, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> I would think as long as you have good airflow or AC where it's located you should be okay. If it's in a hot closet or unventilated space you may be asking for trouble.



the mini doesn't have a build in power supply (in difference to the TB4). also, the SSDs don't really get hot at all. the TB controller chip is the component which heats up the most in the enclosure. the temperature measure by the SMART sensors in the SSD shows 43 degree celsius on really hot days this year and there is no fan AC anywhere close. i think it just works fine with SSDs. btw - could it be that OWC simply uses OEM parts from Akitio?


----------



## synthpunk (Sep 15, 2017)

It's been my experience that lately OWC OEM's just about everything now that they have. I try to recommend Glyph as a general alternative for quality.



babylonwaves said:


> the mini doesn't have a build in power supply (in difference to the TB4). also, the SSDs don't really get hot at all. the TB controller chip is the component which heats up the most in the enclosure. the temperature measure by the SMART sensors in the SSD shows 43 degree celsius on really hot days this year and there is no fan AC anywhere close. i think it just works fine with SSDs. btw - could it be that OWC simply uses OEM parts from Akitio?


----------



## wbacer (Sep 15, 2017)

After running my two OWC mini's without fans for the last two years, I have not had any problems.
I just added a third OWC mini and they have upgraded their fans.
The fan in the mini I just received is very quiet.
Although my older mini's are running fine without fans, in the long run I think having a fan is probably a better idea so I just ordered and installed the newer fans in my older mini's. 
If you replace your older noisy fans make sure you get the newer quiet ones.
Noctua 60mm x 25mm fan, 12v, 3000rpm
Item Code - NOCNFA6X25FLX
I hope this is helpful.


----------



## babylonwaves (Sep 16, 2017)

wbacer said:


> If you replace your older noisy fans make sure you get the newer quiet ones.
> Noctua 60mm x 25mm fan, 12v, 3000rpm
> Item Code - NOCNFA6X25FLX
> I hope this is helpful.


thanks, this is very helpful because removing the fan entirely wasn't my initial intension. only after realising that I simply wasn't able to find a quiet fan I've decided to do so. the one you found seems to be a new addition.


----------



## wbacer (Sep 16, 2017)

When I originally ordered the replacement fan I just assumed they would ship me the newer quieter fan but they shipped me the older fan that I was trying to replace at $19 each plus shipping. When I contacted them they said the Noctua fans were more expensive but they would exchange them at no additional charge, which they did. So I'm not sure what OWC charges. 
Amazon has the same fan for $14.49 with Amazon Prime's free shipping.

Something else to consider.


----------



## chknight (Apr 9, 2018)

babylonwaves said:


> nearly two years later, mine is still fine without the fan - so, finger's crossed


Hello, are you talking about the Thunderbay 4 or the mini? I have the Thunderbay 4 with SSDs only and would love to be able to just disconnect the fan. But I'm worried about the power supply mainly. Which as you pointed out the mini doesn't have. Thanks!


----------



## rideck (Dec 11, 2018)

Hi there, I just signed up because of that thread . I bought a OWC mini in the USA and have it now here in Germany. So long all is pretty great, but that annoying sound of the old fan, is driving me crazy. Now I was searching for a solution and found that great thread. Also I found the fan wbacer linked above at Amazon Germany. The fan fits, hast the same Voltage but... a way higher W-Power it uses. 1,44 instead of the 0,60 of my old OWC-fan. Isn't that a problem? I don't want to damage the mini. Would be happy if someone has the time to answer.


----------



## Wunderhorn (Dec 11, 2018)

You don't need any fans to operate SSDs. Get a thunderbolt RocketStor or the OWC drive bay, the latter can be daisy chained and you are ready to roll. Won't cost as much as the full sized enclosures either. Works just as good and is completely silent.


----------



## rideck (Dec 12, 2018)

Thanks Wunderhorn. But I have the OWC mini already here. I work with it for the daily video production. So its 4SSD's in the mini as Raid 0. Isn't that too much heat for that little enclosure? I would be happy if someone can post his or her experience with a replacement fan. Does the W-Power matter and can it damage the OWC mini, or is there no problem in putting the fan wbacer recommended to work?


