Installing a fan in an odd location on a PC
Posted: 2007-09-15 01:08pm
I've screwed up slightly, and ended up buying a too-small replacement fan for my PC (I needed a 92 mm, but I mis-judged it as 80 mm instead. I didn't even know there were 92mm fans...). As a result, I now have a PC fan that I have no use for. Its a bit too much hassle to be worth returning since I need to post it back, partic. as I damaged the packaging opening it so I doubt I can ask for a full refund. So now I want to find a use for it if I can.
My PC is a standard size case, with three ventilation grids in the same side used for access (one big near CPU, two small lower down and forward), no front ventilation, and a single rear 'sucking' fan.
I've started having an idea of putting the spare fan on the side of the case, screwing it onto the section of ventilation grid just off-centre of opposite the CPU, so it blows air onto the CPU, memory and northbridge all the time, and so reduces the amount of fan running on the CPU and PSU themselves. (for reference, the 92 mm sucking fan is about 6" to the left of this).
To fit the grub screws into the ventilation grid, I'll need to drill the holes out about 50% larger, but it should still have enough strength to hold up the fan, partic. as three of the holes will be at the grid edge. If I buy this:
gaskets
then I think I can use that to mount the fan, and so avoid vibration being too bad. (Since there won't be any 'proper' mounting points.)
Anyway, before I start borrowing a drill and cutting up my PC a bit, I thought I'd ask if anyone here has any comments or previous experience of this sort of thing. In particular I have a concern that the fan would be so close to the sucking fan, it might 'short-circuit'' the airflow, and cut off the flow across the graphics card (which has a fan of its own, facing downwards from the card, which in turn is below the CPU). There doesn't seem to be any ventilation down that section of the PC at all though, or I'd put the fan there.
My PC is a standard size case, with three ventilation grids in the same side used for access (one big near CPU, two small lower down and forward), no front ventilation, and a single rear 'sucking' fan.
I've started having an idea of putting the spare fan on the side of the case, screwing it onto the section of ventilation grid just off-centre of opposite the CPU, so it blows air onto the CPU, memory and northbridge all the time, and so reduces the amount of fan running on the CPU and PSU themselves. (for reference, the 92 mm sucking fan is about 6" to the left of this).
To fit the grub screws into the ventilation grid, I'll need to drill the holes out about 50% larger, but it should still have enough strength to hold up the fan, partic. as three of the holes will be at the grid edge. If I buy this:
gaskets
then I think I can use that to mount the fan, and so avoid vibration being too bad. (Since there won't be any 'proper' mounting points.)
Anyway, before I start borrowing a drill and cutting up my PC a bit, I thought I'd ask if anyone here has any comments or previous experience of this sort of thing. In particular I have a concern that the fan would be so close to the sucking fan, it might 'short-circuit'' the airflow, and cut off the flow across the graphics card (which has a fan of its own, facing downwards from the card, which in turn is below the CPU). There doesn't seem to be any ventilation down that section of the PC at all though, or I'd put the fan there.