--- title: "Super Silent Supermicro SuperServer E300 8D" date: "2020-08-19T20:26:55+02:00" tags: ["Cooling", "ESXi", "HomeLab", "X10SDV-TP8F"] categories: ["Hardware & HomeLab"] --- ![Silence][19] In 2017 I wrote about my new [My HomeLab][13] purchase. If you want to take a look on my HomeLab details use link [Supermicro SuperServer E300-8D][15]. It costs me a lot because I upgraded it to maximum capacity in terms of RAM and I was very happy about it. I installed my whole VMware environment and I was kind of using it. Unfortunately, I didn't use it as much as I wanted. Under heavy load it was extremely loud. You cannot use it 24/7/365 at Home in normal environment. * [Stock Fan replacement on SYS\-E300\-8D](#stock-fan-replacement-on-sys-e300-8d) * [Temperature results](#temperature-results) * [Conclusion](#conclusion) * [Replacing Stock SYS\-E300\-8D Heatsink](#replacing-stock-sys-e300-8d-heatsink) * [Heatsink removal](#heatsink-removal) * [Temperature Results](#temperature-results-1) * [BIOS settings](#bios-settings) * [Power Utilization Effectiveness BIOS settings](#power-utilization-effectiveness-bios-settings) Finally, I started to read in the Internet on different forums that some folks successfully replaced the fans on other different Supermicro Motherboards marked as **X10SDV-TP8F**. Following that lead, I purchased three Noctua NF-A4x20 PWM (4 PIN) fans and I replaced the stock ones. ## Stock Fan replacement on SYS-E300-8D In first phase I tried to replace the fans and mount them using rubber Noctua mounter. ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-1][1] ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-2][2] ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-3][3] ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-4][4] ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-5][5] As you see on this photo they look very nice. ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-6][6] Mounted to the chassis they didn't fit. I had to revert to screws. ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-7][7] Noctua use some kind of weird screws so bear in mind that you need some angle when using screwdriver. ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-8][8] ### Temperature results | | | CPU Temperature | Fan 1 (RPM) | Fan 2 (RPM) | Fan 3 (RPM) | CPU Fan (RPM) | Noise (dB) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Stock Fans | Boot | 48 | 4700 | 5000 | 4500 | N/A | 69 | | | | | | | | | | | | Idle | 44 | 5200 | 5100 | 5600 | N/A | 53 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 3 min | 60 | 6300 | 6200 | 6700 | N/A | 61 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 10 min | 61 | 6300 | 6200 | 6700 | N/A | 61 | | | | | | | | | | | Noctua NF-A4x20 | Boot | 56 | 1100 | 1200 | 1300 | N/A | 35 | | | | | | | | | | | | Idle | 61 | 2000 | 2100 | 2000 | N/A | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 3 min | 84 | 4300 | 4400 | 4300 | N/A | 41 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 10 min | 88 | 4700 | 4800 | 4700 | N/A | 45 | ### Conclusion Replacing stock fans really pays of! If you have **X10SDV-TP8F** based Supermicro server do it. It is totally worth it. Although you have to accept much higher temperatures. ## Replacing Stock SYS-E300-8D Heatsink I didn't stop there and I wanted to try out if replacing stock heatsink will help lower down temperatures. I purchased **SNK-C0057A4L** without knowing if it fits 100% on my server. Although **Paul Braren** from [TinkerTry][17] tested many Supermicro servers, he didn't test Supermicro E300-8D with active CPU cooler **SNK-C0057A4L**. Without much to loose (only return shipment to the store if it wouldn't work :) ) I replaced stock CPU heatsink with new active CPU cooler. ![SNK-C0057A4L][18] ### Heatsink removal I suggest to heat a CPU a bit to make it easier for you to remove old heatsink. You can do it with hairdresser or as I did. I started my HomeLab for a few minutes, quick shutdown and after removing screws I was able to remove it without issues. In package there is as well backplate which was supposed to be installed on the motherboard. In my case I skipped it. ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-9][9] ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-10][10] ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-11][11] I cleaned up the processor and without any issues I installed new CPU cooler. ![Supermicro SYS-E300-8D-12][12] ### Temperature Results | Noctua NF-A4x20 & SNK-C0057A4L | Boot | 59 | 2200 | 2100 | 2200 | 4100 | 43 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | Idle | 56 | 2400 | 2400 | 2400 | 4300 | 39 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 3 min | 73 | 3400 | 3400 | 3500 | 5400 | 44 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 10 min | 75 | 4000 | 3900 | 6000 | 3900 | 48 | As you see, processor temperature decreased significantly, especially under full load from 88° to 75°. ### BIOS settings Almost at the end of the test I forgot to check what kind of settings I configured in BIOS 🤦‍♂️. Generally speaking all test were conducted on **Set Fan to Optimal Speed** settings. I realized that if I change the BIOS fan setting to **Set Fan to PUE2(Power Utilization Effectiveness) Speed**. ### Power Utilization Effectiveness BIOS settings | Power Effectiveness | Boot | 56 | 1300 | 1200 | 1200 | 3200 | 38 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | Idle | 59 | 2200 | 2100 | 2100 | 4100 | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 3 min | 76 | 3200 | 3100 | 3100 | 4800 | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | Full 10 min | 78 | 3400 | 3200 | 3200 | 5200 | 44 | With that setting in BIOS configured I finally found the sweet spot between noise and decibel level. 44 dB is ideal for my living room and it generates less noise than my Ubiqiti switch. [1]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-1.webp [2]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-2.webp [3]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-3.webp [4]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-4.webp [5]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-5.webp [6]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-6.webp [7]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-7.webp [8]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-8.webp [9]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-9.webp [10]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-10.webp [11]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-11.webp [12]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-12.webp [13]: https://www.wojcieh.net/my-new-home-lab/ "My HomeLab" [14]: https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a4x20-pwm/specification "Noctua NF-A4x20 PWM" [15]: https://www.Supermicro.com/en/products/system/Mini-ITX/SYS-E300-8D.cfm "Supermicro SuperServer E300-8D" [16]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhBWt_gyaw0 "Supermicro YouTube review" [17]: https://tinkertry.com/ "TinkerTry" [18]: /images/uploads/2020/08/super-silent-supermicro-superserver-e300-8d-SNK-C0057A4L.webp [19]: /images/uploads/2020/08/silence.webp