----------



## simsung (Jan 27, 2019)

a very difficult topic. i have a multidock2 which works great in the studio, but i need a mobile solution for a longer trip. its very tough to find a suitable solution and i cant figure out where the difference between bigger cases with own power supply compared to littel m2 cases that you can just pluginto the computer. 
owc 4m2 would be the perfect solution (small, cheap, fast) but its very noisy and owc recommendes not to turn off the fan and i cant find any alternative to it. does anyone have a suggestion?


----------



## alexthecat (Dec 14, 2020)

Hi guys, just wanted to share my experience. I bought a new Mac mini M1 and it is very very quiet. I do video editing. Then I bought a Thunderbay 4 TB3 enclosure (not the mini one) where I put 1 hdd 8tb drive and 2 ssd for my data. One slot is empty.
The thunderbay was very noisy so, following this forum, I changed the fan with a noctua NF-A9 FLX 92mm (12v 3 pin model) and, using the ultra low noise cable (called na-rc12 at 1050 rpm), the noise is almost vanished. Now I can hear the noise from HDD, but almost nothing from the fan. A big change. I think the air coming from noctua is more then sufficient to keep everything cool, but only time can tell.
I think the OWC enclosure are the best, but the fan they are using are not very good. Now I can leave my dear and silent Hackintosh for the new M1 platform.
Hope this help.
Alex
www.fairy-tails.org


----------



## jbuhler (Dec 14, 2020)

alexthecat said:


> Hi guys, just wanted to share my experience. I bought a new Mac mini M1 and it is very very quiet. I do video editing. Then I bought a Thunderbay 4 TB3 enclosure (not the mini one) where I put 1 hdd 8tb drive and 2 ssd for my data.
> The thunderbay was very noisy so, following this forum, I changed the fan with a noctua AF-A9 FLX 92mm (12v 3 pin model) and, using the ultra low noise cable (called na-rc12 at 1050 rpm), the noise is almost vanished. Now I can hear the noise from HDD, but almost nothing from the fan. A big change. I think the air coming from noctua is more then sufficient to keep everything cool, but only time can tell.
> I think the OWC enclosure are the best, but the fan they are using are not very good. Now I can leave my dear and silent Hackintosh for the new M1 platform.
> Hope this help.
> ...


How hard is it to change this fan? And can you provide a link to the fan you used? Thanks!


----------



## alexthecat (Dec 14, 2020)

jbuhler said:


> How hard is it to change this fan? And can you provide a link to the fan you used? Thanks!


Very easy. Just a screwdriver, one cable and the replacement is done. I bought it on Amazon. Look for the model https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A9-FLX-Premium-Quiet/dp/B00NEMG9B0/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=CCZMC0JOZPJA&dchild=1&keywords=noctua+nf+a9+92mm&qid=1608014446&sprefix=noctua+nf+a9%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A1Z5H6ZGWCMTNX&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFPR0E5VUZUSTk5Mk0mZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2NTgxMTgxUkMwTzhHWDczN0tPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1MDA3MzAxWVNJTDZYOFY3U0c0JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== (NF-A9 3 pin). 12v.


----------



## jbuhler (Dec 14, 2020)

alexthecat said:


> Very easy. Just a screwdriver, one cable and the replacement is done. I bought it on Amazon. Look for the model https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A9-FLX-Premium-Quiet/dp/B00NEMG9B0/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=CCZMC0JOZPJA&dchild=1&keywords=noctua+nf+a9+92mm&qid=1608014446&sprefix=noctua+nf+a9%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A1Z5H6ZGWCMTNX&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFPR0E5VUZUSTk5Mk0mZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2NTgxMTgxUkMwTzhHWDczN0tPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1MDA3MzAxWVNJTDZYOFY3U0c0JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== (NF-A9 3 pin). 12v.


Thank you! I did much the same thing you did. I had a Thunderbay mini and decided to add to it, and just installed a TB3 regular Thunderbay so I could add video without terminating the TB3 daisy chain, but it is very loud!


