HOWTO: Silent Fanless FreeBSD Desktop/Server

I've been running FreeBSD for the past six years on a fanless CappuccinoPc as my desktop. It has always worked well with no problems.
 
@ lebarondemerde

Thanks for suggestions, good cases for high end powered setup for more demanding tasks or even a gaming rig in the Mini-ITX case - which I find very appealing for its size versus typical gaming console.
 
balanga said:
I have a couple of these which I got cheap on Ebay...

http://uk.pcmag.com/lenovo-thinkcentre-m93p-tiny/539/review/lenovo-thinkcentre-m93p-tiny

Great machines... runs FreeBSD or even FreeNAS with no problem.
Click to expand...
I just got myself one of those, I've put 16GB ram in it and a xeon E3-1265L to replace the i5 4570 that came with it. Freebsd 14.1 going on there soon. I was actually wondering if anyone has managed to put 32GB in this particular box, despite the spec sheet saying 16GB max?
 
Some updates :)

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vermaden You were lucky with that $165 Ren5000. Nice deal. I've odroids (h2,h3+,h4 ultra) running proxmox but was eyeing for something for FreeBSD host+bhyve for some time.
While I'd be cautious about that device due to its origin still, very nice.
 
_martin said:
vermaden You were lucky with that $165 Ren5000. Nice deal. I've odroids (h2,h3+,h4 ultra) running proxmox but was eyeing for something for FreeBSD host+bhyve for some time.
While I'd be cautious about that device due to its origin still, very nice.
Click to expand...
I got used one for $165 but it seems that You can get a NEW one for ... $150 - details - https://aliexpress.com/item/1005006303036690.html - here.

This one for $150 does not have RAM and SSD, so with 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD (as mine) will cost You $195 - still not a bad price IMHO.
 
Now that's some interesting discount. Sadly they don't ship to SVK. Yeah, test machine for under $200 is not bad.
 
Hm, strange, but both links say:


Screenshot 2024-08-08 at 09.09.24.png

and it doesn't work even if I set my shipping address to capital city.
I guess I could always contact seller to see.

But I found others with alike devices ( Ryzen7 4700U) for similar prices. I think I'll start doing some comparisons. :)
 
If you mount the fans in a certain way snugly with a rubber or other liner, they're not loud.

It's because they wobble from the fan spinning, when they're installed in a basic way. A liner helps them fit snug.
 
Molex fans are easily down-volted by swapping the 12v and 5v pairs in the connector.
I've been doing this for decades in customer machines that require 24x7 reliable fans.

In practice, I fabricate a small swapped adapter so the fan itself remains stock.
In the event the fan needs replacement, this is faster/easier than modding the fan connector itself.

Sleeve bearing fans should only be mounted with a horizontal axis layout.
Ball bearing can mount in any orientation.
 
I see you did a bit of research for me, thanks. I actually bought my Atari 130XL from allegro.pl, many times pl-svk business works fine. I'll poke around on those .pl pages too.

One question: do you get any firmware upgrade for that box? Does it have CSM support too ?
I dug around: I mean it is a bit of adventure to downlaod official "BIOS" from OneDrive :)
 
bgavin said:
Molex fans are easily down-volted by swapping the 12v and 5v pairs in the connector.
I've been doing this for decades in customer machines that require 24x7 reliable fans.

In practice, I fabricate a small swapped adapter so the fan itself remains stock.
In the event the fan needs replacement, this is faster/easier than modding the fan connector itself.

Sleeve bearing fans should only be mounted with a horizontal axis layout.
Ball bearing can mount in any orientation.
Click to expand...
Not all computer fans start at 5v in my experience. 12v-5v=7v gives a nicer range normally or you can just buy/make 'low noise adapters' and other fan controllers easily enough. I kinda stopped thinking about this stuff after switching most fans to Noctua as they are quiet enough for me without the included adapters in the cases I use them in.
 
True, but since I have been doing this for decades, I have it down pat.

I use quality brand fans, and intentionally avoided the blending of 12/5 volt wires sets to achieve your 7 volts.
I have no idea what this does to a PSU, nor do I have any need to find out.

I use Noctua fans because I'm using Noctua processor heat sinks.
Excellent products, and worth what you pay for them.

My comment is for case fans only.
These are nearly always mounted with the axis as horizontal, so a quality sleeve or liquid bearing fan will last many years.
 
Another recommendation for the Noctua products. A most quiet desktop machine can be achieved with the appropriate heatsink and fans. Even if you *can* build a fanless machine, the components like to have a little airflow. Things like power regulation components on the motherboard, the ram sticks, etc. will get very very warm with no air circulation.
 
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