WEBVTT 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:06.480 In general terms, a bearing is a machine element that constrains relative motion 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:10.160 and reduces friction between moving parts. In cooling fans specifically, the 00:00:08.639 --> 00:00:14.960 purpose of a bearing is to allow the blades to spin around inside the frame 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:19.920 as efficiently and reliably as possible. But there are so many kinds of them. And 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:23.359 the PMM bearing hasn't been invented yet. So until that happens, how do we 00:00:21.520 --> 00:00:26.880 know the pros and cons of each kind? Let's kick it off with sleeve bearings. 00:00:25.119 --> 00:00:31.119 The most common bearing type in PC cooling fans. The main advantages are 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:34.399 easy. They are inexpensive and quiet, especially at first, but they should 00:00:33.040 --> 00:00:38.800 only be mounted vertically for best results. And compared to other bearing types, their performance, especially 00:00:37.440 --> 00:00:43.360 over long periods of time, is unexceptional. A sleeve bearing is what 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:46.719 is known as a line contact bearing, which means that the contact surface 00:00:44.800 --> 00:00:50.960 area between its moving parts, is actually quite large. This isn't 00:00:48.800 --> 00:00:54.559 inherently a catastrophic problem, but it makes them more susceptible to 00:00:52.559 --> 00:00:58.239 failure due to changes in lubricant viscosity from higher ambient 00:00:56.480 --> 00:01:02.399 temperatures and from lubricant loss over time. This combined with the way 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.479 that they often die quite suddenly makes them less suitable for industrial or 00:01:04.320 --> 00:01:11.119 missionritical environments, which leads us nicely into the second most common PC 00:01:08.720 --> 00:01:15.520 fan bearing type, ball bearings. They're more expensive than sleeve bearings and 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:19.920 louder at the beginning of their lives, but they make up for it because their 00:01:17.600 --> 00:01:23.920 point contact design reduces friction and allows them to last longer, 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:28.640 especially in hotter environments, like say for example in a server or oftus 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:32.720 used gaming PC and they stay closer to their out ofthe-box performance over a 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:36.479 longer period of time. Like sleeve bearings, the main cause of failure of a 00:01:34.240 --> 00:01:39.759 ball bearing is lubricant loss. But because of the way they operate and the 00:01:38.240 --> 00:01:46.320 fact that they tend to be found in better designed products that are manufactured with tighter tolerances 00:01:43.360 --> 00:01:51.119 overall, this will take longer to occur. Add to that that a ball bearing fan will 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:54.240 fail in a slower, more graceful manner, and you've got yourself a fan that's 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:58.320 much more suitable for cooling a component that won't take kindly to a 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:03.600 sudden lack of cooling, like a CPU or power supply. But not all ball bearing 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:07.600 fans are created equal. Cheaper single ball bearing designs will use one ball 00:02:05.600 --> 00:02:11.840 bearing and one sleeve bearing at each end of the shaft. While more expensive 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:15.520 dual ball bearing designs use ball bearings throughout for improved 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:18.959 longevity and performance consistency. So depending on how much reliability you 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:22.879 need, you can plan your budget accordingly. Now, I don't want this 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:26.560 video to come off as a PSA about the dangers of sleeve bearing fans. In 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:29.840 non-demanding environments or where extreme silence or longevity aren't 00:02:28.239 --> 00:02:33.920 really needed, a traditional sleeve bearing may be perfectly adequate. And 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:38.879 on top of that, not all sleeves are necessarily inferior. Fluid dynamic or 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:42.800 hydro bearings are the last common bearing type and are fundamentally a 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.920 modified sleeve bearing. Compared to normal sleeve bearings and even ball 00:02:44.239 --> 00:02:49.840 bearing designs, they are the most expensive due to the Matsushida 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:54.080 licensing fees that they must pay in order to sell them, the genuine ones 00:02:51.519 --> 00:02:58.080 anyway. But the way that they use the fan's own rotation to create a pressure 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:01.680 field that stabilizes the fan and dramatically improves lubrication 00:02:59.519 --> 00:03:05.280 performance results in an extremely quiet bearing that generally lasts 00:03:03.519 --> 00:03:09.440 longer than either of the first two that I talked about. The thing to watch out 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:13.840 here though for is that the fluid dynamic bearing name isn't trademarked. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:19.360 So many manufacturers have created their own, sometimes inferior variants that 00:03:16.640 --> 00:03:23.599 sell under the same name, buyer beware. Our last bearing type is the other 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:28.560 category. I mean, you see, hydro bearings aren't the only enhanced sleeve 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:30.879 bearings. Rifle, hydraulic, and SSO are 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:33.840 a few more examples with each taking a different approach to the goal of 00:03:32.239 --> 00:03:37.599 improving sleeve bearing performance. I'll use SSO bearings as my example. The 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:43.680 main problem with sleeves is that if they're not adequately lubricated, they wear out extremely quickly. This 00:03:41.519 --> 00:03:48.080 proprietary design, among other changes, adds magnetic stabilization and fluid 00:03:46.480 --> 00:03:52.879 dynamic bearing design elements to improve stability, longevity, and 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:57.120 silence, especially at lower speeds. And they can be mounted in any orientation 00:03:54.480 --> 00:04:00.319 to boot. Not bad, eh? So, that's pretty much it. Or wait, there's two more 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:04.720 things actually. First, factor into everything I just said that the design 00:04:01.920 --> 00:04:08.720 and quality of the construction of the rest of the fan plays a major role in 00:04:06.720 --> 00:04:11.920 its performance and its reliability regardless of bearing type. And second, 00:04:10.480 --> 00:04:15.760 here's a handy little fan maintenance tip. It's never a bad idea to consult 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:19.919 the manufacturer for the best possible method, but using a drop or two of a 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:23.360 high-grade synthetic lubricant under the sticker on the back will improve the 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:26.479 lifetime of even the worst sleeve bearing fan in the world. So, give that 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:29.759 a try if you want to save a couple of bucks and keep your fans out of the 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:34.479 local landfill. Speaking of saving a couple bucks, if you enjoyed this video about fan bearings, be sure to check out 00:04:32.479 --> 00:04:38.639 the fans from today's episode sponsor, Cooler Master. They produce a wide 00:04:36.400 --> 00:04:43.120 variety of PC cooling components. I mean, it's right there in the company 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:46.800 name with everything from CPU, air, and liquid coolers to standalone fan 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:50.639 upgrades for your case that range from plain Jane black ones to fancy LED ones. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:54.639 Show them some love for supporting Techquicki by checking out the link in 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:57.440 the video description. Thank you very much guys for watching. Like it if you 00:04:55.919 --> 00:05:02.400 liked it, dislike it if you dislike this video. Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the video or if you have 00:05:00.320 --> 00:05:08.479 suggestions for future fast puzzles. 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