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More fan! (the continuing saga)
I had previously accidentally purchased and then installed a 200mm fan in my case for intake, (as seen in THIS THREAD, and was told to get some sort of exhaust fan. Well, not knowing my Cooler Master 500W power supply has an exhaust fan built in, I went and ordered a 120mm Cooler Master sickleflow fan to use as exhaust.
My 120mm fan came. Now, it's time to mount it.
Being that my case is annoying as heck, I decided to just gut it out completely to make it easier to remove the top. So, everything you see here (and some things you don't see) was removed.
This was the only thing left in the case, and that was only because I couldn't figure out how to get it out. The multi-card reader.
Turning the case upside-down, I put the PSU and DVD drive back in, so I can mark out where the fan will fit. I have 1.5mm of free space on either side of the fan, so this will be a brutally tight fit.
Can't afford to make any mistakes in measuring here.
After removing the front cover, I remove the upper plate (case is upside-down here)
After tapping out where the four mounting holes will be with a hammer and nail (improvised center punch, for the win) I take my case top in my basement to mark out where to drill.
And the drilling begins...
My pattern didn't turn out exactly as I hoped. There were a couple small gaps in the end, so I did my best to accommodate by drilling out the gaps with a smaller bit.
Now, to file off those burrs.
Test-mounting the fan. I won't be able to do the actual mounting until everything else is back in the case. It's the only way to get it to fit.
I actually used rubber washers between the fan and the case, to reduce vibration and noise. I got all the hardware from a local shop, since the screws that came with the fan are junk. Always use stainless when working with a computer, too. Or, if you're made of money, use chrome plated parts. I settled for stainless.
These were the only bolts I could find that weren't too short. I might cut them off later, but I doubt it, seeing as they don't get in the way of anything, and I want to be able to remove the fan eventually, and if I cut them off I might not be able to get the nuts off.
Everything is back in the case, and the fan is then mounted.
And, here's what it looks like now. The airflow is incredible too, so I'm glad I did this one. This is proving to be great cooling for my mid-size case.
Last edited by kbronski; 28 May 2011 at 15:56.