I want to ask for the community's help regarding upgrade of a 120mm case fan for a Razer Core X EGPU. There is a standard 3-pin fan connector on the Thunderbolt 3 controller within the case. I have tried connected an EK Vardar 4-pin PWM fan as well as a NOCTUA NF-F12 PP2000 (3-pin configuration). What happens is the new fan will not consistently start up. Sometimes the fan will spin, other times, the fan will just be stalled and have small jerky movements. After 3-4 power cycles or PC reboots, the replacement fan could start spinning. As soon as I replace the Razer case fan, the OEM 3-pin fan will start up every time consistently.
The Razer OEM fan is unmarked so there is not voltage or amperage ratings. Given the behavior with the replacement fans, has anyone else had a similar experience and if so, how did you resolve it? I realize the upgraded eGPU fan may not result in better temperatures, but I am just curious now. I have contacted Razer but their official line is "We don't give out technical specifications of our products (referencing fans and 3-pin connector power ratings).
If nothing else, this experience should help the community with others who may want to upgrade. Thanks for any insights or links that may shed light on this issue.
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
Has anyone been able to remove the front black cover in the metal cover shroud of the razer core x ? note it is shown here that it is removable and I have seen it being held in place by a few torx screws.
Has anyone tried to see if you can mount fans in those screw holes (mounting fans instead of the cover plate pic. bottom left ) let me know if it aligns with fan mounts and if mounting a 240mm rad is possible.
thanks
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
I'm also interested in this.
If anyone has a plausible idea as to which fan might work, I'm willing to order a few and try them out.
Mac mini - Razer Core X with corsair AX760 PSU
If you want to install another fan to the front of Core X, you should measure the length of GPU to make sure you have enough room for another fan.
I do see front cover has screws from inside.
Razer Core X with Gigabyte Windforce 2080Ti
Blade 15 1070 Max-Q
Blade Stealth 8th Gen.
I tested two fans, there's some good news. be quiet! silent wings 3 (1450RPM) is working fine with my core x. Another fan, NB-Blacksilentfan (1000RPM) doesn't spin.
I hope this helps someone.
Mac mini - Razer Core X with corsair AX760 PSU
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For non-blower style GPUs, consider reversing the orientation of the included 120mm cooling fan. I noticed that rather than expelling hot air from my Dual-Fan GPU, it was taking air from the outside into the case. This means there is cold air coming in from both the left and right side leading to air stagnating inside the Core X's case and warmer temperatures. I reversed the orientation of the Razer fan to expel hot air outside the enclosure.
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The 120mm Case Fan is likely a Sunon EEC0251B3-0000-A9. The "Sunon" brand is written on the fan body. It is a 120 x 120 x 25mm fan with a 3-pin connector. The specifications for max-rated are: 0.161 amps, 12V, 1.9 watts. It is rated at 75 CFM, 2200rpm, 34dBA, and 0.16 in of H2O.
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
According to the data sheet of the fan i'm successfully using, its Voltage range DC (V) is 5-13.2, Input power (W) is 1.44, Input current (A) is 0.12.
I'm not sure what all this means but i thought i'd let you know.
Mac mini - Razer Core X with corsair AX760 PSU
@spicybitterness, thank you for taking the time to share your information on the Be Quiet fan. I will follow suit and add some information as well. The co-worker to whom I sold my eGPU enclosure was able to get his Noctua 120mm, 3 pin fan to start without issue. I asked for his specs and the exact model is the NF-A12x25 FLX model. He did not use any of the LN or ULN adapters. The power ratings for this fan are (listed as maximums):
12V, 1.68watts, and 0.14 amps.
The key take-away here is that based on spicybitterness and my colleague's experience, it seems that in order to get a replacement fan to spin every time, it has to have a low starting voltage. I noticed that the Be Quiet website advertised the Silent Wings 3 as having a low starting voltage due to its six coils. The NF-A12x25 also has 6 coils in its motor. Perhaps what was causing the other fans I tested before to error out and start inconsistently was the incompatible starting voltages.
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
@ishikawa_goemon thanks! i was actually trying to read about fan orientation in the razer core x, will switch for my non blower style gpu, do you have proven results?
UPDATE: It actually kept my eGPU cooler, like probably 6-7 C less, also it looks like i have become king of 8K in superposition lol: https://benchmark.unigine.com/leaderboards/superposition/1.0/8k-optimized/single-gpu/page-1
(Search for AMD only lol)
2018 Mac Mini Core i7 8700B 32GB RAM 512GB SSD + Razer Core X + AMD Radeon VII
Hello there,
did someone try to use the Core X without the 120mm fan at all? I have a non-blower RX580 GPU and the GPU fans should be enoguh? What do you think?
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
@elluko what kinda of gpu you have? I don't really recommend it. For example I have the new Radeon Vii (it comes with a non blower style cooler) and the stock configuration of the fan pulling air inside the card was pretty bad, so i switched it to exhaust the hot air and it improved things a lot. Non reference coolers leave the heat inside the case so you have to take it out or it will become toasty.
2018 Mac Mini Core i7 8700B 32GB RAM 512GB SSD + Razer Core X + AMD Radeon VII
Well, I just removed the 120mm fan of my RX580 Razer Core X for a week. Until now, everything works fine! Max temp of the card, even during long and heavy Final Cut Pro X sessions ist 65 degree. And with a new Corsair SF600 Platinium the system is 100% silent. I don't game, so I won't need my card to work under heavy loads for a long time.
I am very happy with that setup right now.
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
@elluko Was the installation of Corsair SF600 easy? I'm looking for silent solution too. Razer Core X default PSU is loud as a vacuum cleaner. RX 580 is much more silent even under heavy load.
Update: Installation of Corsair SF600 was relatively easy. I also disconnected stock Razer fan which results completely silent operation under light to moderate loads. During multi-hour gaming sessions it hasn't yet shown any instability in the setup. Sapphire RX 580 seems to have decent cooling as I can sense clear air in-take from lefthand side and exhaust from the righthand side (Razer branded) – stock fan orientation seems to conflict this airflow.
2012 15" Macbook Pro Retina (GT 650M disabled) + RX 580 @ 10Gbps-TB1>TB3 (Razer Core X) + macOS 10.14.5
I replaced the stock fan with Noctua NF-S12A FLX. It works perfectly and noise levels are nearly inaudible already with 1200 RPM setting (fan could go lower). Combined with replaced PSU (Corsair SF600 Platinum) and Sapphire RX 580 whole setup stays very silent up to moderate performance tasks.
2012 15" Macbook Pro Retina (GT 650M disabled) + RX 580 @ 10Gbps-TB1>TB3 (Razer Core X) + macOS 10.14.5