Amcrest NVR Fan Modification
Disclaimer:
I do not recommend you making these modifications yourself. They are dangerous, and could result in fire, injury, or death. The PSP in particular has live mains voltages exposed, when the cover is removed.
The Noisy NVR
In 2022 I started to want to replace my ring.com cameras with my own NVR and IP Cameras. After trying out several brands, I ended up liking the Amcrest cameras, and decided to return my Reolink NVR and get an Amcrest one (Model NV5208E). After powering on the Amcrest NVR I was dismayed at the fan noise it was making. The Power Supply fan was so loud that it could be heard behind a closed office door from 30ft away. I want to have my NVR at my desk, where I can have control over it and have the HDMI connected to a nearby monitor. So, I went to google to find out about the fan noise. I found a couple forum posts online about the NV4108E model fan noise, with some advice about replacing the fans and modifying the case to allow for better airflow.
After taking apart my 5208E NVR I found two fans, one four wire 40x10mm fan, and one two wire 40x20mm fan in the Delta power supply. I ordered two Noctua fans as replacements. I did not take into consideration any of the flow rates of the fans.
- NF-A4x10 PWM 4 wire Fan
- NF-A4x20 FLX 3 Wire Fan
Before replacing the fans, I used my Fluke infrared thermometer to check the CPU and PSP temperatures (with covers removed), and found the CPU never reached above 100F and the PSP hottest component was about 135F. I also experimented with unplugging both fans, and running the unit, the CPU stayed below 100F, but the PSP reached around 155F without the fan. With the new fans, the CPU again never reached above 100F, and the PSP ran at 105F.
I have been running the NVR now for a few days without any issues. I currently have 5 POE cameras plugged into the unit. The fan noise is inaudible with the NVR sitting a few feet away from my desk.
If I run into overheating problems in the future, I will most likely replace the PSP with two separate AC-DC plug packs, which are fanless.
CPU Fan:
Here you can see that the Noctua connector fits the motherboard connector perfectly. In fact it fits it better than the fan that came with the NVR. The Noctua screws are larger than the Amcrest ones and required making the holes in the mount larger. I just used my screw gun and forced the screw through, I would recommend drilling it out instead. As I ended up striping some of the plastic from the Noctua fan out.
PSP Fan:
The PSP fan required changing the wiring of the Noctua fan. I had to cut the connector off of the factory fan and solder it onto the Noctua fan. Rather than cutting off the connector of the Noctua fan, I cut one of the extensions that came with the Noctua fan. The Noctua has a third yellow wire, which I just left disconnected. This made the wiring harness a bit long. Rather than trying to keep the harness inside the PSP and potentially restricting more airflow, I just let the extra length hang out the PSP. There is plenty of room in the NVR. Same as the CPU fan, the Noctua screws are larger, but the PSP can did not require making larger holes, they fit just fine.