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Xbox One S - Fixing noisy fans creating an ultra silent console

Xbox One S Fan Replacement cover picture

The Xbox One S is an amazing game console as every Xbox has been. However, with this version of the Xbox in particular, there's been a problem with noisy fans. The quality of the original fans vary quite a lot and therefore, there can be really silent but also really noisy game consoles out there. Especially when you're using your Xbox as a media center (which works perfectly), you don't want to hear noisy fans. Luckily, it's realively easy to replace the existing fan with an even better replacement fan by BeQuiet. Let's see how it works.

Parts & Tools

In order to replace the original Xbox One S fan, you need the following tools and parts:

Why did I decide to use the BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 BL070 120mm High-Speed fan? Well, there are a few reasons why to use it:

  • First of all, BeQuiet delivers - together with brands like Noctua - outstanding quality products and it's worth to support them and buy a long-lasting product.
  • The replacement fan of the Xbox One S should have similar measures with the original fan. The BeQuiet fan meets those best: The right height ensures the hot air being pushed outside and not being kept inside. The width and length as well as the round shape meet the criteria in order to close the console again.
  • The fan is not only powerful enough (air throughput and RPM) but also much more silent than the original one - you could say "ultra silent".

The only downside is that you'll loose your warranty when opening your console. But hey, isn't it fun to work on your own Xbox One S by yourself and improve it with better components than the original version?

Replacement

In order to open the Xbox One S, simply follow the tutorial from iFixit. The tutorial works for both the regular Xbox One S with a blu-ray drive and the Xbox One S All Digital.

Here are a few tips and tricks for this special scenario:

  • You don't have to remove the power supply neither you have to remove the entire electronics. In order to remove the existing, original fan, simply remove the four clips which hold the fan in place.
  • Mount the fan with the main logo on top so the hot air can leave the console.
  • There is no need to use cable ties in order to fix the fan.
  • Before you close the console completely, check if the fan is mounted properly. Therefore, start the Xbox One S and check if the fan is spinning without any problem. You may have to make a small dent into the aluminum grille so the spinning parts of the fan won't touch it.

Then you're ready to go. It's a relatively hassle-free process with an amazing result: Finally, your Xbox One S is ultra silent!

Questions & Answers

How can I make my Xbox One S fan quieter?

You can make your Xbox One S fan quieter by installing another fan like the BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 BL070 120mm High-Speed fan.

Will the Xbox One S heat up when changing the fan?

No, that will not happen when using the High-Speed edition of the BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 120mm fan. Of course, there no warranty and I assume no liability.

My Xbox One S fan is noisy. What can I do?

Simply replace the original fan with a quieter fan. My tutorial shows you a step-by-step guide. The replacement process can be easily performed.

What do I need in order to replace the fan?

Obviously, you need another (quieter) fan. Additionally, you need an adapter for the fan to match with the pins on your Xbox One S. Furthermore, tools for opening the Xbox One S are required. All in all, it's a straight-forward process that can be performed easily.

39 responses to "Xbox One S - Fixing noisy fans creating an ultra silent console”

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      You're very welcome.

      1. mrST0GGY Avatar
        mrST0GGY

        Hey! I stumbled on this while looking for the adapter your using to connect the pc fan to the Xbox port. I don't know what style port that is and can't seem to find an answer. ALSO I stopped by to shout out to BeQuiet! Because they are awesome. I'm about to modify the top of my Xbox one S to mount a BeQuiet! 120mm air cooler to it! I think it would look awesome and hopefully will keep it nice and cool!

        1. Justin Avatar

          I don't know if you've found the answer already, but if not it's just a simple 4-pin PWM to 4-pin VGA adapter. You can just search "PWM to VGA adapter" on google to find them. Here's a link to one on Amazon US (the author of this article also linked to one that you could have clicked on and found your answer, by the way):

          https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EUZD854

          1. Justin Avatar

            Also, just wanted to add that the VGA connector is the connector used for graphic card fans, so the PWM to 4-pin VGA adapter is essentially an adapter that lets you hook a 4-pin PWM PC case fan into a 4-pin VGA (graphics card) connector.

