Corsair SF 80+ Platinum Fan Mod/Swap

Sapphire87

What's an ITX?
New User
Jun 21, 2021
1
0
Whatever layout I try, the fan wont spin up on boot. I have tried a number of different pin lay-outs, opening the psu over and over again. The layout you described simply doesnt work for me. I wanted to make it work so bad, but I can't seem to figure it out. Starting to think my extension cable might be faulthy.
 

Sazexa

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Jan 22, 2020
136
168
Whatever layout I try, the fan wont spin up on boot. I have tried a number of different pin lay-outs, opening the psu over and over again. The layout you described simply doesnt work for me. I wanted to make it work so bad, but I can't seem to figure it out. Starting to think my extension cable might be faulthy.
Have you verified the OEM fan spins on start up? I don't think mine does/did.
 

PKAWA

Master of Cramming
May 27, 2020
490
488
Mine does, and does with the fan swap as well. But although it's only 4 pins it wasn't easy to find the right combination.
 

PKAWA

Master of Cramming
May 27, 2020
490
488
Honestly I don't know why I had so much trouble with it and I didn't take pictures when I did get it right so can't say what it was.
 

lys1030

Trash Compacter
Nov 8, 2020
44
69
www.youtube.com
I just found that different batches of corsair sf psu have different 4pin layout. The color matching described doesn't always apply, so it's better to measure the voltage to be sure.
 

Sazexa

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Jan 22, 2020
136
168
I just found that different batches of corsair sf psu have different 4pin layout. The color matching described doesn't always apply, so it's better to measure the voltage to be sure.
That probably explains all the confusion we've been having in here.

I'll verify my PSU in a few weeks. I've finally got my case in, just waiting on ordering the CPU since I just spent more than the PC's value in car maintenance on the racecar lol
 

lys1030

Trash Compacter
Nov 8, 2020
44
69
www.youtube.com
That probably explains all the confusion we've been having in here.

I'll verify my PSU in a few weeks. I've finally got my case in, just waiting on ordering the CPU since I just spent more than the PC's value in car maintenance on the racecar lol

Here is my adapter pin layout for my latest PSU just FYI, in case it applies. The previous mod I did has a different layout.
Please also note that different PWM fans have different start-up voltage, so some may start spinning at a higher load (such as Noctua fan), and some may not even have 0 rpm mode (for my fan, it spins at a very low rpm when the system is idle).
 
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der_brennesel

Chassis Packer
Apr 20, 2018
20
17
I just found that different batches of corsair sf psu have different 4pin layout. The color matching described doesn't always apply, so it's better to measure the voltage to be sure.
Which is why you never go by colours when modding Fans.

As I wrote in an earlier post just peel off the round lable on the original fan to find the correct pinout. It is clearly marked as -, +, P and o.

Trace the colours to the connector and match your adapter to the installed FAN.



I Circled the + , o and P on the PCB. - is under the plastic frame, but visible when looking from the other side.
 
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b4r

Cable Smoosher
Aug 11, 2019
12
0
I've seen plenty of fan swaps on Corsair 80+ Gold units. There's easy to find adapters for that. I have a SF600 80+ Platinum, and just wanted to give a head's up that the internal connector is different. I hadn't seen anyone do this mod on a 80+ Platinum unit so, I figured I'd throw it out there and maybe help someone save a quick $10 so they don't have to accidentally order two adapters like I did. I'm pretty sure the regular 80+ Gold units use just a 3-pin Mini-GPU (with only two wires) to 3-pin normal size fan connector.

The 80+ Platinum uses a 4-wire PWM fan. I was able to find a 4-pin mini-GPU fan head to regular 4-pin PWM fan header adapter, and put it in the power supply. The PSU has the female end, with the pins on it, the fan has the male end that plugs into it. I then put in a Noctua NF-A9x14 HS Chromax fan, and left the grill removed from the unit. It's inside a case anyways, a grill is a little unnecessary and it will help keep noise down if the fan decides to ramp up.The adapter cable itself was about four inches long, and the cable on the fan was pretty long, but I found a good way to loop it around so that it wouldn't really block any airflow or be close to any circuitry components. The decorative sleeving on the wires shouldn't be conductive, but, I wasn't going to chance it on the inside of the PSU lol

Here's some pictures, you can kind of see the route I did for the cables and the cable adapter itself.









