Uploaded March 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Learn how to replace the fans in your Mac Pro 4.1 and 5.1 with premium Noctua fans.
Part 1 - Noctua Fans on Amazon ➜ geni.us/FcZbHN9
Part 2 - Unboxing ➜ (3:27min)
Part 3a - Power Supply Fan Replacement ➜ (6:46min)
Part 3b - CPU Fan Replacement ➜ (17:05min)
Part 4 - Summary ➜ (20:44min)
# Tutorial Series # Old Mac Pro - Still Worth It?
Part 0 - Introduction ➜ youtu.be/lJF-rffIyq0
Part 1 - Bluetooth ➜ youtu.be/d9xPvreK8tg
Part 2 - High Sierra ➜ youtu.be/ecWEhbtvXHk
Part 3 - SATAIII SSD ➜ youtu.be/2gqkGPidI84
Part 4 - Radeon RX560 ➜ youtu.be/UoV4I-FlYdw
Part 5 - Memory ➜ youtu.be/1XYNqfnu4UA
Part 6 - CPU ➜ youtu.be/8cVhURcpi64
Part 7 - macOS Mojave ➜ youtu.be/uKAJCuWtp4Y
Part 8 - Radeon RX580 ➜ youtu.be/Dv73HrnsNkw
Part 9 - NVMe SSD ➜ youtu.be/A8hPC_DDq6Q
Part 10 - Fan Replacement ➜ youtu.be/fBiIJami8v0
NEW *Part 11 - USB 3.0 Upgrade ➜ youtu.be/fCkrZlB465E
NEW *Part 12 - NVMe Raid Card ➜ youtu.be/fo7lVMfXq1c
# Parts Used #
Noctua NF-A12 - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/FcZbHN9
Noctua NA-FC1 - Fan Controller ➜ geni.us/07h1MzP
Noctua NF-A8 (single CPU) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/lESPyC
Noctua NF-A6 (dual CPU) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/dfuudqB
Hex 3mm (Processor Heatsink) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/wuTi
Hex 2,5mm (Processor Cage) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/Cmik7yh
Thermal Compound - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/ROtUzP
After watching this tutorial you will know how to replace the fans in your Mac Pro 4.1 (Early 2009) and Mac Pro 5.1 (Mid 2010).
Because servicing the fans is somewhat difficult I would only recommend it for advanced users.
You may want to refer to the "Apple Technician Guide Mac Pro 2009” because page 185 has a detailed explanation on how to remove the backplane board.
The Noctua fans I used to replace the stock fans are 4-Pin PWM, however from what I have researched so far Apple uses special 4-Pin fans that are actually non-PWM.
Hence I decided to use a Noctua fan controller, which works very well so far because I keep an eye on temperatures with an app called “Macs Fan Control”, that way I can set the speed correctly.
Overall I found the new fans to be much quieter, especially the power supply fan seems to do a great job.
In the future, I will get a second fan controller, so I can run the CPU and power supply fans at different speeds.
Overall a great update, but a bit tricky to install, because you have to take everything apart.
#ReviewTechTV
/ Affiliate Links: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. /
// This video does not include product placement. I got the product myself. //
Learn how to replace the fans in your Mac Pro 4.1 and 5.1 with premium Noctua fans.
Part 1 - Noctua Fans on Amazon ➜ geni.us/FcZbHN9
Part 2 - Unboxing ➜ (3:27min)
Part 3a - Power Supply Fan Replacement ➜ (6:46min)
Part 3b - CPU Fan Replacement ➜ (17:05min)
Part 4 - Summary ➜ (20:44min)
# Tutorial Series # Old Mac Pro - Still Worth It?
Part 0 - Introduction ➜ youtu.be/lJF-rffIyq0
Part 1 - Bluetooth ➜ youtu.be/d9xPvreK8tg
Part 2 - High Sierra ➜ youtu.be/ecWEhbtvXHk
Part 3 - SATAIII SSD ➜ youtu.be/2gqkGPidI84
Part 4 - Radeon RX560 ➜ youtu.be/UoV4I-FlYdw
Part 5 - Memory ➜ youtu.be/1XYNqfnu4UA
Part 6 - CPU ➜ youtu.be/8cVhURcpi64
Part 7 - macOS Mojave ➜ youtu.be/uKAJCuWtp4Y
Part 8 - Radeon RX580 ➜ youtu.be/Dv73HrnsNkw
Part 9 - NVMe SSD ➜ youtu.be/A8hPC_DDq6Q
Part 10 - Fan Replacement ➜ youtu.be/fBiIJami8v0
NEW *Part 11 - USB 3.0 Upgrade ➜ youtu.be/fCkrZlB465E
NEW *Part 12 - NVMe Raid Card ➜ youtu.be/fo7lVMfXq1c
# Parts Used #
Noctua NF-A12 - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/FcZbHN9
Noctua NA-FC1 - Fan Controller ➜ geni.us/07h1MzP
Noctua NF-A8 (single CPU) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/lESPyC
Noctua NF-A6 (dual CPU) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/dfuudqB
Hex 3mm (Processor Heatsink) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/wuTi
Hex 2,5mm (Processor Cage) - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/Cmik7yh
Thermal Compound - on Amazon ➜ geni.us/ROtUzP
After watching this tutorial you will know how to replace the fans in your Mac Pro 4.1 (Early 2009) and Mac Pro 5.1 (Mid 2010).
Because servicing the fans is somewhat difficult I would only recommend it for advanced users.
You may want to refer to the "Apple Technician Guide Mac Pro 2009” because page 185 has a detailed explanation on how to remove the backplane board.
The Noctua fans I used to replace the stock fans are 4-Pin PWM, however from what I have researched so far Apple uses special 4-Pin fans that are actually non-PWM.
Hence I decided to use a Noctua fan controller, which works very well so far because I keep an eye on temperatures with an app called “Macs Fan Control”, that way I can set the speed correctly.
Overall I found the new fans to be much quieter, especially the power supply fan seems to do a great job.
In the future, I will get a second fan controller, so I can run the CPU and power supply fans at different speeds.
Overall a great update, but a bit tricky to install, because you have to take everything apart.
#ReviewTechTV
/ Affiliate Links: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. /
// This video does not include product placement. I got the product myself. //
