The ReadyNas NVX and its similarly named siblings have a good reputation in terms of 4-disk NAS units, but are considered very noisy. I have read that changing the stock fan on these units make them quieter, as well as making sure you have the latest firmware updates. Here’s how to change the stock fan with your replacement in five easy steps:
- Remove power plug and press and hold ON button to remove remaining current
- Remove 2 screws for each side on the back of the unit to slide off black chassis side panels
- Remove 4 screws holding the upper hind panel featuring the fan, RJ-45 and USB controllers
- Replace stock 92mm fan with fan of your choice (same size)
- Retrace steps 1 and 2 to re-seal the unit
In my case I swapped it with Noctua’s NF-B9 which had a pretty long power cable compared to what I was taking out of the unit. If you put in one with longer cable make sure it does not obstruct the airflow once you’ve closed the unit again, which would sort of render the new fan obsolete. The fan also had an accompanying booklet showing off all the rocket science that went into making a slightly less audible computer fan! The nerd experience is a total 10/10.
Of course, in some time from now all storage in the home will be digital and not creating so much unnecessary heat. The NAS unit (Network Attached Storage for the uninitiated) has an important role to play in my current home network though. It is the sole on-site backup except for DVDs. Now I just have to decide whether I should keep an off-site backup as well..
What’s that I smell? Melted plastic? Do NOT use "silencing adapters" between NAS and fan that reduces speed to reduce noise. There are 2 such adapters to the NF-B9 but they prohibit the fan speeds necessary to drive heat away efficiently. Luckily, the ReadyNAS software RAIDar shuts down the machine before the temperature reaches a critical level.