  1. Allan Avatar

    Did you notice that, the XBOX is not powering off completely after changing the FAN? Change one with a similar fan, with red ligths included. If you power the system off, the fan will keep spinning and the light is still on. Don't know why this is.
    I changed some power settings and the fan will stop spinning after some time... sometimes its around 5 Minutes...

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Thank you for your comment, Allan! As far as I have read, the poles might not be correctly connected. You may want to do some research in the internet regarding that kind of issue. With my Xbox One S, there is no such problem. The fan will completely turn off when I turn off the console (in all power off modes available in the settings).

      1. SC Lai Avatar

        Thank you for the suggestion, however could you explain a little more on how you mount the Silent Wing to the headsink? The original fan have mounting hook.

        Regards
        SC Lai

        1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

          Hi, you don't have to use a mounting hook. It stays there without any problem without a mounting hook as it's stuck between the heatsink and the case. No need to worry here. 🙂

    2. David Avatar

      Had the same issue. I flipped the fan so the motor/wiring/fan supports faced outward as that reflects the exhaust (different than the pictures suggesting to blow air into the xbox) and my fan shut off when I shut off the console. Maybe the xbox wasn't getting cool enough to shut off the fan with the air being blown into it instead of exhausting it?

  2. Tommy Avatar

    Hey,

    thanks for that great tutorial. I have heard about overheating issues when changing to this kind of aftermarket fan. What is your experience in terms of that?

    Thanks!

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi Tommy, thanks for your comment. I haven't had and overheating issues so far although I've also read about them before I made my modification. However, I think you don't have to worry about it when using the High-Speed fan edition.

  3. Thomas Whitehead Avatar
    Thomas Whitehead

    Hello,

    If you don't need to use cable ties how will the new fan connect to the heatsink?

    Thanks!

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi Thomas, thanks for your question! The fan is being hold between the heatsink and the metal case and it stays there without cable ties. So there is no need for cable ties. However, you always have the option to additionally use them.

  4. philippe fernandes avatar
    philippe fernandes

    Hello the problem in the modification is that the console heats up more
    (sorry if my english and bad)

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi Philippe, thanks for your input on this topic. Yes, it may be that the console heats up a bit more than with the regular fan. But as of my experience (especially when using the High-Speed version of the fan), there shouldn't be a problem. Did you run into a problem?

  5. Carlo's avatar
    Carlos

    Hi, I'm very interested on apply this mod to my xbox one S but I'm from Colombia and it is complicate obtain all the parts. Can you help me to purchase the parts? Also I have a question about how you stay quiet the new fan if this havent the little locks? Can you make a video to watch all step by step? Thank you for absolutely anything.

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi Carlos, thank you for your comment. The fan is absolutely quiet and I can barely hear it at all when my ear is right next to the Xbox One S. You don't have to fix the fan as the case of the Xbox is tight enough to hold it in place. Unfortunately, I can't help you with buying parts for you. Maybe there is a chance you can have a look at web stores in Colombia that sell this fan and such an adapter?

  6. Michael Avatar

    Great tutorial. Can I ask about the fan adaptor? The link to the product you provided appears to have been replaced with a 6 pin product.

    Can you provide a bit more detail about the adapter needed for this project please? 🙂

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi Michael, thanks for the update. I've updated the blog post with a new link to an adapter that should do the job as well.

  7. 吴傲捷 Avatar
    吴傲捷

    Thanks for the great tutorial, I've noticed that in some other tutorial, they put the main logo of the fan downside, and in your tutorial, the main logo of the fan is on the top, so now I want to know that how does the fan spin exactly? (I mean the direction of the airflow)(sorry for my poor English)

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi 吴傲捷 and thanks for your question. The airflow is at the same direction as the original Xbox version, so it's blowing the air outside. But I agree that there are also other philosophies out there that might work as well.