INFORMATION ON CORSAIR SF POWER SUPPLY RECALLS:
I'm amending the original post to include some information about Corsair SF PSU's, since there is a recall on some of them. It might make getting your unit replaced under a recall difficult if you mod it first, so, here's a heads-up on the scoop.

There is currently a recall on some Corsair SF-line power supplies. It's mostly in markets outside of North America it seems, but it seems some PSU's may "brick" them selves under certain conditions.

The recall is for power supplies produced between 8/19 and 3/20, which are units that fall between serial numbers 194448xx, and up to 201148xx. My unit is a 1943xxxx, so fortunately my specific unit is not in need of replacement.

You can learn more at the following link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/15829/corsair-sf-series-psu-recall

UPDATE: Fan header re-pinning required!
Thanks to user "NRG," he's brought something to my attention I did not initially discover. I didn't initially have a system to test this but I overlooked something I should have noticed at first; fan header lay-out. The layout between the Corsair NR092L and typical fan headers are a bit different. So, some de-pinning and replacing of the header on your Noctua fan is required. It's relatively easy as well, so let's show you what you need to do.

Consider the adapter as just a jumper, this is what the wiring looks like between the two headers. So basically we need to move the wires around on the regular fan header.

Noctua NF-A9x14HS with header face-up:
Black - Yellow - Green - Blue

Corsair NR092L with header face-up:
Yellow - Blue - Black - Green


Basically, you just need to swap the wires on your Noctua fan's header so they line up color for color with the Corsair header, as long as the headers are in the same orientation as this image. So, if labelling the headers on the Noctua fan as Black - Yellow - Green - Blue, we can change that to 1 2 3 4 for simplicity sake. We need to change the number orientation as follows:

Originally: 1
2 3 4
Re-pinned: 2 4 1 3

It's a bit difficult to visualize it give that the Chromax Black version of the Noctua NF-A9x14HS has all black wiring under the sleeving and from the fan hub. Looking at the back of the noctua fan (as well as three other regular PWM Noctua fans) I've concluded that they're always layed out the same way, off the motor hub to the header as the 1 2 3 4 lay-out, in a ribbon cable that makes it easy to follow and track each wire. I skinned the sleeve off of the wire, to make sure I can trace it properly when re-pinning.


Lastly, how to actually remove the pins from the header. It's quite simple. You take a small fine pointed tool like tweezers or a screw driver, and push on the side of the connector opening slot towards the wires. Then you can gently pull the wire out of the connector with the metal attached. If it's not coming out easy, you aren't pushing down hard enough. It takes a little getting use to the first few times you've done it, and it can be easy to damage, so just be gentle and slowly add force if need be. After removing, make sure you insert into the new slow on the header the correct way (with the curled side facing the slotted side of the header.) otherwise it won't bite correctly. Give the wire a little tug, make sure it's seated. It may take an attempt or two, or you may need to push the wire in from the back side with your device you're using to take the header out to really push it all the way in. Do so carefully as not to cut wiring insulation or break the wire. Once all that is done, and your fan is installed, you fan should spin up once it's under the correct heat or wattage load.


could you clarify the order of the wires on the corsair fan? You have the order as Yellow - Blue - Black - Green with the corsair header facing up. In the photo both headers are facing eachother meaning that they are mirrored. Wouldnt you want them to be facing teh same direction? Meaning the order on the corsair header is reversed. Green is 1, Black is 2, Blue is 3, and Yellow is 4. Sorry if my wording is confusing.
 

lys1030

Trash Compacter
Nov 8, 2020
44
69
www.youtube.com
could you clarify the order of the wires on the corsair fan? You have the order as Yellow - Blue - Black - Green with the corsair header facing up. In the photo both headers are facing eachother meaning that they are mirrored. Wouldnt you want them to be facing teh same direction? Meaning the order on the corsair header is reversed. Green is 1, Black is 2, Blue is 3, and Yellow is 4. Sorry if my wording is confusing.
Don't trust the color. See me reply above.
 
