So in order...
- the best fans for this are unobtanium due to COVID-19, but don't use Noctua. Noctua is overpriced junk - it has the lowest flow rate and lowest static pressure. Anything from Sunon or NMB or Nidec or Delta is fine. They also cost far less.
- 08.0.30t for the 6450 is the maximum possible
- see first post for that, but if the switch was only configuration reset and not factory reset it may have them installed. Do a show licenses first always.
Edit: to expound upon my 'unobtanium' fan choice, bear in mind, I have been doing systems integration for 30 years and have VERY extensive rackmount equipment experience. I know why Brocade chose the fans they did, I have worked with those fans, and they are the same fans I would have chosen. (BTW, at speed 2 the 6450-40P is attempting to move 90.9CFM. Yes, each of those 40mm fans is rated for 30.3CFM free air.)
If you want to quiet down these units, the BIGGEST change you can make is to remove the stamped grill with a Dremel. It's all sharp edges, and significantly blocks the hub as well. Turbulence from things like grills are what generate serious noise. If you still need protection, tack on a wire grill on the OUTSIDE of the chassis. HOWEVER, this will result in slightly reduced cooling to the front right corner. I won't bother going into my unobtanium choice, because unless you're ready to order at least 250 of them, you can't buy them.
So here's some fans you
can buy that I'd recommend.
- Delta EFB0412VHD-F00 - $12.40/ea @ Digikey
There's a REASON Delta's a top pick for ODM and OEM. 40x40x20mm, 10.1CFM, 0.416in H2O (which is insane,) 32.5dBA @ 1m, rated for 70k hours at 50C. Make sure it's THAT part number and not the Rev C, which is a vastly inferior part.
- Comair Rotron "Gryphon" GDA4028-12BB - discontinued, alas
If you can find these? BUY THESE. 40x40x28mm, but 11CFM, 0.34in H2O, 8800RPM, but just 31.4dBA! I am still mad they discontinued them. No, I am not selling any of my spares.
- Mechatronics MR4020E12B1-RSR - $7.50 @ Digikey (when in stock)
READ THE PAGE. These are non-stocked currently! However these offer excellent balance between flow and noise. 40x40x20mm, 15.8CFM, 0.45in H2O, and 39dBA @ 1m at 11000RPM. (Yes, it's about the quietest 11k fan ever made.) You need the E12B1 though - NOT the B2. The B1 has a tach, the B2 is a rotor lock wire.
- Mechatronics MR4020H12B1-RSR - about $8
The 'slightly slower' version pushing 13.6CFM at just 35.1dBA. Note that you cannot use the B1+6 that DigiKey stocks. The B1+6 is a 4-wire PWM, and the ICX's 12V control will burn up the motor.
- Mechatronics MH4028L12B1-RSR - PLEASE TELL US ALL IF YOU FIND A SOURCE!
These. Are. GLORIOUS. 40x40x28mm, 12.81CFM, 0.37in H2O, 39dBA, I just LOVE these fans. But nobody stocks the low speed version. And the next step up (the M) is already over 45dBA. But they have amazing harmonics due to the 4028L being less than half the speed the frame was designed for (Max 16,500RPM!)
- NMB-MAT 1608VL-04W-B69-B00 - $10.47 @ Digikey
These are an excellent 'middle of the middle' choice. 40x40x20mm, 11.3CFM, 0.399in H2O, 34.6dBA @ 1m at 9500RPM, and 40k hour lifetime. They're also generally stocked by multiple vendors. Really great fans for general use, but believe me, that 40k hour lifetime is near spot on - expect to replace every 3 years or so.
- Sunon PSD1204PHB1-A(2).Z.F.PWM.GN "Tiny Terror" - also currently unobtainable
These are new design MagLev parts, and really impressive. 40x40x15mm (so the thinnest here,) but 14CFM, 0.63in H2O, and 44.2dBA @ 1m at 12,000RPM. They're also a LOT easier than the Mechatronics; Sunon MOQ is just 30 for a non-custom part, expect around $10-12/ea. These are awesome fans if you can get your hands on them and can stand the noise.
And while we're here, let's talk about the Sunon KDE MagLevs. Which will be a very short talk:
KDE MagLevs are terrible for this application. They're cheap, plentiful, and useless. They are NOT designed for applications like this. The KDE1204PKVX that you can find anywhere and everywhere? It is objectively the worst. 10.8CFM, 27.5dBA, sounds great, right?
It also has a static pressure of 0.27in H2O. These were designed for very free flow applications. The ICX chassis grills are the opposite.
I also don't recommend SanAce because the PSUs you all complain about on the 6610's? Those are SanAce fans. SanAces have a
very distinct harmonic that everyone hates. That harmonic is also why SanAces perform the way they do. You can't have one without the other. If you think those 6610's are bad,
at least there is much, much worse.
As far as selecting fans? The closer to stock flow, the better, however you achieve it.
Installing 10CFM peak fans in an ICX6450-48 or 48P is a net cooling reduction of over 70%! So, you know,
don't do that unless you want to run very hot or are not using POE! This is why I make angry noises at people who think they can just swap fans around in equipment like this. For the love of god people, the ICX6610 fan modules? 2x Delta FFB0412UHN's per module, that's over 50CFM
per module, over 100CFM
excluding the power supplies! Nobody puts that kind of brute force in unless they NEED it. Especially as those FFBs are close to $20/each at quantity.
But as I said: how you get there doesn't matter as long as you get there or accept the trade-off. Ducting a pair of 45CFM 120mm fans on the side of your 6450-48P? That'd work too. No, seriously! (Won't work on the exhaust side because you just don't have enough opening and it's too much pressure loss.) Add more, quieter fans? Also valid. Strap tiny quiet fans to the heatsinks? Absolutely will help. Only care about performance at all costs? Throw in some contra-rotating fans! Want to get stock cooling performance out of a 6450-48? Cut out 2 more fan holes, drop in 3 x 9CFM, dead silent and ready to rock.