      1. M. van Dijk Avatar
        M. van Dijk

        Hi, I have question regarding the orientation of the fan as well, in addition to the comment above.

        If you look at the pictures, it is clear that the orientation of the blades on the new fan are reversed as compared to the original fan. On the original fan, the 'sharper' point on the blades is facing clockwise and are closest to the heatsink. On the replacement fan, when positioned with the bequiet-logo on top, the 'sharp' point of the blades is pointing counterclockwise and are furthest away from the heatsink.

        Could you comment on whether this is indeed the correct orientation for the replacement fan, i.e. different than the original fan?

        Thank you in advance! This tutorial was a godsend as the original fan is annoyingly audible troughout the living room, so thank you for that!

        1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

          Hi and thanks so much for your comment. I'm sorry for replying delayed. Although this is not an official tutorial, I can recommend to mount the new BeQuiet fan as shown on my photos. This will cool the Xbox One S reliably.

          I'm very happy to hear that this tutorial helped you to get your Xbox One S fixed so it's not that loud anymore. Enjoy your super silent living room game console!

  8. Erik avatar

    Hello! Thanks it seems to work, and so quiet but i can feel that the fan is on when i out my hand close to the outblow on Xbox ???????????? I needed to bend the metal case

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      I'm happy to see that you're happy. ????

  9. Felix avatar

    Hi, thanks for the instructions, I implemented the tweak exactly the same way, in my case the original fan had even grinded on the heat sink and was therefore unbearably loud, now you can only hear the hard disk and power supply, strong!
    Thx. ????

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Outstanding! Great that it worked out so well for you! ✌

  10. JM Avatar

    Hello! I recently bought this fan and the pwm adapter and it seems to work great.
    But i have a problem... The fan is touching the aluminum grille i think... It wont spin around or it will touch the grille when i turn on the console. I cant get it to work properly. The big problem for me is when i mount the fan at the cpu and flip the console it seems like the fan is moving and when i screw back all the screws it dont work. I need some expertis advice from you! Best regards JM.

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi JM, thanks for getting in touch with me. You have to be careful not to bend anything when disassembling and assembling the console. I can imagine that a possible solution is to use small placeholders between the fan and the case. Maybe a piece of foam? In any case, I look forward to feedback from you.

  11. Arthur Avatar

    Hello Lennart. I have installed the recommended SilentWings 3 fan with the appropriate adapter according to your description. The fan does run, but only at a low speed. It also switches off when I switch off the Xbox. How is it with your Xbox? Do you notice when it turns up or does it also run constantly slowly? Greetings, Arthur

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Hi Arthur, thanks for your message. For me, the fan is constantly spinning slowly - at least I can't hear it consistently. I don't notice it revving up when I start more demanding apps.

      1. Arthur Avatar

        Thank you for the quick reply. So you can't hear the fan at all? Not even from a distance of 1 meter? Well, I can hear the fan, relatively quietly, but audibly. And from 2 meters I can hear the hard disk rather than the fan.

        1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

          Hi Arthur, I can hear the fan, but only when I'm very close to the console (as you described) (which I'm not normally). I can also hear the hard disk.

          1. Arthur Avatar

            All right, then everything is fine with my Xbox. Many thanks for the feedback and the instructions.

  12. diceman avatar

    "Hi and thanks so much for your comment. I'm sorry for replying delayed. Although this is not an official tutorial, I can recommend to mount the new BeQuiet fan as shown on my photos. This will cool the Xbox One S reliably."

    No it won't, you've turned an exhaust only port into an intake, heat rises, you've distributing the heat on the sink directly into the chassis heating up all other components instead.

    1. Jake Avatar

      Lennart has clarified several times that the airflow direction of the new fan is the same as the original. Nothing has changed.

  13. asdf avatar

    *properly

    "...check if the fan is mounted probably..."

    1. Lennart Wörmer Avatar

      Thanks for the feedback. It's corrected now.

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