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crackerlegs

Trash Compacter
Sep 19, 2020
49
81
Hello!

I've thought about doing this fan swap. I've noticed my fan spins up when I play warzone (SF750, rtx3080 uv at 0.875V and 5600x with 4 120mm fans).

I'm a bit worried about the higher voltage requirements for the fan to spin up, preventing the PSU from cooling down.

I was wondering if anyone who has done the fan swap can attest to any issues since doing so? (Assuming the fan has been connected correctly)
 

PKAWA

Master of Cramming
May 27, 2020
490
488
Hello!

I've thought about doing this fan swap. I've noticed my fan spins up when I play warzone (SF750, rtx3080 uv at 0.875V and 5600x with 4 120mm fans).

I'm a bit worried about the higher voltage requirements for the fan to spin up, preventing the PSU from cooling down.

I was wondering if anyone who has done the fan swap can attest to any issues since doing so? (Assuming the fan has been connected correctly)
I've done the swap probably a half year ago.
Have played some intensive games on it and have not had any problems with the psu.
You can see mine here:
(5900x and 3080ti with sf750)
 

NRG

Airflow Optimizer
Oct 30, 2015
289
359

Also in the mod club. I actually bought a new SF750 to help migrate to my M1 (other cables got shortened) and found that the noctua mod is significantly quieter than the stock. It was so loud that I could hear it over my T30’s at 1400rpm AND my 3080’s coil whine :’)

Works perfectly. Fan spins up at the correct load, 300W from memory.
 

crackerlegs

Trash Compacter
Sep 19, 2020
49
81
Do you only have to repin the Noctua fan header or do you also need to repin the adapter cable? I've got a Gelid cable from Amazon.

It looks like I'm using the same adapter as this reddit user:

Ghost S1 with Noctua SF750 fan swap

Unfortunately I'm a bit dumb so can't undertand the pinout or what they have done. Any help would be appreciated :D
 
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NRG

Airflow Optimizer
Oct 30, 2015
289
359
Do you only have to repin the Noctua fan header or do you also need to repin the adapter cable? I've got a Gelid cable from Amazon.

It looks like I'm using the same adapter as this reddit user:

Ghost S1 with Noctua SF750 fan swap

Unfortunately I'm a bit dumb so can't undertand the pinout or what they have done. Any help would be appreciated :D

I don’t remember exactly what I did to make mine work as I had the fan installed for months before I realised the fan never spun up :’)



I do have this photo saved however and I think it’s the correct wiring for the adapter. I don’t believe I changed anything on the fan end, just this connector to the PSU. Good luck
 
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BRSxIgnition

Master of Cramming
Mar 15, 2020
381
544
My fan has started to click at low RPM (i.e: After exiting a game until the fan stops) - will doing this mod fix the issue or should I just open it up to see if it's contacting anything?

If I do this mod - do I need that adapter I've seen linked, or can I get away with just adjusting the pins on the fan side?
 
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crackerlegs

Trash Compacter
Sep 19, 2020
49
81
I don’t remember exactly what I did to make mine work as I had the fan installed for months before I realised the fan never spun up :’)



I do have this photo saved however and I think it’s the correct wiring for the adapter. I don’t believe I changed anything on the fan end, just this connector to the PSU. Good luck

Hello!

This was incredibly useful. I can confirm that by repinning the GPU adapter cable to the same colour orientation as the picture you sent, the fan now works and spins up on boot. After playing warzone and drawing over 300W it also spins.

I am using a 3080 and a 5600x.

For clarity the adapter is the Gelid fan adapter

This was much simpler than messing around with the fan wiring.