----------



## babylonwaves (Dec 15, 2020)

jbuhler said:


> Thank you! I did much the same thing you did. I had a Thunderbay mini and decided to add to it, and just installed a TB3 regular Thunderbay so I could add video without terminating the TB3 daisy chain, but it is very loud!



the Noctua fan is great, it really makes a change. you can use the flowest setting unless you're living in a really hot area.


----------



## Mrted (Jan 8, 2022)

Hey Guys. I don't know what to buy: a Thunderbay Mini 4 4X2'5" SSD with new fans as described above ? Or would it be better to buy 4 nvme SSDs and a thunderbolt Box ? Offer is very poor for every solutions. Are there new thunderbolt 3/4 products for us to store our libraries ? thx



alexthecat said:


> Hi guys, just wanted to share my experience. I bought a new Mac mini M1 and it is very very quiet. I do video editing. Then I bought a Thunderbay 4 TB3 enclosure (not the mini one) where I put 1 hdd 8tb drive and 2 ssd for my data. One slot is empty.
> The thunderbay was very noisy so, following this forum, I changed the fan with a noctua NF-A9 FLX 92mm (12v 3 pin model) and, using the ultra low noise cable (called na-rc12 at 1050 rpm), the noise is almost vanished. Now I can hear the noise from HDD, but almost nothing from the fan. A big change. I think the air coming from noctua is more then sufficient to keep everything cool, but only time can tell.
> I think the OWC enclosure are the best, but the fan they are using are not very good. Now I can leave my dear and silent Hackintosh for the new M1 platform.
> Hope this help.
> ...


Do you know if Noctua Fans are compatible with bigger old Thunderbay IV models ? (Thunderbay IV are using Thunderbold 2 ) https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB2IVKIT000/


----------



## jbuhler (Jan 10, 2022)

Mrted said:


> Hey Guys. I don't know what to buy: a Thunderbay Mini 4 4X2'5" SSD with new fans as described above ? Or would it be better to buy 4 nvme SSDs and a thunderbolt Box ? Offer is very poor for every solutions. Are there new thunderbolt 3/4 products for us to store our libraries ? thx
> 
> 
> Do you know if Noctua Fans are compatible with bigger old Thunderbay IV models ? (Thunderbay IV are using Thunderbold 2 ) https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB2IVKIT000/


If this is the one with the internal power supply, then I know the quiet replacement fan works, at least for the version that is Thunderbolt 3. I don't know if the mini has the same fan. I have that unit too (in thunderbolt 2) and it is quiet enough for my uses with the original fan. If you are using SSDs, you can likely disconnect the fan on the mini. The fan on the regular one with the internal power supply was extremely loud.


----------



## ekbeale (Mar 7, 2022)

Interested in the outcome re: fan removal for ThunderBay mini 4. The one I got in 2021 runs constantly, about 60db at the output and 46db at the mix position. No dip switches to adjust speed. The specs say it's supposed to be "whisper quiet" at 35db, which if true would be fine.


----------



## jbuhler (Mar 19, 2022)

It sounds to me like they changed the fan on the newer units. My mini (TB2) is very quiet. Many report good luck disabling the fan. You should also be able to install a quiet replacement fan.


----------



## ckett (Mar 20, 2022)

It looks like the Thunderbay 4 Mini has a Noctua fan on it. That is about as quiet of fan as one can use. But since it uses an external power brick the fan is only to cool the drives. SATA SSD drives stay very cool on their own so the fan could be disabled without causing problems. The Blackmagic Multidock has no fans on it for 4 ssd drives. No need.


----------



## jbuhler (Mar 20, 2022)

ckett said:


> It looks like the Thunderbay 4 Mini has a Noctua fan on it. That is about as quiet of fan as one can use. But since it uses an external power brick the fan is only to cool the drives. SATA SSD drives stay very cool on their own so the fan could be disabled without causing problems. The Blackmagic Multidock has no fans on it for 4 ssd drives. No need.


The Black Magic Multidock is also not fully enclosed like the mini. Many have used the Mini successfully without the fan but I wouldn’t draw inferences from the BM Multidock since the design is so different.


