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In general terms, a bearing is a machine element that constrains relative motion

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and reduces friction between moving parts. In cooling fans specifically, the

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purpose of a bearing is to allow the blades to spin around inside the frame

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as efficiently and reliably as possible. But there are so many kinds of them. And

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the PMM bearing hasn't been invented yet. So until that happens, how do we

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know the pros and cons of each kind? Let's kick it off with sleeve bearings.

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The most common bearing type in PC cooling fans. The main advantages are

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easy. They are inexpensive and quiet, especially at first, but they should

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only be mounted vertically for best results. And compared to other bearing types, their performance, especially

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over long periods of time, is unexceptional. A sleeve bearing is what

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is known as a line contact bearing, which means that the contact surface

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area between its moving parts, is actually quite large. This isn't

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inherently a catastrophic problem, but it makes them more susceptible to

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failure due to changes in lubricant viscosity from higher ambient

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temperatures and from lubricant loss over time. This combined with the way

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that they often die quite suddenly makes them less suitable for industrial or

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missionritical environments, which leads us nicely into the second most common PC

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fan bearing type, ball bearings. They're more expensive than sleeve bearings and

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louder at the beginning of their lives, but they make up for it because their

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point contact design reduces friction and allows them to last longer,

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especially in hotter environments, like say for example in a server or oftus

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used gaming PC and they stay closer to their out ofthe-box performance over a

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longer period of time. Like sleeve bearings, the main cause of failure of a

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ball bearing is lubricant loss. But because of the way they operate and the

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fact that they tend to be found in better designed products that are manufactured with tighter tolerances

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overall, this will take longer to occur. Add to that that a ball bearing fan will

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fail in a slower, more graceful manner, and you've got yourself a fan that's

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much more suitable for cooling a component that won't take kindly to a

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sudden lack of cooling, like a CPU or power supply. But not all ball bearing

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fans are created equal. Cheaper single ball bearing designs will use one ball

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bearing and one sleeve bearing at each end of the shaft. While more expensive

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dual ball bearing designs use ball bearings throughout for improved

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longevity and performance consistency. So depending on how much reliability you

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need, you can plan your budget accordingly. Now, I don't want this

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video to come off as a PSA about the dangers of sleeve bearing fans. In

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non-demanding environments or where extreme silence or longevity aren't

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really needed, a traditional sleeve bearing may be perfectly adequate. And

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on top of that, not all sleeves are necessarily inferior. Fluid dynamic or

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hydro bearings are the last common bearing type and are fundamentally a

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modified sleeve bearing. Compared to normal sleeve bearings and even ball

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bearing designs, they are the most expensive due to the Matsushida

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licensing fees that they must pay in order to sell them, the genuine ones

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anyway. But the way that they use the fan's own rotation to create a pressure

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field that stabilizes the fan and dramatically improves lubrication

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performance results in an extremely quiet bearing that generally lasts

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longer than either of the first two that I talked about. The thing to watch out

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here though for is that the fluid dynamic bearing name isn't trademarked.

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So many manufacturers have created their own, sometimes inferior variants that

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sell under the same name, buyer beware. Our last bearing type is the other

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category. I mean, you see, hydro bearings aren't the only enhanced sleeve

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bearings. Rifle, hydraulic, and SSO are

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a few more examples with each taking a different approach to the goal of

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improving sleeve bearing performance. I'll use SSO bearings as my example. The

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main problem with sleeves is that if they're not adequately lubricated, they wear out extremely quickly. This

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proprietary design, among other changes, adds magnetic stabilization and fluid

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dynamic bearing design elements to improve stability, longevity, and

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silence, especially at lower speeds. And they can be mounted in any orientation

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to boot. Not bad, eh? So, that's pretty much it. Or wait, there's two more

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things actually. First, factor into everything I just said that the design

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and quality of the construction of the rest of the fan plays a major role in

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its performance and its reliability regardless of bearing type. And second,

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here's a handy little fan maintenance tip. It's never a bad idea to consult

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the manufacturer for the best possible method, but using a drop or two of a

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high-grade synthetic lubricant under the sticker on the back will improve the

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lifetime of even the worst sleeve bearing fan in the world. So, give that

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a try if you want to save a couple of bucks and keep your fans out of the

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local landfill. Speaking of saving a couple bucks, if you enjoyed this video about fan bearings, be sure to check out

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the fans from today's episode sponsor, Cooler Master. They produce a wide

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variety of PC cooling components. I mean, it's right there in the company

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name with everything from CPU, air, and liquid coolers to standalone fan

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upgrades for your case that range from plain Jane black ones to fancy LED ones.

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Show them some love for supporting Techquicki by checking out the link in

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the video description. Thank you very much guys for watching. Like it if you

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liked it, dislike it if you dislike this video. Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the video or if you have

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suggestions for future fast puzzles. And as always, don't forget to subscribe to

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