The new Noctua indeed arrived as expected. I opened the packaging, read the minimal instructions (just a simple picture on the box), and opened up my PC case.
To recap, there are four fans:
- the CPU fan
- the power supply fan
- the front air intake fan
- the rear exhaust fan
I quickly unscrewed the rear fan screws, and replaced the fan with the brown Noctua fan. The fan comes with regular metal screws, and also rubber “vibration” connectors, which look sort of like brown pawn chess pieces. Supposedly, I can use these instead of the screws to minimize the vibration and noise. Well, I’m game. Replacing and securing the new fan with the rubber thingies was a breeze. I decided to test it out at the stock fan speed initially. I can always swap out and switch it to a lower RPM later.
Verdict? It works, and it’s much quieter. Problem? Now the front air intake fan is noisy in comparison. I checked it out, but couldn’t figure out to adjust and lower the fan speed. There should be a switch, but I couldn’t find it. Since the front fan is only optional, I disconnected it. So far, the PC internal temperature is running cool at around 38 degrees Celsius, and the PC is now whisper quiet.
Eureka!