----------



## Soundbed (Mar 20, 2022)

ckett said:


> It looks like the Thunderbay 4 Mini has a Noctua fan on it. That is about as quiet of fan as one can use. But since it uses an external power brick the fan is only to cool the drives. SATA SSD drives stay very cool on their own so the fan could be disabled without causing problems. The Blackmagic Multidock has no fans on it for 4 ssd drives. No need.


Mine is so loud I never want to use it.

Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX

I’ll probably disable it and move my SSDs into it soon. I’m not even using the HDs for backups anymore because I hate plugging it in.


----------



## jbuhler (Mar 20, 2022)

Soundbed said:


> Mine is so loud I never want to use it.
> 
> Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX
> 
> I’ll probably disable it and move my SSDs into it soon. I’m not even using the HDs for backups anymore because I hate plugging it in.


That’s so strange because as I said my mini is almost silent. The full sized Thunderbay is nearly as quiet with a quiet fan installed. Six feet away together they are below the noise floor of the room which is not a professionally treated room but also does not have a huge amount of ambient noise. It’s quiet enough that I get irritated when the iMac low fan turns on. I do wonder if newer model minis have a change that’s causing the issue or if there was a bad batch of fans. The big Thunderbay was horribly noisy before I changed the fan.


----------



## ckett (Mar 21, 2022)

Soundbed said:


> Mine is so loud I never want to use it.
> 
> Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX
> 
> I’ll probably disable it and move my SSDs into it soon. I’m not even using the HDs for backups anymore because I hate plugging it in.


What if you tried adding this cable from Noctua which will reduce the max speed of the fan: https://noctua.at/en/na-src10

Unless OWC has already done that....


----------



## Soundbed (Mar 22, 2022)

ckett said:


> What if you tried adding this cable from Noctua which will reduce the max speed of the fan: https://noctua.at/en/na-src10
> 
> Unless OWC has already done that....


Interesting idea. 



jbuhler said:


> That’s so strange because as I said my mini is almost silent. The full sized Thunderbay is nearly as quiet with a quiet fan installed. Six feet away together they are below the noise floor of the room which is not a professionally treated room but also does not have a huge amount of ambient noise. It’s quiet enough that I get irritated when the iMac low fan turns on. I do wonder if newer model minis have a change that’s causing the issue or if there was a bad batch of fans. The big Thunderbay was horribly noisy before I changed the fan.


I could look into buying longer Thunderbolt cables, to move it further away from me. The ones it came with are pretty short. But even 6ft wouldn’t be enough distance.


----------



## bobster (May 13, 2022)

wbacer said:


> After running my two OWC mini's without fans for the last two years, I have not had any problems.
> I just added a third OWC mini and they have upgraded their fans.
> The fan in the mini I just received is very quiet.
> Although my older mini's are running fine without fans, in the long run I think having a fan is probably a better idea so I just ordered and installed the newer fans in my older mini's.
> ...



Where did you get that Noctua fan? From OWC?

I ordered a Thunderbay4 Mini from B&H three weeks ago. It has the old Sunon fan. It's loud compared to the M1 Max Mac Studio right next to it.

Before ordering, I had emailed OWC to confirm that the Mini still uses the Noctua. They said yes, though they also added an concerning disclaimer that this could change without notice.

After the TB4 mini arrived, I emailed OWC asking if they'd send a Noctua fan, since that's what is pictured at both OWC and B&H web sites (and @wbacer reported in this thread that they did that for them).

But the replacement they sent was a Sunon.

I emailed them again, and after two emails and two phone calls, they finally said they don't currently have Noctua fans, and they're not going to get me one, adding:

"Leadership has reminded me that components can be changed without warning based on supply and availability."

Unless I missed it, this is not mentioned anywhere on their site, so the sudden 180 and resorting to legalese is sleazy. Why not send a Noctua when they're back in stock? 

Next, I ordered a Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX from Amazon. The connector doesn't fit - it's too large, and has a different pinout.

Anybody had this problem and come up with a solution?

I emailed OWC today and asked: if I returned the mini to B&H and ordered from OWC, can they be sure they'll send one with a Noctua? Waiting for a reply.


