Need replacement fan

[rdpoor]

I purchased a NUC NUC8i5BEK in July 2019.  The fan is now on its way out.  Two questions:

- As the unit is still under warranty, can Intel provide me with a replacement fan?

- What is the correct model number for a replacement fan?  The existing fan has a sticker on it that says "D8008FN190328 A", but Amazon does not recognize that part number.

Many thanks.

[tommy10y]

have you been showing it to the closest Intel service center ?

[n_scott_pearson]

I do not know if any replacement fans are available; they may want to replace the entire unit. You need to directly contact Intel Customer Support to discuss your options.

After verifying that your warranty is still active (here: Determine if Your Product Is Still Under Warranty), you need to directly contact Intel Customer Support to initiate the RMA process (you cannot do this through the forums). Here are pages where you can lookup contact information, including local phone numbers, by geography:

• U.S. and Canada: Intel Customer Support NA
• Europe, Middle East and Africa: Intel Customer Support EMEA
• Asia-Pacific: Intel Customer Support APAC
• Latin America: Intel Customer Support LAR

You can use the online forms service or email, but I actually recommend calling them directly. The above links provide local or toll-free numbers in most countries and support most local languages. You could also use the chat service (start here: Intel Customer Support Chat), but understand that this service is offered in English only and is subject to the normal (9:00-5:00 M-F) office hours in the Pacific (UTC-8) time zone.

Hope this helps,

...S

[rdpoor]

My *real* problem now seems to be with the web site:

1. When I click on "Check Warranty Coverage", it redirects me to "Create a Support Account":

    https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/forms/support-registration-form.html

2. When I fill in the email address, it says: "This email ID is already registered within our system, Click here to login"

3. When I click on the link to login, it takes me to the "Sign In" page:

    https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/my-intel/sign-in.html?redirect=https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/forms/support-registration-form.html

4. When I fill in the info and click [Sign In], it takes me to the "Create a Support Account" page.

5. Go to step 1.  Loop forever.

So I cannot contact support!    Any hints?

[n_scott_pearson]

There are phone numbers for most countries - and they may even speak your native tongue. Pick up the phone and call them. I know it's an ancient concept, but hey...

...S

[DKEBeck88]

Did you ever get  your fan replaced?  I have the same issue - two days ago my fan started making a "rattling" noise in addition to the normal "whirring" noise on the same NUC model as you have.  This is my main workstation as I work from home during the pandemic, so I can't really send my machine away unless Intel sends me a replacement first.  Regardless of warranty status (I believe my machine is still under warranty, but interestingly enough the Intel website says it can't find my machine via SN lookup), I was just going to buy a replacement fan and replace it myself, but apparently that's easier said than done on these newer models?  I found one site in Netherlands that possibly has a replacement part, but no instructions on how to do it.  If I had a nuc6, no problem at all.

[LeonWaksman]

Hi @DKEBeck88 

You asked for instructions how to replace the cooling fan. This video shows how to do this on NUC7i5BNK. It is not your model, but it should be similar.

Leon

[DKEBeck88]

@LeonWaksman Thanks for that link.  The same YouTube user created a similar video specific to the "tall" NUC models.  In the comments, someone specifically asked about the 8th gen, and the video poster said he reached out to Intel and the company came back saying that they don't release the instructions but that it probably involves removing the heat sink - a bit more complicated than models past:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7_9wPHwfOk&lc=UgzwNoyR3tPa9wLtmrx4AaABAg.8wp8h753S9A8wtfS8KNoiZ

It's not something that I'm necessarily unwilling to tackle (I've done it on full-sized desktops plenty), just would like something a bit more specific to go on.  I was unable to find a US-based supplier for the exact fan (BAZB0808R5H) but it appears that BSC0805HA-00 is also suitable, and I can find that easily.

Interestingly, I removed this NUC from its wall mount and put it flat on the desk and the new "rattle" noise went almost all the way away (I'd say about 90%), but then putting it back on the wall mount brought back the noise completely.  I purchased the NUC at least in part because it was wall-mountable (it even comes with the mount) as I have very little extra desk space in my tiny home "office" that I'm in 100% of the time due to COVID, so I really don't want "remove it from the wall" to be my best solution.

[n_scott_pearson]

I will point out that the blowers used in the various NUC models are all standard parts from their various manufacturers and should be available in component storefronts. Using your part number, I got hits on AliExpress and eBay and both ship to U.S. addresses.

Just saying,

...S

[DKEBeck88]

@n_scott_pearson Yeah - using that 2nd model number I ended up pulling the trigger on one off of Ebay with a US seller (estimated delivery in a week, not 5 weeks like the international sellers).  I messaged a few of the people who reviewed the fan on Ebay who put it in their 8th gen NUC and they gave me some pointers on installation - on how it differs slightly from the online videos of earlier generation NUCs.

[n_scott_pearson]

Yea, the design differs slightly because of the vapor chamber heat pipe design that they are using in this (and subsequent) NUC design. You are still just unscrewing the couple of screws holding down the blower and screening them back down to hold the replacement. The challenge (not so bad ;^)) is getting the board and cooling solution out of the chassis.
...S

[rdpoor]

Yes, I replaced my fan, and it wasn't difficult.

(Side note: the NUC shut itself down due to overheating the day before the replacement fan arrived.  So this is not a problem to lightly gloss over!  Happily, there did not appear to be any permanent damage.)

I purchased the fan from Simply NUC (https://simplynuc.com/product/dawson-bapa0508r5u-fan/) and used Jason Hoffman's video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzHzu475y8U) for guidance.

All pretty straightforward. 

Slightly shaken from having the processor shut down due to overheating, I wanted to make sure the new fan was working properly, so I also downloaded HWInfo64, which gives you a real-time display of the core processor temperature(s).  Super handy.

[DKEBeck88]

@n_scott_pearson thanks for the process overview.  I received the proper fan in the mail yesterday.  However...two days ago the "rattle" noise completely stopped and things seem back to normal (I still hear the normal "whirring" noise of an operating fan).  I'm happy to have a replacement fan on hand and proper instructions on replacing it, but for the time being I'll leave the original fan.

@rdpoor Thanks for the update on your situation.  I saw that fan being sold, but I get confused with all the different NUC models, their codenames, etc., and I wasn't sure if that fan was compatible with my NUC8, so I spent almost twice as much to get one I knew was compatible from eBay.  Glad the replacement went OK for you.  Hopefully your overheating shutdown was precautionary and you have no long-term effects.  I run GNU/Linux so that monitoring tool you suggested won't work for me, but the command-line utility that came with my distribution says I'm sitting around 37 C, which is fine.

[DKEBeck88]

OK - the rattling noise came back, so I did replace the fan.  It was straightforward, but I'm glad I took a lot of pictures throughout.  Everyone's advice was great, as was the information provided on this reddit comment:

https://www.reddit.com/r/intelnuc/comments/ay2xlf/nuc8i7beh_remove_kit_from_case/ehxv80j/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

It's only been about 20 minutes, but my new fan seems to be working well.  No rattling, just whirring.  And the new fan I purchased ended up being the exact model that was already in the NUC.