The trouble with sleeve-bearing fans

[Tech Tweaker]

Ever heard that sleeve-bearing fans don't like being run horizontally?

Well, I can tell you it's true. I've tried two or three different sleeve bearing fans as top-mounted exhaust fans, and none of them stay quiet long, usually within a few weeks they start to annoyingly resonate and/or vibrate.

My most recent Cooler Master SickleFlow vibrates and resonates, did so from day one, did better after I switched from screws to rubber mounts, but that wasn't a permanent solution. I mean this thing vibrated A LOT, so much so that my entire desk was vibrating when this thing was turned on.

So, I finally got tired of having to tap the fan to get it to stop vibrating and making this annoying resonating noise and swapped it out for one of my ball bearing Cooler Master Excalibur fans. Voila! I swear it's like the difference between night and day, now the case is not vibrating at all (at least not enough for me to notice it), the annoying resonating sound is gone, and I've even increased my exhaust flow by a good 15-20CFM. Only downside is this one has no LED's, but I guess I can live without them on the one fan so long as it is finally quiet (the noise from the other was driving me up the wall).

 

[johan851]

I love my sleeve bearing fans, but I only mount them horizontally. Good to have some anecdotal evidence, though! I'd had the same issue in the past, so now I'm a little more careful about what goes where.

 

[mjw21a]

Yup, I believe they're only designed to take pressure on the bearings when vertical.

Mind you, I went to ball bearing and fluid dynamic bearing fans years ago....

 

[muddocktor]

I guess it also has to do with the fan manufacturer and luck of the draw too. I have had a couple of LED Yate Loon low speed fans mounted horizontally in the top of my U2-UFO case for going on 3 years now and they are still quiet and vibration free.

 

[ehume]

I have found that sleeve bearing fans (e.g. -- the original Kaze Maru) can be pointed to push their output down with not much trouble, or vibration. But then, I believe in top intake, not exhaust: I present cool air to the face of the heatsink.

Generally at the top of your case you have a flat surface. So you can use a 140mm fan with 120mm screw holes. Thus a TY-140 will fit where you would normally have a 120mm fan, and it can point its output up or down. Ditto an NF-P14. But the TY-140 is better.

Why a 140mm? If you have a 120x120mm square window a 120mm fan will, if the blades sweep a diameter of 120mm, take up 78% of the window. Since they actually sweep less than 120mm, they will sweep less, leaving the corners blank. A 140mm fan OTOH will cover the entire 120x120mm window with only a little fan blade sweeping outside the edges. A quieter and more effective solution.

 

[Cyclone Jack]

Its not black and white -> Sleeve=horizontal bad

It also depends on whose making those sleeve bearing fans and the fan speed itself. Certain manufacturers like Arctic and Prolimatech produce sleeve bearing that can be mounted horizontally without any problems. Been running them for years.

EDIT: Funny thing you mentioned having problems with the Sickeflow, Cooler Master sleeve fan models in general are notorious for horizontal mounting. I've had problems with practically every sleeve CM fan. Name it Sickeflows, BladeMasters and CM LED fan etc.