Fan Replacement

Original Xbox consoles have reached an age where fans often begin to have issues. Fans are mechanical components; they are subject to wear and should be lubricated. If your fan is noisy, this often means that its lubrication or even its bearings or motor are worn out.

You may 're-lube' the fan to add a second life to it or as preventive maintenance, but your results may vary depending on the fan's age and wear. If it's still noisy, or you want to make it even more silent, there are a few options that are listed below.

Do note that the noise of your Xbox could also come from its HDD or DVD drive, and that the 1.0 revision of the Xbox also has a separate GPU fan.

The main fan is connected to the bottom plastic shell of the Xbox by two clips^[1].

Nexus fan

The easiest solution is a "Nexus fan replacement kit" which contains 3D printed parts to fit perfectly into the Xbox. But even the "Nexus 70mm fan" by itself can be installed into the original mount.^[2]

Nexus Fan (according to Amazon^[3]):

• Acoustic Noise: 19.8 dB(A)
• Airflow: 21.1 CFM

Noctua

Another common brand for silent fans is 'Noctua'. In general, bigger fans have a lower pitched sound and displace more air for the same rotational speed.

To use a 80mm fan you will need to do some work with a Dremel^[4][5], but it can be well worth it if you're going for absolutely silent (in combination with an SSD and no DVD).

Noctua NF-A8 ULN, 80mm (according to Tweakers.net^[6]):

• Acoustic Noise: 10.4 dB(A)
• Airflow: 20.48 CFM

Another option is to use a 60mm fan with a 3D-printed adapter^[7], though do note that the 60mm fan displaces less air and you may have to adjust the fan speed of your Xbox for it to cool properly. This will have little audible advantage over a well-maintained and lubed original fan.

Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX, 60mm (according to Tweakers.net^[8]):

• Acoustic Noise: 19.3 dB(A)
• Airflow: 17.19 CFM

To replace the GPU fan on a 1.0 Xbox, you can use a 40mm version of a Noctua with a 3D printed adapter.^[9]

Iceberq Pro 4 VGA

This fan is worth mentioning as it incorporates the heat sink as part of the fan and can be used as a very low profile alternative for the big heat sink with a big fan.^[10]

However, this fan is extremely hard to find for purchase anywhere.

Sources