----------



## ckett (May 14, 2022)

I just unplugged the fan to my Thunderbay Mini. It really isnt needed for SATA SSDs. These use an external power brick so the fan isnt required to keep the power supply cool.

You can order extra wire/pin combos from Noctua that include the ability to drop the voltage down so the fan runs slower.


----------



## bobster (May 14, 2022)

ckett said:


> You can order extra wire/pin combos from Noctua that include the ability to drop the voltage down so the fan runs slower


The NF A6x25 FLX includes two adapters for slowing the fan, but that doesn’t matter because it uses a larger female connector that doesn’t fit the male connector in the Mini. And the pinout is different.

I’ll unplug the fan and check the temperatures. But in general, even SSDs will last longer if they’re cooled, from what I’ve read, even if they don’t get as hot as spinners.


----------



## ckett (May 14, 2022)

Maybe you can find an adapter wire with the correct pin layout. I'm sure it is a common size.


----------



## bobster (May 14, 2022)

ckett said:


> Maybe you can find an adapter wire with the correct pin layout. I'm sure it is a common size.


Noctua says they use the standard type of connector used on motherboards (though they don't say exactly what it is); not sure about the Sunon.

So far, searches have turned up nothing.

Info at Noctua's site makes me think that there are so many variations in configurations that standard adapters don't exist, or at least not for this particular issue.

Even the two Sunon fans are slightly different - the "replacement" one OWC sent lacks the center yellow lead.

BTW, I added photos of the connectors to my original post.


----------



## bobster (May 31, 2022)

Update:

I emailed Noctua support, and they said the NF A6x25 FLX uses a standard 2510 connector (I'm assuming Molex), and the Sunon appears to be a JST 2.0 PH connector.

A helpful soul over at Tom's Hardware forums pointed out that the Mini's connector uses a non-standard pattern: typically the red lead is in the middle, while in the Mini, the middle is yellow.

I got lucky on my third attempt with OWC tech support: I reached someone who used to be in the repair department and has worked on the Mini. He confirmed that the Mini does not support fan speed control, so the yellow lead is not carrying a signal. He also confirmed that the red wire carries +12 V DC.

I cut off the female connector of a Noctua extension cable and the female connector of the Sunon fan cable and spliced red to red and black to black.

The NF A6x25 FLX is deeper (thicker) than the Sunon - almost too thick to fit into the Mini's fan opening. But I got it installed.

It's so much quieter than the Sunon fan that at first I thought maybe it wasn't on.

And according to spec sheets, the Noctua runs at 3,000 RPM vs 2,200 for the Sunon. If I start noticing the sound, I can always add one of the adapters to slow it down.

(I imagine OWC gets custom-built fans from Noctua - thinner and with the JST connector.)

OWC customer service was awful, and the LED is absurdly bright, but it's nice to have the fan issue settled. Now, if I could get the Mac Studio to stop waking up randomly...


----------



## octave music (Oct 3, 2022)

I wanted to add a bit to this conversation regarding the fan in the OWC Thunderbay 4 mini. In my case, among 4 TB4Mini enclosures, they all utilize the smaller JST2.0PH connection [I think] that is noted in an earlier post REGARDLESS if the enclosure came with a Noctua or Sunon fan.

I have an older Thunderbay mini 4 [regular thunderbolt] and it has a Noctua in it.
I also have 3 newer [all purchased in the last 2 years] Thunderbay mini 4 with Thunderbolt 3.
Two of them have Noctua and one of them has the Sunon fan in it. I opened them all up yesterday as I purchased the Noctua kit to slow the fans down and also ordered a Noctua fan to replace the Sunon [which TBH, is not any louder in my case]. ALL of the OWC Thunderbay Mini's that I have regardless of it having the Noctua or Sunon fan connect to the board inside the enclosure with the same JST 2.0PH connector. I was hoping the Noctua would have a different connector but it doesn't and so that would have required me cutting and splicing even the existing noctua fans to utilize the fan speed reducers. I'm going to return the stuff to Amazon since my 4 enclosures where they are located are very quiet and not worth the hassle of splicing everything together for a very small improvement.


----------

